A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (47 page)

Red mite – greatly magnified and showing grey dust

Poultry red mite is a completely different insect to the red spider mites found in the garden.

Red mite aren’t easy to see, although shining a torch into the henhouse at night may reveal them moving away from the light. During the day they hide in crevices, especially at the ends of perches. Running your thumb around a perch may result in a smear of red – that’s a load of red mite you’ve just squashed!

The mites also leave heaps of grey dust, like cigarette ash, along ledges in the henhouse. You may even find red dots on the eggs – if the hens are still laying. An unexpected drop in egg production can be a sign of parasites.

Mites irritate the birds, making them restless. Unsurprisingly you may find them reluctant to go into their house at night. If they have previously roosted there without trouble, then suspect red mite.

Red mite don’t usually live on humans but may bite them and can cause skin problems. You might start scratching after cleaning the henhouse or even find your skin crawling!

This is easier said than done – spotting their presence early and dealing with them promptly will give you an advantage.

If the henhouse has roofing felt, replace it with corrugated bitumen – red mite love to hide in felt and if they are living in the roof everything else you do will be in vain.

Remove every scrap of bedding from the house (burn or seal it in bags as there will be mites in it) and take the house to pieces, if possible. Scrub it well, preferably with a product effective against red mite – get it into all the cracks to make sure it comes into contact with the mites. A watering can or sprayer can help ensure that all areas receive a soaking. The insects will start emerging to escape, so allow them to come out of hiding then douse them again. A pressure washer is useful if there is a bad infestation.

When dry, use a red mite treatment on the house. Protect the birds by dusting them with a repellent too.

Unfortunately there are likely to be some mites or eggs remaining. It’s almost impossible to get them all at the first attempt and they will double their numbers within a week.

Therefore you will need to take action a few days later in order to mop up any remaining mites. If it’s impossible to scrub the henhouse again, a good spray with a suitable product may suffice. Liquid sprays are easier to get into all the crevices than powder (if using Poultry Shield for cleaning, keep back some diluted mixture in a sprayer – it can be used around the birds but not on them). The chickens should also have another dusting of repellent.

Spraying the henhouse

Diatomaceous earth is made of fossilized algae and desiccates the outer coating of insects. It’s a natural product that can be used on the birds and in the house as a preventative measure, as well as to deal with an infestation. When the house is clean and dry, generously apply diatomaceous earth, making sure you get it everywhere – it must come into contact with the mites. Rub it well into the perches, especially around the ends and undersides.

There is a variety of other red mite treatments on the market and more are appearing all the time. Some contain potent chemicals but for a bad infestation it may be necessary to experiment with different products. You can buy smoke fumigation kits from poultry suppliers and some people have found a wallpaper steamer very effective. A carefully used blow torch will do the job too – but obviously not in a plastic house!

Mimi – still going strong several years after dousing herself in creosote substitute

At one time creosote proper (which is still available but there are restrictions on its supply) was regularly used as a wood preserver and red mite seem to have been less of a problem then. We found that applying creosote substitute and replacing the felted roof worked wonders (touch wood!). Creosote is fearsome stuff but the substitute is less harmful. One of our hens managed to tip the paint kettle over herself – she needed a thorough wash but is still going strong several years later. The mites didn’t like it though and haven’t come back. However, our henhouse can be taken apart and every section was treated, inside and out. Other people have found that creosote substitute hasn’t worked for them.

Whatever you decide to use, prompt action is essential. In an ideal world you would have a battery of products in stock, but if caught out use whatever can be sourced quickly rather than trying to obtain the latest super-duper mite killer. By the time it arrives, you will certainly need it!

Red mite gets most of the attention but this one is also a potential killer. It lives on the birds and causes debility which can be fatal – look for it during your regular inspections.

These form greasy clumps of black, often around the bird’s vent, but also on the head, particularly in ear canals and crests. Look closely and you may see the mites moving. They are brown/grey in colour.

Affected chickens will become restless and depressed. Combs and wattles will be pale. The birds will be scratching, possibly causing loss of feathers. They may start to drink more and laying will decline. You could also find the mites crawling up your arms after handling the birds.

Their breeding cycle can be less than seven days and numbers can increase in cool weather too.

These are also difficult to eradicate and the whole bird needs to be treated, not just the affected area. Again, prompt identification and treatment gives the best chance of success. Use one of the proprietary products designed to combat this mite, dusting it all over, including a small amount in the ear canals. Repeat the treatment within seven days.

Northern Fowl Mite

Even if only one or two birds are obviously affected, you should give the whole flock a preventative dusting and scrub the coop too.

This burrows into the skin under the leg scales, causing irritation and discomfort to the bird. If not treated, it will cause lameness and even loss of toes.

The leg scales will be raised and thickened, with white crusts underneath – this is the excrement of the mites. If left untreated, the legs will start to look lumpy and the bird may have trouble walking. The mite lives on the birds and is spread by contact.

Trying to pull off the crusts will cause bleeding. Soak the legs in warm, soapy water, and clean them with a soft toothbrush. Dry well and dip each leg into a wide jar of surgical spirit (as long as there is no broken skin). Cover the legs with petroleum jelly to smother any remaining mites. The treatment will need repeating weekly for three to four weeks. Clean the house thoroughly too, and apply an anti-mite product.

Scaly leg

Alternatively you can buy products that relieve the itching and kill the mites (creams are easier to apply than sprays). These need to be reapplied regularly, according to the manufacturer’s directions.

The leg scales will be shed at moulting so you may not see much improvement until the next moult.

Lice cause the chickens to scratch, preen excessively and lose feathers. A heavy infestation will be debilitating, and egg production will drop.

You may find these small grey insects on the skin, but they quickly move away from the light. It’s easier to see their eggs – white clumps stuck to the base of the feathers, usually around the vent.

Adding diatomaceous earth to the dust-baths, bedding and nest-boxes helps chickens to keep lice under control, but if there is an infestation you should dust the chickens with one of the proprietary products.

Lice eggs take up to three weeks to hatch, so you should continue the treatment at weekly intervals, as recommended by the manufacturer. Badly encrusted feathers can be pulled out and burnt.

Lice eggs

Chickens can also get fleas, which are usually found as dark brown spots in the head feathers. Much of the flea’s life cycle takes place in the house or bedding, so this will need to be treated as well as the hens.

Free-range chickens may pick up ticks from long grass. Trying to pull them off results in the heads being left behind, which can cause infection. Dabbing them with surgical spirit or smothering them with petroleum jelly will cause them to drop off.

This is a relative of the scaly leg mite. It burrows into feather shafts and causes the chicken to pull out its own feathers. These mites are very small and difficult to see. Unusually they produce live young rather than eggs and take three weeks to complete their life cycle. They are spread by direct contact.

This drug is sometimes used to deal with external and internal parasites. It should only be used on chickens in consultation with your vet.