Red mites are one of the most dreaded infestations that chicken owners can face. These microscopic mites feed on every part of the chicken, eventually leading to infections and death. They’re also difficult to get rid of and can live on surfaces for up to 6 months without feeding before finding their next meal.
If you notice a red mite infestation in your coops, it’s time to take action. They are more common in wooden chicken coops than plastic coops, so this is an extra risk factor to consider.
You’re going to need to deep clean your coops to eliminate them from the space and then give the birds the natural space they need to rid them of the parasites in their own way.
What are red mites?
Red mites are also known as Dermanyssus gallinae. These are small blood sucking parasites that feed on the blood of chickens. They can invade your flock at any time, but they are more common during the warmer months of the year.
They are nearly invisible to the naked eye, but the signs of an infestation can be unmistakable. They often hide in the cracks of your poultry house during the day and then emerge at night to feed. They crawl up from the cracks and climb through the feathers to feed on blood. After feeding, they return to their nesting sites to digest the blood and breed.
An easy way to tell if you have red mites is to rub a piece of white paper across the base of your chicken coop. If there are smears of red on the paper, this is a sign that you have an active infestation.
How do you get rid of red mites?
Deep cleaning is the only way to address red mites. The type of chicken coop you have will influence how you address this problem.
The first step is to remove the birds and deep clean the coop. You could use a pressure washer to get into the small crevices of the coop and blast away all traces of the red mites and their eggs.
You should also carefully dispose of bedding and provide new material. Anything returned to the coop runs the risk of reintroducing the mites.
In more extreme infestations, you might use a blow torch to quickly eradicate the problem. This is a high risk method which cannot be used on a plastic coop. Using this method on a wooden coop will also increase the risk of setting the coop on fire. Contact should be brief to help kill the mites and their eggs without causing a fire.
If you have a felt roof consider removing and replacing this as this would be an ideal breeding ground for red mites. You could also replace it with a new roofing material to help stop this from being an issue in the future.
Mite and parasite treatments can be added to your cleaning routine to help eradicate common infestations and keep your chickens healthy and happy.
How to support your chickens
Chickens are actually very skilled at getting rid of parasites naturally. They do this through dust bathing. If you’ve ever seen your chickens kicking up a flurry of dust and seemingly loving the dirt, this is a natural part of their cleaning routine.
You can support them by creating a space where they can dust bathe and then adding poultry lice powder to their dust bath to help support this natural process. You can also supplement their water with multivitamins to help keep them healthy while they get over the red mite infestation.
