Mites on the feet of chickens. Bird or chicken mites: what they look like, are they dangerous to humans, how to get rid of them, treatment methods and preventive measures. Why are they dangerous for chickens?

The optimal habitat for mites is the litter of damp poultry houses and poorly ventilated areas. When inspecting a chicken coop, it is not that difficult to detect, as there are symptoms that indicate unhealthy birds.

Before searching, find out what they look like chicken mites(see photo). Adults reach about 0.7 mm in length, have a flat dark red body, and after drinking blood they turn purple. The female is capable of laying up to 20 eggs. They breed from May to October (especially active in warm months and after prolonged rains), and are able to go without food for up to 6 months while hibernating.

It is optimal to carry out disinfection once every 30 days. Preventive measures include the above-described use of a mixture of sand and ash.

You need to check all packaging containers delivered from another farm. Metal cages for collecting eggs have a weak point - these are plastic gaskets. They need to be washed with cleaning agent and hot water. Veterinarians agree that regular prevention is easier than fighting chicken mites.

Mites that attack chicken legs and feathers

Tick prevention for people

A chicken mite found on a person's body will resemble a small ball of dirt stuck to the skin, most often on the leg. If you brush off the “lump”, bite marks will remain. Frequent bites mites can cause allergies or dermatitis, so precautions are needed not only for birds, but also for people who work in the chicken coop. Chickens are cared for in special clothing (rubber boots, thick trousers). Do not neglect overalls, even if you go into the chicken coop for a few minutes.

Bird mites have oval shape bodies. Against a reddish-brown background, white spots stand out, which are located on the dorsal part. Adults are very small and difficult to distinguish. The female is about 0.08 cm long and 0.04 cm wide. The male is somewhat smaller. The length of its body does not exceed 0.06 cm, and the width - 0.03 cm. The tick moves quickly with the help of four pairs of legs. The head is equipped with a very powerful sucking mouthparts.

The female lays eggs, which are oval in shape. Their size does not exceed 0.03 cm. Chicken mite larvae have six legs. They do not feed and are inactive. After a day, the larval stage transforms into the protonymph form. It is almost transparent and, like the deutonymph, absorbs the blood of its owner. These two forms are very mobile and voracious. The number of eggs laid by the female depends on the amount of blood absorbed.

IN daytime Ticks take refuge in walls, cracks, garbage and other dark and secluded places. Ticks attack birds at night. The red tick becomes saturated with blood from several minutes to several hours. The volume of blood absorbed in one meal exceeds the mass of the tick itself by almost ten times. If the reproduction of red ticks has become widespread, then an attack becomes possible during daylight hours.

An adult tick lives about eight weeks. Can go without food for several months.

The scale of sabotage

The red mite causes great damage to industrial poultry farming and private poultry farms. It is easily tolerated even with the slightest disturbance in maintenance.

Tick infection occurs:

when moving containers, inventory and equipment;
in the process of regrouping the bird population;
through service personnel;
synanthropic birds.

The chicken mite is a carrier of pathogens that cause:

spirochetosis. This group of dangerous infectious diseases is caused by pathogenic spirochetes, which belong to the Spirochaetales family;

pasteurellosis, or hemorrhagic septicemia. An acute zoonotic disease of an infectious nature. Manifests symptoms in the form of fever, intoxication, inflammation of the skin, etc. Arthritis and osteomyelitis are often observed;

ornithosis, or psittacosis. Is spicy infectious disease, which is characterized by fever and general intoxication. Damage to the lungs and central nervous system is observed. The liver and spleen increase significantly in size;

cholera;
plague;
avian mycoplasmosis and some types of diseases dangerous to most animals. Signs of the respiratory form of avian mycoplasmosis include wheezing, coughing, nasal discharge and sinusitis.

Characteristic signs of tick infestation

redness, papular rash and scratching occur at the bite sites;
general exhaustion of the bird;
a sharp decrease in egg production;
loss of feathers and formation of bald spots;
pecking and restless behavior;
signs of intoxication and anemia, which manifest themselves in unnatural pallor of the mucous membranes and earrings;
mass death of chickens and young animals.

Diagnosis is facilitated by pronounced symptoms and detection of adult ticks and tick eggs. Ticks are dangerous not only for poultry, but also for other animals, so we recommend that you read the article.

