Chicken farming – identifying and combating the red mite

The red poultry mite (Latin: Dermanyssus gallinae) is an external parasite that infects chickens, waterfowl, and pigeons worldwide. Wild birds are particularly often victims of this ectoparasite.

In chicken farming, the red mite is most commonly found in laying hens and impairs the health and egg production of the birds. The consequences can be serious; in the worst case, your chickens can die from the mite infestation.

Here you will find the best tips on how you as a chicken keeper can combat the red mite and how you can easily prevent it.

Red mite symptoms

Watch your chickens carefully! If the red mite infestation is becoming more frequent, the first thing you'll notice is their behavior. The chickens will be unusually restless and appear nervous. Younger chickens and weaker older birds are particularly affected by these ectoparasites.

If you don't intervene at the first signs, you risk the chickens losing a lot of blood due to the mite infestation. In the worst case, this can even lead to death. Severely infested chickens lose weight, and their combs and wattles appear pale. The iron deficiency associated with the blood loss causes them to suffer from anemia.

Are there any bloody or scratched patches in the plumage, or are any feathers missing? The chicken may have been scratching itself to relieve the itching. Bald patches are especially common under the wings and on the neck.

The stress irritates the chickens so much that their behavior changes dramatically. Some chickens become so restless that they attack each other, injuring each other by pecking at feathers. In the worst cases, this can even lead to cannibalism.

Another sign of a red mite infestation is that chickens no longer lay their eggs in the nesting box, but rather in other places in the coop. They are trying to escape the parasites lurking in the nest.

If you see small red drops of blood on the eggshells, you should also take action. The yolk may also be a lighter color than usual. This is also a clear sign of mite infestation in younger chickens.

One thing is also clear: generally, egg production will decline under high mite pressure. If your chickens are unwell, they will lay fewer eggs or, in the worst case, stop laying altogether!

Recognizing red poultry mites – mites, feather lice and other pests

It's important to note that other pests can also make themselves known through restless behavior in your chickens. Chicken fleas, feather lice, ticks, and other mites such as feather and skin mites cause noticeable stress. Some of them also suck blood, leading to iron deficiency, behavioral changes, and reduced egg production.

The red poultry mite has a special characteristic! It is nocturnal. During the day, it stays in its hiding places in the coop, i.e., in small crevices and holes, and at night, it crawls onto the chickens.

While other mite species are active during the day and can therefore be detected and combated directly on the chicken, in the case of a red poultry mite infestation the entire chicken coop must be cleared of it.

The northern fowl mite, in particular, can be easily confused with the red fowl mite at first glance. However, unlike the red fowl mite, the northern fowl mite is active during the day. It lives on the host chicken. If you find mites under the wings of an affected bird, it could be the northern fowl mite.

Where can I find the red mite in the chicken coop?

To keep the nightly migration to the chickens short, the red mite stays close by during the day (within a radius of one meter!) – but mostly unseen! You can find it where the poultry sits, lays eggs, and spends time: on and under perches, nesting boxes, etc.

Regular cleaning is absolutely essential, especially in areas frequently visited by chickens. The insulation material of the coop also provides a good hiding place for ectoparasites.

To prevent this, it is important to avoid cracks and crevices or to fill them with silicone so that the mites cannot find shelter there and, above all, no place to lay eggs undetected.

At what temperatures do red bird mites appear?

The mite eggs survive even freezing temperatures in winter. And because they are well hidden by the adults, they hatch when temperatures rise above 10 °C in spring/early summer.

After hatching, red mites are almost impossible to find because they are still extremely small (less than 1 mm in size) at this stage—making them almost impossible to see. Only after they have drunk the blood of a chicken do they change color from gray to reddish-brown. This is where the name "red mite" comes from.

The lifespan of mites also varies depending on temperature and food supply.

If the red mite is allowed to drink a chicken's blood undisturbed, it can live for more than six months at temperatures as low as 15°C. Temperatures above 20°C reduce the pests' life expectancy, but they reproduce more rapidly.

Humidity in the chicken coop, especially in winter, also plays a major role: The more humid it is, the better the chances of survival for the red mite. Therefore, plenty of ventilation and low humidity are extremely important in the fight against the mite.

Combating the red mite

With some home remedies You can treat the affected chicken specifically. It is also generally recommended to give your chickens a dust bath with Cumbasil Mite With this extremely effective measure, you can not only combat mites, but you also allow your chickens to engage in their natural behavior – brooding.

In addition to using Cumbasil Mite, we also recommend Blood Shield against the red poultry mite. This herbal extract is added to drinking water daily for 7 days in cases of acute infestation.

Blood Shield helps your chickens sleep better and promotes recovery. This allows their bones, intestines, and digestive tract to regenerate. And when used preventively once a week, your chickens will be healthier and less susceptible to parasites in the future.

Whether you are currently struggling with red mites or other annoying insects in your chicken coop, with regular, thorough cleaning and careful behavior, you will successfully tackle the problem and reduce mites.

Read our blog articles with 6 easy steps to spring cleaning in the chicken coop and Prevent mites in the chicken coop to treat and prevent mite infestation.

Chicken farming: The red mite and humans

The red mite can also infect humans. A mite bite causes severe itching, hives, and reddened skin. The red mite also feeds on the blood of dogs, cats, and other mammals. Especially when there aren't enough primary hosts, such as chickens or birds, the ectoparasite will seek out another host.

However, according to scientific research, while the red mite can survive by drinking mammalian blood, it can only lay eggs with poultry blood. This means that the chicken mite cannot reproduce through human blood.

However, to protect your chickens, maintain very thorough hygiene! No matter how well and frequently you clean the coop, if you bring the parasite back with you every time you visit, it will continue to hide and nest. Wash your clothes regularly and store jackets, boots, tools, brushes, and other items away from parasites.