Red Mites Close Up

LIFE CYCLE: Egg → Larva → Protonymph → Deutonymph → Adult

Between 12 and 24 hours after her first blood meal a fertilized adult female can lay a batch of 3 to 7 eggs in the poultry house. The eggs hatch in two to three days and the larva which do not feed, moults in a further day or so. The protonymph needs and takes a blood meal. It then moults to a deutonymph, which does not feed. The deutonymph moults to an adult stage in a couple of days. Under ideal conditions the life cycle can be completed in a week or so but, if conditions are not ideal, both the feeding stages can survive several weeks before taking a blood meal. A mite is only red when it has had a fresh blood feed. Over time it darkens and goes black before it changes colour again through black to grey as the interval between feeds lengthen. When checking housing for mite evidence mites can appear in a range of these colours and in size from tiny to bigger breeding adults. A tell-tale ‘grey residue’ around crevices is evidence of mite faeces, this can be seen during the day. But the best time to examine a house is at night when the mites can often be seen with the aid of a torch, both on and off the bird. If looking during the day a coop or house can appear mite free to the untrained eye.

Have I Got Red Mite in My Chicken Coop?

Often the first indication of red mites in your chicken coop is when you go to collect your eggs. You reach in to pick them up, and the next thing you feel is tiny things crawling on your hands and up your arms. If you look closer you will spot them on the eggs, you might even see little blood specks on the eggs.

 Next, have a good look in the nest boxes. You might notice clumps of red mites in the nesting material or in the corners of the nest box or under the rim of the nest box lid. The other key spot to check are the roosting bars or perches inside the coop. Mites will first set up camp here, where it is easier to access their feed (the chickens!) Check the ends of perches, the perch rails, under perches and in any nook, crack and cranny on the perch. Smooth perches are better at deterring mites than natural tree branches which have lots more cavities.

 Do your chickens sleep on the floor? If so, then this could be another spot. If you have birds that do not perch but rather choose to huddle down on the coop floor litter at night, then check where they sleep. The warmth of their body heat will be another draw card for red mite. If mites have spread beyond these points then the red mites have been around for a while and what you now have is a mite infestation and it is going to take a little more work to beat them. If you walk into your hen house and can see them visibly on the walls, thick like jam in the corners and literally dropping down off the ceiling onto you …then you have a bad infestation!!

If your hens start to look pale, ruffled and lethargic. Egg production drops off and your hens move out of their coop then it is most certainly caused through an infestation of red mite.

What Can I Do to Control a Red Mite Infestation?

There are different control treatments available but all involve thoroughly cleaning and treating of the hen house often with several follow up treatment/s. Getting the upper hand with a severe red mite infestation requires persistence and attention to detail, and it may involve using more than one approach. Any control programme needs to pay attention to the following:

• Operator hygiene and suitable protective clothing to prevent the spread of red mites between sites.
• Study the red mite life cycle – repeat treatment needs to be undertaken within seven days to maximise the effect and ‘catch’ the largest possible number of mite.
• Efficient disposal of mite-infested litter and debris, to prevent re-infestation.
• Sealing up of as many joints and crevices as possible, to reduce the number of areas which harbour mite. This is best done prior to an infestation.
• Sanitizing and cleaning all equipment inside your hen house each time your treat for mites: nest boxes, feeders, drinkers etc.
• Move your hens to another hen house or temporary  accommodation whilst you get on top of the mite infestation. If you go with this option - best to use pour-on drench on your birds and put them in a quarantine cage for 24 hours to avoid them taking any hangers on with them.
• Constant vigilance and prompt treatment of any hotspots.
• Use of a poultry tonic or vitamin supplement to help the birds recover and increase their resistance to re-infection.
• Invest in an Omlet Chicken Coop for easy care maintenance.

Buy a Coop That is Easy to Clean

What your hen house is constructed of can make all the difference when it comes to controlling mite numbers. 
Smooth, flat surfaces go a long way to reducing population numbers. Avoid coops and houses built out of rough sawn, unfinished timbers, old pallets, especially tongue and groove styled timbers. Avoid insulating hen houses with wool or pink bats and any other linings. Smooth, easy to clean surfaces like plastic are great to keep clean and go a long way to making it easier to keep on top of mites.
Omlet's range of Eglu plastic hen houses and chicken coops are a very good choice as super easy to maintain and keep clean. Unlike wooden housing, you do not need to repeatedly treat your Eglu - saving you time and money. Made from energy efficient polymers using modern construction techniques, the Eglu will last for years and at the end of its life can be 100% recycled. 

Mites feed mainly on the blood of birds, but also on feathers, skin or scales; each blood feed can take up to a couple of hours after which the mites will leave the birds and return to hide in cracks and crevices in the poultry housing. Here they lay their eggs, returning to the birds again the following night. Mites are usually very active at night and once birds have settled down on perches for the night the mites are out. The birds become easy targets as cannot leave the comfort or safety of the perch in the dark for fear of injury (they are not nocturnal.) Once on the perch/es or huddling on the floor (or the nest boxes) the mites have a field day and crawl out to feast on the unsuspecting birds. The tiny mites vary in appearance, depending on when they last fed and at what stage they are in their lifecycle.
The have a five stage life cycle starting with the egg and finishing as an adult within just 5 to 7 days.

Easy-to-clean and maintain Omlet housing.

Flat, smooth plywood panels and easy to remove perches are ideal in timber housing.