Like many animals, chickens can play host to parasites that live on skin, in feathers, and around their living spaces. One such parasite isDermanyssus gallinae, the chicken mite, a tiny pest found worldwide, that stresses chickens, reduces egg production, and can also transmit diseases.
Finding parasite infestations in your birds is always scary, but with some knowledge and good management practices, you can prevent or control them.
Symptoms And Identification
Chicken mites don’t live on the birds all the time. Instead, they nest nearby and feed on the chickens every few days, usually at night. So you may not spot the mites themselves—only telltale signs like scabbing or lesions on your chickens’ skin. You’ll also likely notice that your chickens are lethargic, lay fewer eggs, change their sleep and roosting patterns, or peck at each other.
If you suspect chicken mites, search your chicken coop, nest boxes, and bedding for signs of the mites. Take a flashlight and a magnifying glass out in the middle of the night to check your chickens themselves.
Mites are about a millimeter long. Their normal coloring ranges from dark to light gray—but if they’re actively feeding, their entire carapace turns red with the blood of their hosts. (Editor’s note: Ew.)
Though they aren’t spiders, they are eight-legged with an antenna-like head. Once hatched, they live only about a week, but the eggs and nymphs can become dehydrated andlive for more than eight monthswithout feeding before becoming active.
They are not to be confused with the northern fowl mite, which lives its full lifespan on the host bird.
Chicken Mites Treatment
因为寄生虫生长迅速,所以及早捕捉它们是至关重要的。一旦一个种群建立起来,它们就很难根除。
Make it part of your routine to spend time with your chickens, get to know their behavior, how their plumage normally looks, and how much they eat so that you will notice right away if something is wrong.
Since chicken mites live in bedding, cracks, and crevices of coops, you must thoroughly clean the coop if you suspect mites, even if you only have one affected chicken. Often the chicken with the weakest immune system is the first to show symptoms.
Clean Coop, Healthy Chickens
Every coop and chicken tractor is designed differently, so your cleaning routine won’t be the same as your neighbor’s. Cleanliness is always important, but it is doubly so when you have a parasite problem. Move your chickens somewhere temporarily while you clean their coop and apply potentially toxic substances.
The places that typically accumulate feces the fastest is underneath roosts and in nest boxes. Shovel out any bedding, like straw or sawdust that you use in your coop and boxes, and scrub or hose down surfaces with soapy water and sterilize with vinegar or bleach. Allow to air dry before adding clean bedding. (If you have a mobile chicken house or chicken tractor, clean it first, then move it.)
For an established mite infestation, after regular scrubbing and sterilizing, you’ll need to decide on an anti-parasitic treatment before proceeding.
Anti-Parasitic Treatments
A number ofpesticide products都是用来治疗寄生虫感染的,主要是鸡笼内和周围的鸡螨,including organically-certifiedpesticideslikepyrethrum. The common,non-organic treatmentfor chicken mites iscarbolineumor anthracene oil, both derivatives of coal tar.
These substances are used to paint the insides of the coop, roosts, and nest boxes. People who want to avoid chemicals of all kinds use diatomaceous earth to treat parasites, but it has to be heavily and repeatedly applied to the environment, sometimes for months, given how long the eggs can remain dormant.
Although people feel strongly about using only organic products or only diatomaceous earth, it is worth considering whether it is healthier for your chickens to be exposed once or twice to a highly toxic substance like carolineum or repeatedly to a less toxic—but less effective—pesticide like pyrethrum or diatomaceous earth, which can cause serious lung inflammation in animals andhumans if repeatedly inhaled.
This is a choice that only you can make for your household and birds, but the sad truth is that sometimes the most toxic remedies are the most effective ones. Always wear respiratory protection when applying pesticides of any kind, including organic pesticides and diatomaceous earth.
Prevention
Prevention is always the best (and cheapest!) cure. The most important step you can take in keeping your chickens healthy and happy is to limit their exposure to parasites in the first place and make sure their immune systems are strong.
寄生虫通常是由其他鸡引入的。当你购买新鸡,特别是成年鸡时,要采取良好的生物安全措施。
在10天到两周的时间里,让新鸟远离你的鸟群。这不仅允许有一段时间的社会和领土适应一个新家园,而且在你与你的鸟群混合之前,寄生虫或疾病的症状在新鸟类中出现。
Also, since chicken mites live in coops, always thoroughly clean any new coop, roost, or nest boxes that you buy from another chicken farmer. Dormant larvae could come onto your farm on used equipment, but a thorough scrubbing with bleach water, strong vinegar, or a pesticide should take care of that.
如果你有可移动的鸡笼或鸡舍,保持鸡健康的最佳做法之一是让它们轮换到新鲜的地面上。这使它们远离了自身粪便的堆积,降低了体内寄生虫的风险,并为它们提供了新的觅食之地。
Having access to more lush and diverse foraging ground increases chickens’ nutrient intake and boosts their immune systems. And of course, sunlight and fresh air are as good for a chicken’s health as they are for yours.
Basic care can keep birds healthy and minimize the risk of pest infestations. Make sure your birds have clean water and bedding, practice good quarantine measures with new birds and equipment, and you are unlikely to have problems. Ninety percent of the time, keeping yourself and your pets healthy is just a matter of preventative care and good biosecurity.
Courtney Barkersays
I have been infested with something on my head and skin ,itching,sores all over my body ,and now passing worms. I live in a loft down town apt and there are pigeons outside my windows and nest around my bathroom windows. Could I get mites from these pigeons?