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Of the
Various Small Biting Parasites, the Most Common are Lice and Red Mite.
Lice
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Theses do not normally
affect egg production but are an irritant to the bird, causing stress,
which may set off an outbreak of feather pecking or general bullying,
leading to eventual cannibalism. When birds are handled to be inspected,
the most obvious signs are a white
crustacean
attached to the base of the
feathers around the vent. Where large numbers of lice are involved, these
crustaceans are visible also on the feathers under the wings. They are
actually lice eggs. By parting the feathers, small light brown to golden
lice may be seen running between the feathers. They bite and feed on skin
scales. Their life cycle is on the host and once parted from the host,
such as moving onto an animal or human, they do not live very long.
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Louse egg clusters on the base of a chickens vent feathers
(above). Each egg is less than 1mm long.
Treatment is administered by liberally dousing affected birds with a
louse or parasite powder such as
S.P.R. Eradicate,
S.P.R. Diatom and
Battle's Louse Powder.
A weekly treatment of dusting the nest boxes
with
S.P.R. Diatom will protect birds from
becoming infested, but when Cockerels are kept, they need to be treated
individually, and on a monthly basis as a precaution.
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Red
Mite
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An
infestation of Red Mite (Dermanyssus Gallinae), will cause a drop in egg
production, and according to the severity, even mortality. The life cycle
of Red Mites is not dependent on the host. They live and breed in
crevices, as near to their meal as possible. It was at one time
thought that they lived only in wood, but they can be found living in any
material that is adjacent to the bird including metal. Apart from causing
a drop or cessation in egg production, when entering the house disturbed
mite will bite the intruder. A monthly check under each end of the perches
will indicate any mite establishment. Only those that have sucked blood
will be red; the others are grey in colour. At night they run along the
perch, up the chicken's leg and onto the flesh, where they bite into a
blood vessel and suck blood until full. They then return to the crevice
and stay there until another meal is required. They do not live on the
bird so will not be found by examining the bird during the day.
Surrounding the crevices is a grey-type ash, which is the mite's' faeces.
Birds suffering from the presence of large numbers of red mite look pale
and jaundiced through loss of blood. A post-mortem shows only a skin which
looks as though it has been profusely pricked with a fine needle. Red Mite
is carried by wild birds and prevailing winds.
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Control of Red Mite relies on the treatment of the poultry house
prior to housing the birds, followed
by regular monitoring of their environment, and treating as soon
as any evidence of mite is seen. |
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For the effective and economical control of
red mite, use
S.P.R.
Poultry Shield.
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To use, dilute 1 part
S.P.R. Poultry Shield
to 10 parts water for
an instant kill.
S.P.R. Poultry Shield can also be used at 1:20 for general
disinfection of the poultry house after mucking out.
Simply dilute and spray the house and equipment liberally. (Kills
mite/eggs over a period of two to three days). The birds can
then be re-introduced to the poultry house almost immediately.
*Note: The solution is effective only on contact with the mite and
eggs. |
Red Mite have been known to lie dormant for up to ten years, and
for this reason all
second hand poultry houses should be adequately treated before
filling with the new birds |
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Northern Mite
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Northern Mite are similar
in size to Red Mite, but are grey to black in colour, they live
entirely on the host, and can be distinguished by their presence
during the daytime on poultry, poultry eggs, and poultry houses. These mite are more often observed round the
bird's head and under their wings. Poultry suffering from a heavy infestation
also tend to
become scabby on the comb, face and wattles. Treatment is administered by using a spray
containing pyrethrum such as
Johnson's Anti-Mite EXTRA. Spray this directly onto the affected birds. The mite
are difficult to kill and repeated spraying will be necessary. |
Scaley Leg Mite
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This problem had all but
died out, but with the advent of increasing numbers of flocks now kept on
range, it is unfortunately on the increase due to poor management, i.e.
not being seen and treated quickly enough to prevent its spread. The
Scaley Leg Mite is a very small mite with an oval body and
extremely short legs. The mite
burrows under the scales of the bird's legs, creating tunnels where it is
able to reproduce. As it proliferates, the scales are lifted grotesquely,
and if left, eventually makes the bird lame. Scaley Leg Mites are too
small to see without a microscope. Often the first indication of
their presence is a brittle, flaky, or powdery appearance to the
bird's legs. Scaley Leg Mite is very easy to kill and there |
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are numerous remedies. The most affective of these is just
a plain and simple 'Vaseline type' product such as
Battle's
White Petroleum Jelly
(right) which is applied directly to the bird's
legs. This results in suffocating the mite. How long the treatment needs
to be repeated depends on how soon it is spotted. When these mite attack
feather-legged breeds, it is more difficult to spot, and the owner has to
be more vigilant, especially with older birds. |
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Click Here for Poultry Parasite Control Products |
S.P.R. CENTRE
Greenfields Farm,
Fontwell Avenue, Eastergate,
Chichester,
West Sussex. PO20
3RU
Tel: 01243 542815 Fax: 01243 544662
© S.P.R. Centre 2010 |
