The Low Down on Red Mites | How We Love to Hate Them! 😡
Revised 13th May 2025, Updated Tuesday, March 15, 2022 (Originally published April 26, 2015)
Red mites are a very common poultry nuisance appearing each season usually in the warmer summer months.
They eventually come to all poultry lovers and test our tenacity.
Red Mite can reproduce rapidly so a few under the perch one day can turn into an infestation the next if not monitored and exterminated quickly. Surprisingly mites do not live on the birds but rather in the chook housing particularly under perches and in nesting boxes. They hide during the day and become active at night crawling onto the birds and sucking their blood. Little vampires! Heavy mite infestations in poultry can lead to high levels of stress amongst birds and can result in anaemia, reduced egg production and, eventually if not treated, death, so being vigilant about good coop health is key. Early detection is better than no detection, but the best weapon is knowledge and working to eliminating them before they ever get a leg hold!
So let’s have a look at this tiny parasite and understand a bit more about what it is, its lifecycle and how it reproduces so fast and causes our beloved chooks to suffer silently. The chicken mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) are not breed specific and can be found on any bird. These mites are easily seen once they have had a blood meal (hence their name) and some of us might need to put our glasses on to see them! Red Mite have been known to transmit diseases such as Fowl Cholera, Newcastle Disease, Fowl Typhoid and Salmonella as well as causing dermatitis and mange. They are transmitted to poultry from rodents and wild birds. So working on good pest control in your poultry area is key. Eliminating rats, mice and sparrows will go a long way to keeping your hen house mite free. Unlike the northern fowl mite, Red Mite only spend part of their lives on their poultry hosts. They live in cracks and crevices in the poultry housing and move onto roosting birds at night to feed. Red Mite can survive away from poultry for four or more weeks and they can also infest humans (don’t panic!) They can survive for several months without a feed and have been known to lie dormant for years. When hidden in cracks, they are very resistant to desiccation – so cleaning out and leaving a house empty will not prevent mites reappearing when birds are reintroduced. Red Mite can be carried by wild birds and prevailing winds, so can appear even when there has been no previous evidence of infestation.
What is a Red Mite?
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.
LIFE CYCLE | Egg → Larva → Protonymph → Deutonymph → Adult
Image shows light micrographs of the developmental stages of poultry Red Mite including fed and unfed individuals. Some are brilliant white (just after moult).
Have I Got Mites in My Chicken Coop?
- Often the first indication of red mites is when you go to collect your eggs. You reach in and the next thing you feel is tiny things crawling on your hands and up your arms. Possibly blood specks on the eggs.
- Next, have a look in the nest boxes. Look for clumps of red mites in the nesting material, corners of the laying box or under the rim of the nest box lid. Check the roosting bars or perches. Mites will first set up camp here, where it is easier to access their meal (the chickens!)
- 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 on the coop floor litter at night, then check where they sleep. If mites have spread beyond these points then the mites have been around for a while and you now have 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 in the corners and literally dropping down off the ceiling …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.
Look carefully and you will spot them crawling on the eggs,
you might even see little blood specks on the eggs.
Smooth perches are better at deterring mites than natural tree branches and rough sawn timber which have a lot more cavities.
Spot the grey redidue, this is mite faeces and debris.
A definate sign of a Red Mite infestation.
This chicken will be infested. Mites do not live on your hens. This hen is ue coop (source of the infestation)
What Can I Do to Beat a 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 a chicken coop that is easy to maintain and monitor Red Mite on a weekly basis.
We highly recommend an Omlet Chicken Coop for easy-care maintenance.
Flat, smooth plywood panels and removable perches are ideal in timber housing.
Smooth surfaces that wipe clean.
Easy to clean - no wood grain for mites to hide in.
Buy a Coop That is Easy to Clean
Think carefully about the materials you use in the chicken coop.
- 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 batts and any other linings.
- Avoid using plastic liners or carpet on the floor or anything that is going to create hidden cavities.
Choose the right coop
Omlet's range of Eglu plastic chicken coops are a very good choice as super easy to maintain and keep clean. The housing is made from smooth, easy to wipe plastic surfaces offering no wood grain to hide in. Unlike wooden housing, you do not need to repeatedly treat your Eglu - saving you time and money.
Appletons Two-Pronged Approach 👍
Here at Appletons we recommend the use of Poultry Safeguard together with De-Mite Powder for the treatment of Red Mite. Poultry Safeguard is a powerful disinfectant killing bacteria, viruses and odour in coops. It has excellent degreasing qualities and works well to dissolve the waxy coating on the mites exoskeletons slowly causing them dehydrate and die. Smite Professional and Poultry Shield are also available in-store and on-line with similar results. De-Mite Powder works brilliantly for residual Red Mite control and works hand in hand with the Poultry Safeguard to do a great job in keeping the persistent Red Mite population under control.
