Comprehensive Guide to Red Mite Dermanyssus gallinae - Identification & Assessment

In the following article I set out the information I used and protocols I created from reading through the available research on red mite, coupled with that garnered from my own observations and experience. The most important features of all parasitism, in my experience, is to clearly identify the parasite, understand its life-cycle and combine this with an assessment of the particular level of infestation. Only then can we fully comprehend what our actions should be and moreover without this knowledge we can waste vital time and energy on unnecessary treatments, instead of dealing with what can become a very real threat to our poultry.

Red mite - Dermanyssus gallinae is a member of the arachnid family, thus a relation of the scaly leg mite, Knemidocoptes mutans, which I have written about here. However, the red mite belongs to the order Mesostigmata, many of which are non-parasitic mites but free-living and most importantly, predatory. Interestingly though with red mite, its life cycle necessitates obligatory parasitic attributes, such as its need to blood-feed upon a host in order to complete the three final subsequent phases in its development. These are specifically the eight-legged stages which take it from protonymph, through deutonymph to full adulthood. As witness my photo above, red mite, should be easier to treat because unlike the scaly leg mite, it is visible to the naked eye, particularly and most gruesomely when its has fed and become bloated and red in colour.

How do I know if I have a serious level of Red Mite?

• One of the first indications of a red mite infestations is that your poultry may stop roosting in the house and if they are free range, will prefer roosting in the trees!

• Birds stamping their feet in the coop, as they feel the mites crawling up their legs.

• Birds may show signs of irritation with each other, with lack of sleep  causing them to be fractious and under stress. Just as in humans this can create conflict and irritation with neighbours.

• You may see blood spots (crushed mites) or even live ones crawling on the eggs in the nest boxes.

• Hens will go off lay. They may also seem fatigued, not as lively as usual and they may even look pale. This is obviously due to blood loss.

• There is a smell with red mite, apparently not everyone can sense it, to me it smells like vinegar and once your nose can identify it, it is a fail-safe proof you have red mite.

• You will feel mites dropping down onto your head and/or crawling onto you when you are in the coop or crawling up your hands when you collect eggs or take out the perches to clean the house! 

An Aside: The Strange Parallel  Between Host and Parasite

Below clutches of mites' eggs seemingly freshly-laid on the wood planking underneath the wire netting framed cover which had just been removed from one of our roosts. I can see five or maybe six eggs in the nest on the lower right. Top left I can make out a whole pile of eggs, I am guessing, in a communal nest and with the mites fussing around them. Do they guard them? Are they going to carry them away into some dark corner now they have been exposed to the light? I'm presuming they don't sit on them!

Red Mites - The Acid Test(s)

Here are a few quick tests to see if you have a bad infestation of mite.

For the Squeamish: The Movement Test

Take a power or cordless drill switch it on and run it with the body of the drill lying flat against the walls, door or floor of the coop/hen house. The mites will be triggered by the vibration, thinking the hens are coming back into the coop. You will see exactly where they are hiding.

For the Brave: The Heat Test

Place your hand on the wall, door and/or floor of the coop, leave it there for a few seconds. The mites nearest to your hand will start to emerge. They will also signal to those near at hand (sorry) so be very afraid!

..or The Not So Brave

Place a heated stone, not a hot water bottle because they will infest that, in the coop and wait.

For the Brave: The Hanky Test

Take a white paper handkerchief and run it all the way along the underside of the perch/roost after the birds have left the coop in the morning. If you have an infestation, it will be covered with tell-tale red streaks of squashed mites.

Look No Hanky! 

Here I'm making a preliminary test by running my hand under the roost/perch some three days after the first treatment, just to see if any one has hatched out in the meantime!

Understanding the Red Mite's Life Cycle and Habits 

As with all the parasites I have come across, understanding what they are about, is key to controlling the particular problem of their overgrowth. I write this rather than 'eradication' because, firstly there is not enough information on any of these creatures to understand if they have a symbiotic relationship with the host and secondly because red mite at low levels of population are caught and eaten by my chickens. It is human nature and certainly a commercially encouraged one, to think that everything needs to be 'zapped' to annihilation but recent research teaches us that some parasites, I'm thinking of beans and black fly, for example, are crucial to the development of the host. Who is to say if a low level of red mite in a coop doesn't regulate iron levels within birds, as this element is incredibly difficult to remove, except by blood letting, when it is in excess to requirement?

