**Poultry Mites** refers to several species of parasitic mites (class Arachnida) that infest domesticated birds, primarily chickens, turkeys, and other fowl. The most important species are the **Northern Fowl Mite** (*Ornithonyssus sylviarum*) and the **Red Mite** or **Chicken Mite** (*Dermanyssus gallinae*). These mites are external parasites that feed on the bird’s blood, causing severe irritation, anemia, stress, weight loss, decreased egg production, and, in heavy infestations, death. They are a major economic problem in commercial poultry operations.
Taxonomy and Classification
Poultry Mites belong to the sub-class Acari. They undergo simple metamorphosis. The two main species have different life cycles that dictate management strategies: the **Northern Fowl Mite** spends its entire life cycle on the host, while the **Red Mite** feeds on the host at night but lives and breeds off the host in cracks and crevices during the day.
Physical Description
Poultry Mites are tiny, $1/32$ inch long, and barely visible without magnification.
- **Northern Fowl Mite:** Black or dark red when engorged with blood. Found clustered around the vent and tail feathers, giving the area a dirty, matted, or black appearance due to mites and dried blood.
- **Red Mite (Chicken Mite):** Grayish-white before feeding, turning bright red after a blood meal. They are found off the host during the day, hiding in coops (in roosting bars, cracks, nests).
- **Damage Sign:** Visible crusting, feather loss, scabs near the vent, pale combs and wattles (due to anemia), and a drop in egg production. In the case of the Red Mite, owners may notice tiny red/black specks moving on the coop walls at night or on eggs.
Distribution and Habitat
Poultry Mites are cosmopolitan, found wherever poultry is raised, from backyard flocks to large commercial farms. Their primary habitat is the bird itself (Northern Fowl Mite) or the bird’s shelter (Red Mite). They thrive in high-density conditions.
Behavior and Conflict
The mites feed exclusively on blood, and their rapid reproduction leads to massive, chronic infestations.
- **Stress and Anemia:** Persistent blood feeding causes chronic stress, severe anemia (especially in young birds), weight loss, and reduced feed efficiency.
- **Egg Production:** Infested hens are reluctant to enter nesting boxes, and their stress and poor health lead to significantly decreased egg laying.
- **Human Exposure:** Red Mites can occasionally bite humans when migrating off the poultry host, causing irritation and dermatitis.
- **Disease Vector:** Mites can transmit certain bacterial and viral diseases between birds.
Management and Prevention
Control requires different strategies for the two major species, focusing on the bird and the environment.
- Focuses on the bird itself. Requires direct application of approved acaricides (dusts or sprays) to the bird, particularly around the vent and tail area.
- Focuses on the environment. Requires thorough cleaning and treatment of the coop. Disassemble roosting bars and spray all cracks and crevices with an approved residual insecticide or acaricide. Repeat treatments are often necessary due to the mites’ hiding habits.
Conservation and Research
Poultry Mites are managed as persistent, high-economic-impact pests. Research focuses on understanding their resistance mechanisms to common acaricides and developing safe, non-chemical control methods, such as heat treatment (for the coop) or natural oil-based sprays.