Red mite infestation

[Lillith37]

Have you tried googling for images of red roost mites? Since I haven't had them I can't pretend to be able to ID them.

The location you're finding them doesn't really sound like a spot that I'd expect to find these sorts of mites, as they want to hide in crevices especially during the day.

And yes there are many types of mites and similar tiny bugs in the environment that you might not have noticed before. Like every summer I get tiny white mite sized bugs that casually crawl all over things in the run and disappear once the weather begins cooling off. Not sure what they are, but as they aren't harmful to the birds or myself, I leave them alone.

I have and I’m fairly certain the first one I took a picture of (that came directly from the infestation) was a red poultry mite. These ones that I’m finding outside on the poop look similar but not exactly the same. It’s hard because they have several different stages in their life cycle.

I guess I’m just hoping for some reassurance but I understand it’s hard to know. I guess I’m going to have to take what comfort I can when I see no evidence on the birds or in their coop. We have a garden and wild birds and all sorts of bugs in the yard so who knows what’s out and about.

 

[BDutch]

I don’t know either, but if these are red mites, I would expect them to have a red hue. If you squash a red mite that has been drinking blood you get a blood spot. Never heard about red mite that like to stay in the poop. Therefore I expect this to be another kind of mite.

 

[Lillith37]

I spoke to my avian vet… So to update:

The mites in both pictures I shared on this thread are Dermanyssus gallinae — red poultry mite. The second picture is a younger mite in an earlier life stage.

So far I have encountered no mites in my coop or on any of my birds and I am checking religiously every day/evening.
I do find them sporadically on the poop. Not on perfectly fresh poop, and not dried out poop, and not in the rainy cold weather.

Vet said it’s impossible to tell whether they have come from the infested place or whether there is some kind of natural environmental load and they are seeking out the poop as a warm, dark place to hide.

She encouraged my paranoia about it and agreed that hopefully by treating the chicks with Ivermectin, any adults will be killed upon feeding and can’t lay eggs.

She recommended a product called Exzolt which has recently become available in Australia. So for anyone who may find this thread and it’s relevant to them:
https://www.aussiechooksupplies.com.au/exzolt-red-mite-treatment

I’m really hoping I’ve nipped this in the bud but I don’t think I’m going to feel secure until I stop seeing mites in the poop or enough time (months) passes and my birds & coop remain unaffected.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yikes - on one hand, I'm glad you got confirmation, but sucks that you now have to deal with this in your own set up.

 

[Lillith37]

Yikes - on one hand, I'm glad you got confirmation, but sucks that you now have to deal with this in your own set up.

I know! I feel like one day I will have dealt with every single chicken issue. It’s just been one thing after another ever since I got them.

With respect to the mites, I’m lucky that my coop is a converted tin shed with concrete floor and very minimal structural wood. There are only some wooden eaves that we built to protect the vents along two sides. For the nesting boxes, I’ve swapped out the old woven baskets and milk crates for plastic open fronted storage tubs which are easy to move, disassemble and clean. Roosts are 4x4 hardwood posts resting on bricks so easy to take apart and clean, not touching any walls etc. The litter is pine shavings. I clean the poop every day and usually replace all the shavings twice a year.

I’m going to take the advice of @BDutch and make a “paint” out of DE for the roosts, bricks, the screws holding the eaves in place and any parts where the metal joins. For now I’ve coated it all in the rotenone/sulfur dust and sprayed the nest boxes and the shavings around the bricks with permethrin.

I am determined! I went through a similar war with rattus, then with tapeworm, now it’s red mites. The bed bugs of the chicken world.

 

[BDutch]

The litter is pine shavings. I clean the poop every day and usually replace all the shavings twice a year.

I wouldnt use shaving if you can do without. And where you do need bedding i would clean it every week.
(btw, using two types of poison would not be my style)
Do you use control rolls for red mite? These rolls are a way to catch the red mite and to check.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ses-tips-for-prevention-and-monitoring.76285/

 

[RescueMum]

Hello collective wisdom of the BYC community! I need your guidance.

Today I re-homed a group of chicks to a lovely gentleman who lives on a 5 acre property half an hour from me. He has a beautiful, minimalist house and spectacular gardens.

Turns out he has a terrible infestation of - what I suspect is - red mites in his chicken coop.

He has two coops side by side. One has approximately 15 chickens, the other has a peacock and two pea hens. The coops are simple in layout and cover the necessary basics. Wooden structures with wire mesh. Straw and sand. Proper ventilation. The birds free range during the day.

We went into the chicken coop and mites immediately crawled all over my feet and my hand that I put on the roost. When we went out, mites were all over the front of our shirts. He had no idea. His wife usually cares for the animals but she has been interstate supporting family. We are experiencing very hot humid weather. It seems as a result the mite population has exploded, because they have not had this issue previously.