The illustration above, from Publicdomainpictures.com shows the female mite at the Deutonymph stage of development.

Below a video I made of a red mite infestation on an old cardboard box that had had three broodies in it - as you can see these have not fed, as luckily I became aware of them!

Important considerations, which help with control

1. Unlike the scaly leg mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, is not host specific and does in fact spend most of its time off the host, usually only visiting the bird for a few hours at night, to feed upon its blood.
2. Several studies have supported generalism in host choice for Red mites. It was previously thought they were avian specific but Dermanyssus gallinae have also been found on rodents and other mammals.
3. Like the literary blood-sucker, the vampire, Dermanyssus gallinae shuns sunlight, spending most of its life hiding in the darkest areas of the chicken coop, hen house or barn. 
4. A distinctive feature and upon which I have never found any accord, is its ability to remain without food for an exceedingly long time, think months and even years!
5. At all stages of its life, including, it has been recently postulated, the larval, it may feed upon blood but it is believed that a blood-meal is crucial in the three final stages, mentioned above. Furthermore, it is the females who need blood to develop and also during periods of reproduction, although the males are thought to take an occasional blood-feed.
6. The life cycle of the red mite from egg to adulthood usually takes around 14 days but the time can be halved, if weather conditions are favourable.
7. With reference to the above, mites prefer warm humid conditions to thrive and survive. At an optimum of 25°C to 35°C (77°F - 95°F) and 60% to 70 % humidity the mite population will 'explode' and quickly become an infestation.
8. The red mite will go dormant when temperatures drop below 10°C (50°F)  but temperatures above 45°C (113°F) are thought to be fatal.
9. Red mites find their host through movement, heat (body temperature), CO₂ (respiration) and chemical signals (odours).
10. If you have broodies in a coop, they will be a magnet for red mite, if you have an infestation.
11. If you have chicks in a coop then red mite, if they are in sufficient numbers can cause severe problems for them and which can lead to fatalities.
12. The females lay 4 to 8 eggs per day with an average in their life span of a total (depending on what paper you read) of 30 to 300 eggs.
13. Mites are adept at finding places to hide, woodworm holes, screw threads and underneath dried poo(p) are just some of the crafty ideas they have for hide-and-seek.

Conclusions

From the above we can draw the following important inferences:

Firstly, that if mites are at infestation level, any chicks and/or juveniles should be removed immediately as they are the most at risk.

Just as an aside here, unless this is an emergency as with the above, no bird should be removed at night, as if you are unlucky you may hit the brief two hour period when the mites may be 'in residence'. However, as you carry the bird, you will soon know, as they will start to transfer to you but it is still a risk you don't need to take.

Treating the bird is totally unnecessary and moreover a waste of valuable time. Treatment needs to be swift and efficient, the life cycle of the red mite from egg to adult being very short, once it has created a large population within the coop, the exponential growth is alarming!

Broodies too should be removed from the coop and their nest boxes changed and their old ones and the straw preferably burned if you have a stove. Normally I would compost old straw but the mites can live in the compost bin and attach themselves to a bird at an opportune moment.

If you buy or inherit  a second-hand coop or buy a broody hen then it is a good idea to check the house for mites with the tests above, even if the house has been unoccupied for many months. Check the broody for evidence of mite activity too. If you have bought her during the day, then chances are there should be nothing on her but she may have tell-tale skin irritation and damage which will testify to mites.  If you have been given her in a box or with straw, then the possibility is that there are mites in her bedding. (I once carried a broody over from a neighbour's house and carried over some mites too).

Once you have established there are mites and you have treated them, you should recheck and retreat, if necessary in line with the life cycle, spacing out your checking and treatments accordingly.  It is very important to remember that the weather will have an impact on when and how long the creatures take to hatch out and develop through their different stages.

If you live in a climate where the weather and humidity are optimum for mites, then you should do a routine check for them throughout the year.

Mites like to hide and they are good at it, so keeping the house clean, in particular, scraping the roosts and floor, so that there is less debris for them to hide in is very important. I also like to get the roost outside and tipped upside down, so that my birds can spy out and eat any of the mites that are hiding under them. Even mites that haven't fed and are at the 'grey ghost' stage are easily spotted as a tasty appetiser.