Methods of control and prevention

Regular cleaning of the equipment used helps prevent red bird mites. All equipment should be decontaminated.
When importing birds from other poultry farms, they must be kept in quarantine for some time.
For the construction of poultry houses, you should carefully select Construction Materials. It is recommended not to use porous building materials. The chicken mite reproduces well in reeds and plywood.

Decontamination of premises is carried out using special anti-mite agents.

Effective chemicals Some insecticides and acaricides are used in the fight against bird mites. In full house conditions it is recommended to use Ardap (Shell) with active substance Cypermethrin 6%, anti-Insekt (Interhygiene) with the active ingredient Cypermethrin 6% and Intermitox CBM 8 (Interhygiene) with the active ingredient Propoxur.

For an empty house, you can use Venno-VM (Menno) with the active ingredient Biphenate and Amitraz, Rambosal K (Interhygiene) with the active ingredient Deltamethrin, Gesektin (Interhygiene) with the active ingredient Chlorphyriphos, as well as Riganex (Interhygiene) with the active ingredient Deltamethrin and Cypermethrin.

In domestic chickens, mites cause the following diseases:

If the bird has become inactive, experiences severe itching, egg production has decreased, young animals are not gaining weight well, the condition of the plumage has worsened, or bald spots have appeared on the body, it is most likely that the chickens are infected with mites.

Pay attention to the behavior of your feathered charges. If hens begin to clean their feathers more often, pluck feathers under their wings, in the cloaca area, and constantly take “sand” baths, this may also indicate an infection with feather mites and scabies mites.

Other symptoms of mites in chickens:

weakness, apathy;
wounds, scratches, sores on the body;
dry frequent cough, shortness of breath;
pallor of mucous membranes, comb, earrings;
lack of egg production in laying hens;
weight loss;
refusal to eat, increased thirst.

Upon closer examination, you can see small red or black spots, small grains, droplets of blood on the feathers, body of birds or on the walls of chicken coops and perches.

You can detect a tick by placing material from a nest, perch, or chicken coop on White list paper and examine it in bright light. It is best to collect material in the evening, at night.

Advice! If the chickens are reluctant to enter the chicken coop, set up new nesting places, and experience severe itching, these are clear signs that the bird is infected with red mites.

The red chicken mite feeds on blood, biting and damaging the skin. The bird experiences discomfort, itching, and shows anxiety. The condition of the feathers greatly deteriorates, the immune system weakens, and anemia develops, which can cause the death of infested birds.

Contributes to infection high humidity in poultry houses, lack of sand baths for hens, high density of birds in a limited space. It is worth noting that red chicken mites are dangerous to humans. They cause severe itching and allergies.

When day-old chicks are placed in poultry houses with mites, a high mortality rate is observed. The chicks die from exhaustion and anemia within 5–7 days.

Chicken mites that infect nails and bird feathers

In addition to the red chicken mite, feather mites and chicken acariform mites are a danger to domestic chickens, especially small chickens and young birds.

The feather mite in chickens lives on the feather shaft, in the hole, and feeds on circulating blood, which over time leads to the gradual destruction of the feather and deterioration of the plumage. If the infection is severe, chickens may be left with no feathers at all. Unfortunately, on this moment effective treatment from feather mite not developed in chickens.

Acariform mites in chickens provoke knemidocoptosis (leg scabies), to which roosters are more susceptible than hens. The disease is also known as calcareous foot. It develops slowly, so manifestations may not be noticed immediately.

If a bird is infected with leg scabies, the sick chicken has difficulty moving and becomes inactive. Dense gray growths are noticeable on the paws. The skin of the legs becomes lumpy. Pathological exudate accumulates under the scales. Over time, if treatment is not started, the scabies mite causes deformation of the limbs.

Treatment

Advice! If the mite lives on the legs of chickens, use a solution of Trichlorometaphos or a mixture of birch tar and kerosene in a 1:1 ratio.

Effective Methods for Cleaning a Chicken Coop

The main control method that will allow the removal of ticks from poultry is complex disinfection, decontamination of the poultry house, cages, and premises in which the poultry is kept. Treat walls, floors, perches, ceilings, and equipment with insecticidal-acaricidal solutions and special chemicals. Wash feeders and drinking bowls thoroughly. Replace the bedding.

