The Pest: Poultry Red Mites

Red fowl mites and Northern fowl mites look roughly similar without inspection with a microscope. Adult mites have 8 legs and are approximately 1 mm long with a dark red to black appearance. Larvae have 6 legs and may be lighter in colour or pale as they do not contain the hosts blood.

Female adult mites lay eggs directly on their host. The eggs hatch in one to two days, depending on the temperature and humidity. The larvae do not feed on the bird; however, larvae rapidly develop to the nymph stage in about eight hours. The nymphs do feed on blood from the birds and become adults within four to seven days.

Adult female mites complete the egg-laying process within two days after taking a blood meal from their host. The number of eggs laid per female is relatively low, usually two to five. However, the short life cycle means that mite populations can increase rapidly, with newly infested birds capable of supporting a mite population in excess of 20,000 per bird in 9 to 10 weeks under favourable conditions.

Red fowl mites can survive for as long as 8 months without feeding, northern fowl mites can only survive a few days without a host to feed on.

Signs and symptoms of fowl mites include:

• Hens are agitated and stressed

• Chickens no longer want to roost on their perches

• Blood spots on the eggs

• Dark spots in the cage near the seams