In the next article (Link Below) I will share the three ways I use to successfully get rid of red mite.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from Normandie! Sue

© 2020 Sue Cross

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Scaly Face Mite - Treatment for Organic Poultry Part 3

There are already two previous parts to this article, one of which covers the identification and prevention of mite build-up, including crucial nutritional support and the other which deals with the treatment of scaly leg mite. If you are new to this subject and/or if you suspect your bird may have scaly face then it may be as well to go back and read these first as they both have bearing on the condition. You can find the links to these at the bottom of this page. That said here is the treatment I use for scaly face.

Above, Little Goldie, a Sebright/Polish Frizzle with a lovely personality and one of the few birds outside a couple of my Cochins with whom I have ever experienced scaly face. As you can see she is in new feather growth and I believe it is the abundance of keratin sheathing, aka mite food, around these new feathers, coupled with the fact that she has just been broody that engendered this condition.  A broody hen tends to be a little erratic in both her feeding and grooming habits. Little Goldie, an omnivorous creature of great foraging ability and meticulous personal preening has been caught out. You can see evidence of the mite beneath her eye, around the corner of her beak and over her ear flaps. She will also have it no doubt at the back of her neck, another difficult place to groom and because of the difference in location of the mite, my treatment will vary accordingly.

Above is our very dear old cuckoo Cochin Pingu, she has had a recurring case of scaly face, although her scaly leg mite has now gone. However, as already discussed in the previous articles, these microscopic arachnids are so slow to accumulate in a volume large enough to be seen, that it is as well to err on the side of caution and carry on the treatment of the legs as long as the facial problem continues. I've also observed her scratching the back of her neck, so I will be focussing my treatment with her around that area. You can tell from her beak that as an old lady, who likes to take things easily, she's not as keen on foraging as she used to be but she eats well. It is most important with all health issues including parasite attack, that your bird eats apart from the rest of the flock. As in the case of Pingu here, I am then assured that she is getting a fair share of  invertebrate protein, root vegetables and green leafy kale and also that she is not just filling herself up on, albeit sprouted, grain. As Pingu is also a sybarite and sun-worshipper,  I'm pretty sure she's well topped up on her Vitamin D3, as she is now on her B complex vitamins, amino acids, Vitamins A, K and zinc.

Think of Your Poultry as Individuals

This site is not called The Holistic Hen on a whim, I believe and hope I see all my poultry as individuals, thus it is not a foregone conclusion that all my Cochins, broodies or moulting Frizzles will have scaly face. Knowing the habits and personalities of my birds helps greatly in the prevention and cure of these conditions. Many parasitic and for example, respiratory problems need close contact to proliferate, so knowing who sits next to whom on the roost at night or how your poultry mix socially will help you to troubleshoot potential hosts. Both Badger (above) and Millefeuilles (below) are in the same coop as both Little Goldie and Pingu. At the present moment neither of the former are showing signs of scaly face nor scaly leg but as the Badger is sister and good companion to Pingu, I will be keeping my eye on her. Millefeuilles is pair-bonded to the coop's dominant cockerel Spike and also an inveterate forager, so I'm not so concerned about her. In an ideal world I would keep a book or spreadsheet on all these relationships and conditions but I usually rely on my memory and constant observation!

 

Raw Virgin Coconut Oil 

If you haven't this miraculous substance already in your pantry then I advise you to get some, both for your own and your poultry's health. Applied externally, this oil particularly comes into its own when the areas you are treating include those around which essential oils should not be used because they are so sensitive.  Organic raw pure virgin coconut oil is a magical substance, which contains lauric, capric and caprylic acids, these have wide ranging properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities. Coconut oil is a great support for the immune system and has both healing properties for the skin and promotes the regrowth of feathers/hair. We use it in cooking as well as in making cosmetics. Although a saturated fat coconut oil is made up of two thirds medium-chain fats aka medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs, these are metabolised in a completely different way to most fats, in that they do not need bile or digestive enzymes. Thus, when used internally, MCTs in coconut oil are readily available for use by both the body and the brain and not stored as in the usual way of fats. In the case of a stressed, tired bird or one lacking in energy due to mite activity, this is an assured way of giving a great boost to both motor and nervous system function. So when I treat externally with coconut oil, I always make sure the bird gets a nice nugget of coconut oil to eat as well - my birds love it!