13 Easy Steps To Less Mites
How to Clean Your Chicken Coop
- Buy the necessary treatment/s needed and have the tools to hand.
- Wear suitable protective clothing and a face mask.
- Best to remove all floor litter and nesting box material.
- Make sure the roosts (perches) are removable to reach all hiding places.
- IMPORTANT!
Do not pre-water blast your coop. - For best results apply directly to undisturbed, dry timber in hen house.
- Handy Hint!
Use a paint scraper to slide between panels and timber joins. Scrap out debris and make access for spraying easier. - SOAK ALL SURFACES
Get into all nooks cracks and crannies, around hinges, under lids, roof, walls and outside to is a good idea. - Don't forget to remove, clean and disinfect all feeders and drinkers if you keep them in the coop.
- Allow to air dry. Best done on a sunny day!
- Next place clean untreated wood shavings in house and nest boxes. Use shavings sparingly as this procedure will be repeated again in 5 to 7 days.
- IMPORTANT!
For severe outbreaks repeat at least 3+ times until you are on top of them. - Follow up weekly with the De-Mite Powder and spot spray between treatments if required.
Things You Can Do To Help Your Flock 🐔
Self Medicate 😊
Keep your hens mite and lice free with an Appletons Dust Bath Bowl Kit. Chickens will instinctively dust bath to assist with parasite removal. Dustbathing is in your chickens genes and they do it instinctively from a very early age. Our dust bath bowl kit as all the essential ingredients required to make 2 x gourmet dust baths for your favourite girls!
Plus the bowl!
Remember, chickens love the pleasure a dust bath offers them too! We also sell the refills.
Dust Weekly with DE
We recommend weekly dusting with De-Mite Powder to keep perches and nesting boxes mite free. If this is repeated weekly then the chance of a mite infestation in your hen house is going to be a thing of the past. Be observant and regular in your control. Our handy powder applicator makes application easier.
Eradicates Pests Physically
not Chemically
Apply RX For Parasites to nesting boxes and poultry bedding. The uniquely sized particles pass through the exoskeleton blocking the stomach tract and simply dehydrates. The pest can not build an immunity to the product therefore it works long term. Do NOT apply directly to animals.
Quick and Effective
for Hard to Reach Places
Nettex Total Mite Kill Aerosol Spray is perfect to treat hard to reach areas of your poultry housing such as cracks and crevices. It is a highly effective insecticidal spray for use in hen housing against mites, fleas and other flying and crawling insects. Long-lasting, residual action continues to work even after drying. Contains pyrethrum.
Essential Pick-Me-Up ❤️
Essential supplement if your flock had been bothered by Red Mite. Not only does Nettex Vit Boost Tonic contain all the vital vitamins and trace elements but it also contains essential proteins (lysine and methionine) which will help your hens bounce back after a mite infestation. Simply add to the drinking water to support the whole flock.
Instant Boost for Your Hens ❤️
Agrivite Mite Rescue Remedy is a liquid complementary feed designed to assist with the recovery of symptoms of a Red Mite attack such as lethargy and anaemia. Give your hens a boost and help them bounce back after a Red Mite infestation. Use during & after a Red Mite infestation. Just add to their drinking water. Also makes an excellent all-round supplement as contains just about everything they need including all the proteins.
Eliminate Hangers On! 🚫
Red Mite do not usually live on your hens but if your mite population is high they can hijack your chickens. If your hens are visibly covered in mites and looking anemic & have dull combs we recommend using Pour on Drench. We recommend this option if your hens are NOT laying as there is an egg withholding period of 14 days. Ideal to use on broody hens. However, it will not get to the source of the problem which is usually in your hen house.
Protect Yourself 😷
Wearing a face mask is essential when cleaning your hen house or chicken coop. Avoid fine dust particles and chicken dander from entering your airways.
Poultry dust contains various components, including allergens, bacteria, and fungi, that can irritate the respiratory system and lead to health issues.
Look after your lungs!
Remember, Prevention is Better than Cure!
The best way to keep on top of them is with regular coop maintenance using Poultry Safeguard.
Check your coop weekly. Dust weekly with De-Mite Powder on perches and in nest boxes.
Regularly give your chicken coop or hen house a thorough (deep) clean. Most of all be observant.
Deworm and check birds for external parasites on a regular basis.
However, if detection goes unnoticed, or you do not know what you are looking for, or your life just gets too busy …then you one day you mite be surprised!!
Prevention is honestly the easier option 😉
Go and check your hen house now just to be sure!
