Mites and Lice in Chickens: Spotting and Controlling Them

Red mites, lice and the difference between them

Two external pests cause most of the trouble we hear about. Red mites, also called poultry mites, are tiny blood-feeding pests, grey to reddish when they have fed. They hide in cracks by day and come out at night to feed on sleeping birds. Chewing lice are small, pale or dark insects that live on the feathers and skin of the bird, feeding on dead skin and feather material. They spend their whole life on the bird.

The distinction matters because the control is different. Red mites live in the house and only visit the birds to feed, so the house is where you win or lose. Lice travel with the bird, so the bird and its neighbours need attention too. Many flocks have both, and they often get worse together in the rains when the house is damp.

The signs to look for on the birds and in the house

Mites are easier to spot after dark, when they are on the move, but you can find evidence in daylight too. Check these areas on every bird you pick up:

• Scratching and pecking at the feathers, especially around the vent, under the wings and on the back.
• Feathers that are broken, thinned or missing in patches where the bird has been rubbing.
• Pale comb and wattles, which can mean the bird is losing blood to red mites over time.
• Restless birds that stand up at night and do not settle on the perch.
• In layers, a drop in egg count, sometimes with dirty or smaller eggs.
• Small specks that move when you part the feathers, or grey dust on the skin that is actually the mite debris.

In the house, check the perch joints, the nest box corners and the cracks in wooden frames. Red mites leave dark specks and smears on the wood, and they tend to cluster in the same spots every time.

Where mites hide in a Ghanaian house

The cracks are the problem. A red mite can squeeze into a gap the width of a pencil, and most wooden coops have dozens of them. The roosts, the joins in the frame, the underside of nest boxes, and the gaps under the door all become hiding places. Old wood that has been reused, unpainted wood that has split, and mud walls that crumble are even worse.

We see the same pattern in older houses on farms across the Central Region. The birds look fine in the afternoon, and then in the morning there are dark specks on the roost and the chicks are restless. That is a sign the mites have been feeding through the night and retreating before the farmer comes in.

Harmattan dust does not help. It settles into the cracks and dries out the birds' skin, so they scratch more and their feathers suffer. The house may look clean, but the cracks are not.

Red mites and lice: a side-by-side guide

Use this table to decide where to start. It sets out what each pest does and where you are most likely to find it.

In a mixed problem, deal with the house first, because a clean house gives the birds a chance to recover and stops the reinfestation.

Cleaning the house properly, step by step

The most effective mite control is a thorough clean-out of the house, and it has to be done properly to work. Half a job is worse than none, because the survivors breed again within days.

1. Move the birds to a clean temporary pen, or to a different house, with their own feeders and drinkers.
2. Remove all litter, nest material and loose dirt from the house, and carry it well away.
3. Scrape the roosts, nest boxes and frames. Pay attention to the joins and the undersides.
4. Scrub the surfaces with hot water and a poultry-safe cleaner, and let them dry fully in the sun.
5. Seal the cracks with a filler or a thin paste of clay and cement where you can, so there are fewer places to hide.
6. Use a disinfectant that is labelled for poultry houses, and follow the label and your vet's advice on dilution and contact time.
7. Lay fresh, dry litter, and keep the birds out of the house until everything is dry.

In the hot season, the sun does a lot of the work for you. Put the roosts and wooden parts out in direct sun for a day where it is safe to do so, and the mites struggle to survive the heat on exposed surfaces.

Treating the birds: a vet decision

Birds with a heavy mite or louse load may need treatment on the bird itself. The choice of product, the way it is applied and how often it is repeated depend on the pest, the bird's age and the species, and some products are not suitable for young birds, laying hens or birds close to sale.

As a typical example only, a flock might be treated on the bird once, then checked again after a week or so to catch any eggs that survived. Your vet will set the real plan for your flock. Follow your vet's advice on the product, the method, the interval and any withdrawal period.

Do not spray live birds with a household insecticide, a diesel mix or a used-oil remedy. These can burn the skin, poison the birds and leave residues in the eggs and meat. Use only a product labelled for poultry, and only as your vet has advised.

Roost design that gives mites fewer places to hide

A few design changes make a big difference, and they are cheap if you plan them before the house is built.

• Use smooth, sealed timber or metal roosts that can be scraped and cleaned, rather than rough or split wood.
• Keep the roosts clear of the walls so you can see underneath and reach the joins.
• Use removable nest boxes rather than fixed ones, so you can clean the underside.
• Seal gaps between wall boards and the floor, and fix split panels as soon as you see them.
• Paint or treat the wood where it will not be scraped regularly, so the cracks do not open up.

Our housing designs guide shows how these details fit into different house layouts, and it is worth reading before you build or rebuild a coop.

Lice: keeping the flock and the house in step

Lice are a different problem, because they stay on the bird. Clean housing helps, since lice can survive for a short time off the bird, but the flock itself needs checking. A bird with lice often looks scruffy and scratches more, and the lice spread through close contact between birds.

Check the birds by parting the feathers at the vent and under the wings. Look for small, moving specks or the eggs stuck to the base of the feathers. If you find them, talk to your vet before you treat the flock, so that the product, the method and the timing suit your birds. Treat the whole flock together, not just the ones that look bad, because the rest are carrying them too.

A weekly mite and louse checklist

• Check the roosts and nest boxes each morning for dark specks, smears or debris.
• Part the feathers on five birds at the vent and under the wings once a week.
• Look for cracks in wood and walls, and seal or fix any you find.
• Clear droppings and wet litter from the house at least twice a week.
• Scrape the roosts and wipe the nest boxes every two weeks.
• Keep wild birds and rodents away from the feed store and house.
• Keep new birds in quarantine before they join the main flock, and check them on arrival.
• Call your vet if you see mites on the birds, egg drop or birds looking pale and listless.

The checklist works best when it is part of the morning routine. A flock that is checked every day is much less likely to carry a heavy load for weeks without anyone noticing.

What we tell customers about mites from our side

We hatch and dispatch day-old chicks, and we keep our hatchery houses clean so that the birds we send out start from a good base. Chicks arrive in ventilated boxes of 50, and the boxes are handled in a way that reduces the chance of pests moving between batches. That does not protect your house, though, and the mites that bother farms usually come from the house itself, not from the chicks.

When a customer calls about itching birds, we ask about the age of the house, the state of the wood and the time of year. Often the answer is an old coop that has been used for several flocks without a proper clean-out. We suggest the farmer keep a simple record of the clean-out dates, as described in our record-keeping guide, so the next clean is planned rather than remembered.

Mites and other problems: how they connect

Mites rarely work alone. A bird that is losing blood and sleeping badly has less energy to fight other infections, and it is more likely to suffer from worms, coccidiosis or respiratory disease. In the same way, a house with cracks and damp litter is a home for several problems at once.

If you have already dealt with a worm or coccidiosis problem, check the house for mites as well. Our worms article covers the internal side, and our coccidiosis article covers the litter side. A thorough house inspection will usually find something that the other articles also describe.

Keeping mites out of the house for good

Mites and lice are a housing and hygiene problem first and a bird problem second. Seal the cracks, clean the roosts, keep the litter dry and check the birds regularly, and the parasites lose most of their hiding places. The treatment on the bird is a supporting step, and it works best when the house is ready for it.

If you are planning a new flock or a rebuild, WhatsApp us on +233 24 915 1503 and we can talk about the chicks and the house. The day-old chicks overview and our delivery page set out what we supply and how it reaches you. When you are ready to order, use the order form, and we confirm the price in writing before any payment. You can read more about the people behind the hatchery on our about page.

Questions farmers ask