For decarification you can use:

cyodrine 0.5%;
dicresol 0.25%;
karbofos;
chlorophos 1–2%;
trichlorometaphos 0.5–1%;
DDVF 0.25–0.5%;
neocidol 0.25–0.5%.

Important! If a bird is affected by red or Persian mites, the poultry houses are treated two to three times with an interval of 3–6 days.

Examine the chickens carefully. If there are wounds or scratches on the body, treat the affected areas with antiseptic solutions. Lesions can be lubricated vegetable oil, wound healing ointments, liniments.

In case of severe infestation, ticks will have to be removed in several approaches. Treatments are carried out at intervals of 5–10 days, depending on the product used.

Before use, carefully read the instructions for the drug. When choosing an insecticide-acaricide, be sure to consult a veterinarian. Some drugs are strictly forbidden to be used for treatments, since their active substances accumulate in eggs and meat.

To avoid infection of chickens with mites, it is very important to systematically treat poultry houses and cages at least once every 30–40 days. You can use disinfectants, used engine oil, and solarium. Cells are disinfected once a month.

Change the bedding in a timely manner, keep the feeders, drinkers, and perches clean. Disinfect equipment. Remove cobwebs as they may contain mites that can then be transferred to the bird.

The walking area should be dry. To protect from precipitation, build a canopy. Provide the bird with bowls of sand and ash.

They are widespread and begin to appear with the onset of warm days (May, June). When firmly absorbed into the animal’s body, the chicken mite releases saliva, and along with it an infection can enter the body. This pest also causes many problems for poultry farmers and farmers. In laying hens, the condition of feathers noticeably deteriorates, and productivity decreases. Mites in broiler chickens negatively affect the development of young animals; they slowly gain weight. Infection of birds can occur not only during the active period, but also at any time of the year.

On a note!

Ticks are transmitted from birds through contact, through care items, and even through use. folk remedies, since they live for some time in the fallen scales. Dirty chicken coops for them favorite places, can live in a litter for up to two weeks, in winter time- a few months. Mites are most often found in birds with weak immune systems.

Features of feather mites

A serious danger is caused by the feather mite, which contributes to the loss of feathers. If the bird reproduces too much, it may die.

Signs of chicken infection

the chickens are noticeably nervous;
egg production decreased;
birds are reluctant to enter the chicken coop and do not use nesting sites;
the chickens are breathing heavily and coughing.

If there are ticks on birds, it will become noticeable that chickens clean their plumage more often, nipping in the anus and under the wings. A careful examination of these areas reveals tiny specks of red or black. Streaks of blood or black specks will be noticeable in the coop and can be felt if you run your hand over the surface.

What does a chicken mite look like?

Interesting!
Ticks have natural enemies. Birds feed on them, including chickens that eat ticks. For them this is a real delicacy.

Danger to people

The chicken mite can also be found on a person’s body. While in birds they live for years, they do not live on the human body, since the skin is hard, the temperature is low for arthropods, and they simply cannot feed. Therefore, chicken mites die or look for a host for themselves - an appropriate bird. Chicken mites are dangerous to humans because they cause significant harm to their activities. By attacking chickens, they reduce their productivity and can cause the death of birds. Young birds and laying hens are especially susceptible to tick bites. Unlike Russia, European countries have excellent statistics on the damage caused by chicken mites. The annual loss is estimated at approximately 130 million euros.

After scabies mite bites, leg diseases are observed in laying hens. The disease is called knemidocoptosis or “calcareous feet.” Getting under the scales that cover the paws of birds, the chicken mite passes under them all the way life cycle. The chickens get extremely itchy and scratch. As a result, the scales on the paws peel off, and white coating, similar to lime. After the chickens choose their toes as their habitat, growths in the form of tubercles will soon appear on them. At the initial stage of the disease, getting rid of chicken mites is not difficult. Sick chickens are isolated, since infection occurs through contact. Prepare a soap solution for them (50 grams of laundry soap are diluted in 1 liter of warm water), pour it into a container and lower the chickens into the liquid for one minute. The liquid level is up to the feather cover. After this, the paws are lubricated with birch tar or creolin.

