Poultry Mites & Lice

Red Poultry Mites are on the increase, and are causing great concern for all poultry keepers. They are not usually found on the birds as they hide in the infrastructure of the henhouse during daylight emerging at night to jump onto the birds to feed. Red Mite can be a killer, birds become listless, poor feeders and fade away. Warning signs are pale combs and wattles, decreased appetite, no eggs, unwillingness to go into the house at night and apathy. If you go out with a torch at night you may see the mites crawling over the birds and woodwork.

The Common Poultry Louse is yellow in colour and flat in shape and lives mostly under the tail. It lays its eggs at the base of the feathers forming a clump of what looks like white sugar. The bird is better off without these, but they are not life threatening. Control Mites and Lice by thoroughly cleaning the poultry house and then treat with sprays and dust.

Best Methods for Controlling your Pest

DIY or The Professionals?

In the case of smallholders you should always be able to treat an infestation yourself.
Large commercial units may require professional input as large infestations can become deep-rooted and difficult to control.

For the Smallholder:

Two things to take into account:

The poultry mite lives in the structure of the building and only visits the bird to feed during the night
The poulty louse lives on the bird and is identified by the clumps of eggs located around the base of feathers

To eliminate poultry mite:

first follow the hygiene advice in the 'How to prevent entry' section
remove and burn all bedding from the unit
thoroughly clean the unit
spray liberaly with Red Mite Killer Spray ensuring you get into all cracks and crevices
leave until dry before putting in fresh clean bedding
repeat the cleaning and spraying process after 7 days, this is important because the mite eggs will not be killed by the spray and they hatch into adults within 7 days and will start to breed again
repeat every six to eight weeks over the summer if possible

To eliminate the Poultry Louse:

whilst the birds are at roost, take each bird in turn by it's feet, hanging upside down and dust the underside and particularly under wings and tail with Barrier Organic Chicken Louse Powder
treat again after 7 days
(whilst treating the birds, look out for red mites both on the birds and on the perches)

For the commercial keeper:

Where possible follow the advice above, otherwise call in professional assistance.

Use pesticides safely and always read and understand the label