This guy seemed so caring and engaging, the environment was so well cared for, the coops so well set up... that I info-dumped him everything I could about mites, left him with the chicks, came home and had a panic attack. I put all the clothes I was wearing on a hot wash, sprayed the carrier and my shoes with permethrin and showered. We've since been in discussion about the best way to deal with this problem. I suggested cleaning out all the bedding from the coop, burning it, spraying the structures with liquid permethrin, put new bedding in, then treat every bird with rotenone & sulfur powder (Pestene, the go-to product here in Australia) and repeating every seven days until the situation is under control. I repeatedly offered my help because I felt so guilty about consigning my broody's precious chicks to that fate. To his credit, he immediately powdered the birds, acquired the permethrin concentrate and has stayed in contact with me all day.

He has now offered me a job. Helping with the animals (he also has bees and goats -- I told him the mite treatment will be toxic to bees, but the bees don't go in the coops) as well as yard/house maintenance. This is a great opportunity for me on several levels.

My question -- is my "treatment plan" adequate? Is there anything else I should do/consider? What about the peacock and peahens? I've never worked with them before. I don't know the first thing about them. I dealt with a very mild case of lice in my flock of hens once upon a time. I have an ongoing practice to address/prevent SLM but I've never had to deal with any kind of northern fowl or red mites before.

Best case scenario they are wood mites but I examined one I brought home with me and cross-referenced it to pictures and it looked most like an unfed red mite or red mite nymph.

@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @Shadrach @dawg53 @BDutch @rosemarythyme you have all helped me in the past and I am so grateful. If you have any suggestions, advice or guidance I would really appreciate your experience and expertise or if you know anyone to tag who may be able to help. Thank you so much.

I hate to say it but if you got back in your car, chances are they are on your property to now. With the job offer, take a big bite and chew like mad.what state are you in? Some of the animal parks keep peacocks and peahens and might have information about caring for them. Healesville for instance. Wishing you all the best with it. Cheers from Cobram.

 

[Lillith37]

I wouldnt use shaving if you can do without. And where you do need bedding i would clean it every week.
(btw, using two types of poison would not be my style)
Do you use control rolls for red mite? These rolls are a way to catch the red mite and to check.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ses-tips-for-prevention-and-monitoring.76285/

The coop floor is concrete so it would be fine for the big girls, but good to have at least a thin layer of something as chicks will hatch in a couple of weeks and I don’t want them to slip. What would you recommend? Sand? I’ve been thinking about sand but it would cost a fair bit to get enough.

The DE arrived in the mail today so I will be able to dispense with the poisons and use it as a preventative. I am also going to make up an essential oil spray (clove, eucalyptus, thyme, etc) so I can spray the wooden eaves as a preventative.

I don’t have the control rolls but I did get a big roll for the people with the infestation. I’ve been going out every night to check my birds and the roosts and haven’t seen anything.

 

[Lillith37]

I hate to say it but if you got back in your car, chances are they are on your property to now. With the job offer, take a big bite and chew like mad.what state are you in? Some of the animal parks keep peacocks and peahens and might have information about caring for them. Healesville for instance. Wishing you all the best with it. Cheers from Cobram.

You hate to say it and I hate to hear it! But I know it’s true. Thanks for the advice re: Healesville. I actually grew up down that way. I’ve decided to do as suggested here and leave the work to the folks who own the property and offer my advice if they want it.

My next news/update:

I did some reconnaissance today going around the backyard and turning over bits of wood. I have various stumps and logs that the chickens like to perch on, wooden pieces of furniture and garden beds, stuff made out of pallets, etc. Not to mention a whole heap of wood chips throughout the yard from a tree that was cut down on a private property. A lot of wood that has come straight from natural sources or been repurposed from elsewhere, effectively.

Turns out there are red mites in the wood in various locations in the yard! I caught one and looked under the microscope and confirmed. Not anything I would consider a serious infestation — although I know where there is one there is more — and no fed adults.

So now I’m wondering if they’ve been there all along and I just haven’t noticed because they are so tiny and they have never gotten into the coop and my birds have never shown signs of being bitten. Or whether a couple of fed adults made it back home and have spread to the four corners of my yard, colonised all the soft wood they can find, laid their eggs which have now hatched and that’s what I’m seeing today.

My neighbour has chickens and has kept them for years and is not parasite savvy, so there is also the possibility that he has an issue and they migrate over here.

I think my plan now is to use DE paste as barrier protection for the coop and essential oil sprays to deter them from the coop area, and start burning all the excess bits of wood around the place. Continue my regular weekly health checks for my birds but also keep going out at night to scope around the coop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The mites might've come in with the wood or were brought in after the fact by wild birds for example, but either they hadn't colonized your coop in big enough numbers to cause issue before this - hard to say since this is the first time you've gone looking for them. I don't doubt small numbers of them are always just present in the environment, but not sure what causes them to explode in numbers and become an issue.