On a note!
If ticks are found on chickens, immediate measures must be taken to get rid of them. It is necessary to combat mites in chickens in a comprehensive manner.

Be sure to treat the chicken coop for ticks. The chickens are temporarily relocated. After this, they begin to clean the chicken coop from dirt. It is advisable to do it indoors heat treatment. You can pour boiling water over the floor and walls. But The best way- usage blowtorch or fire. They completely burn the room, it is better to throw out the old perches and replace them with new perches and crossbars. Especially if they are made of wood, since even after treatment, chicken mites may remain in the cracks. It is advisable to periodically treat the walls with diesel fuel and lubricate them with lime.
The industry produces many products that effectively help get rid of fleas and ticks. They are available for free sale. To treat all surfaces in the chicken coop, it is recommended to purchase the following chemicals:
1% Karbofos. Price 18-60 rubles, depending on packaging.
2% Chlorophos. Sold in powder form. The cost of 1 bucket (800 g) is about 900 rubles.
0.5% Cyodrine.
0.5% Neocidol.

The current price for the drugs Tsiodrin and Niocidol can be found by telephone at a veterinary pharmacy or by leaving a request on a specialized website.
To combat chicken mites, veterinarians advise using special means, which is used to spray birds:
Delcid. A solution is prepared from it. The package contains 5 ampoules. The average price ranges from 128 to 151 rubles.
Butox 50. Concentrated preparation used to prepare a solution. It goes on sale in a TV package containing 5 ampoules of 1 ml each. The cost is about 85 rubles.
Dust. It is used to process bird feathers. Price from 33 rub. (100 g) up to 748 rub. (1 kg)
Milben. Ready product. Sold in spray form. The cost of 1 bottle (100 ml) is 450-560 rubles.

Since any of the proposed drugs is poisonous, you should strictly follow the instructions attached to each drug.

Veterinary clinics offer vaccinations for birds. To do this, each of them needs to be given an injection (Ivermek).
Such control measures are suitable if the owners do not have many birds. With a large head, it is impossible to process every chicken, so they use the spraying method. To do this, prepare an aqueous solution using effective means. The liquid is poured into a spray bottle and gently sprayed onto the birds and the room itself.
I used Butox. I diluted the drug according to the instructions and treated poultry and the premises with it. Repeated treatment was carried out after 2 weeks. I saved my chickens and they are now healthy.
Valentina, Perm

Folk methods of struggle
Sagebrush. Bunches of this plant are tied to perches, laid out in nesting areas and hung throughout the chicken coop.
Essential oil and garlic. Chicken mites cannot tolerate strong odors. A spray is prepared based on these ingredients. Dilute 30 ml of garlic juice in 300 ml of water and add 1 teaspoon of essential oil (cinnamon, cloves, mint, lavender). The resulting composition is used to treat the birds and the chicken coop every other day for 2-3 weeks.
Sand-ash composition. Sand and ash are mixed in a container and placed in chicken walking areas. By bathing in the mixture, birds naturally get rid of ticks.
Potassium permanganate and lime. A solution is prepared from these components and sprayed on the surface of the floor and walls once for 7-14 days.

I use it all the time essential oil carnations. I mix it with water at the rate of 5 drops per 50 ml of water, add 5 ml of alcohol. I pour the resulting composition into a bottle with a spray bottle and treat the chickens and the room where they are kept. As a preventative measure, I make a sand-ash mixture.
Galina, Krasnodar region

Prevention

While sucking blood from chickens, mites inject poisonous saliva, along with which it can get into the wound.

Paduan chickens will become a real decoration of your poultry yard. Detailed description There are birds of this breed in .

Preventive measures

No treatment will be effective unless taken regularly. preventive measures.

To get rid of ticks faster, you should:

periodically change bedding;
keep the chicken coop clean;
treat feeders and drinkers with boiling water;
create a schedule for regular disinfection of the premises. You can treat the poultry house with diesel fuel, and lime has also proven to work well, which is used to whiten the walls and floor;
remove cobwebs;
carry out inspections of chickens, and if an infected bird is identified, isolate it until it is completely cured.

If you are going to build a new poultry house from wood, then the material can be soaked in hot grease, which contains a substance that repels ticks.