Lauric acid makes up about half of the fatty acids in coconut oil. When lauric acid is digested, it transforms into a monoglyceride called monolaurin. Both lauric acid and monolaurin aid in ridding the gut of harmful pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. This, as we have already discussed in the previous articles on this subject, is a bonus in the case of external mites, where continued activity can have compromised the gut and thus the immune system and digestive processes. So even if your bird is now eating well it may still not be able to extract the nutrients from its food. Coconut oil therefore is a most important asset to your medicine chest.

In the sensitive areas around the eyes, beak, nose and ear flaps, I only use pure coconut oil and as always, to apply it I'm using organic cotton buds. Be generous in your use of these, as with all microscopic creatures, it is easy for some of them to avoid direct contact with the treatment. As you apply the coconut oil, layers of these creatures and their debris will be removed, so to avoid any being reapplied and surviving, change the cotton bud often as practical. It is also possible as you get nearer to the skin that you will remove creatures that are burrowed below the surface, this may cause redness and in fact some slight bleeding. Stop the 'cleaning' treatment of these areas at this point and just gently pat on some coconut oil. This will both aid in skin repair and stop, by the antimicrobial effect of the coconut oil, any potential infection.

Why the Need for Essential Oils?

You might think that killing the mites by suffocation, i.e preventing them from accessing oxygen through breathing tubes or rudimentary lungs by blocking them with oil would be sufficient. However, when I first had to deal with external parasites many years ago, I read a lab report in which  it was documented that arthropods treated solely with a carrier oil had in fact been able to 'hold their breath' for more than an hour. Thus their breathing apparatus had had time to absorb the oil, become unblocked and therefore the mites had been able to survive the treatment. Thus the addition of an essential oil with insecticidal properties is necessary to be sure of ridding them from the host.

Essential Oil - Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Tea tree essential oil amongst its many properties is an insecticide and is used in organic farming as such. In fact it was a farmer friend of mine, who shadowed an organic vet as part of her continuing education, who first recommended tea tree to me as a cure for scaly leg many years ago. Tea tree also has wound healing properties, as does the coconut oil and as these mites can cause skin lesions, this is a very welcome extra virtue.

At the back of the neck, around the top of the head or to treat any other area away from the ear, eye, nose or beak,  I add one drop of tea tree essential oil to a teaspoonful of melted (carrier) coconut oil. This is the amount for each bird to be treated.  Thus, if I have a very large area to treat and run out of the essential oil/carrier oil mixture, I revert back to just using the pure coconut oil. The are several reasons why I only like to use 1 drop of tea tree when treating scaly face. The first being because tea tree is a strong oil and I don't like to use too much on the skin (unless as with my pigeon, in an earlier article, this is a case of gangrene or infection). Secondly because one of the greatest receptors for  essential oil is through the lungs, so as I'm treating the bird in areas in close proximity to its nose, I keep the dose to a minimum of one drop per day.

Essential oils are quick acting and should only be used for a short period, I work on a schedule of five days of treatment and then five days with no treatment before starting again, I have rarely ever got past the first five days. The ailment has either cleared up or I have realised I had made the wrong diagnosis and switched treatments.

Above All Communicate 

Your bird will be very grateful to you for solving this problem as parasites are, I imagine, a horrible thing to endure. However, your chicken may not enjoy being treated for them, despite having a piece of yummy coconut oil to eat. Talk to your birds throughout the treatment, reassuring them by the tone of your voice that all is well. If you have noticed the similarities between human and chicken-speak, then you will already understand that tone and cadence are all important. Your chicken will instinctively know what you are saying.

Below is Snowman, a White Columbian Cochin, he was never a very domesticated creature until one day, on a rare occasion he let me pick him up, I felt the tell-tale excrescences of scaly mite on his feet. Post treatment, he began to follow me about in the garden and continued to do so just like a puppy. We became the best of friends, my only regret being I hadn't forcibly inspected those large fluffy/feathery feet much earlier and thus prevented him any distress. However, his continued affection led me to believe that he had forgiven me.

Hope this was of help and please feel free to share this article and or ask questions or add your experiences with this condition. If you are interested you can also visit our Patreon site, where you can learn what other projects we have in store. In the meantime until the next article, 

All the very best and Happy Holistic Poultry for 2018,

Sue

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© 2018 Sue Cross