Chicken mite - a blood-sucking parasite that lives on the body of poultry and causing them great discomfort. Such an insect is not only a carrier of dangerous infections (including encephalitis), but also significantly undermines the health of the feathered brethren, causing weakened immunity, decreased productivity, egg production and slowed growth of young animals, on whose body the chicken tick prefers to live most.
Poultry infected with chicken mites is characterized by restless behavior and nervousness, as due to the physical structure it cannot scratch affected and intolerably itchy places.
Mite Chicken: Description
The chicken mite is characterized by a flat dark-red small-sized body (up to 0.7 mm), which turns purple when saturated with the victim's blood. The body of the parasite is divided into two parts: the trunk with 4 pairs of limbs and the oral apparatus in the form of a proboscis, designed to pierce chicken skin. Ticks breathe with the help of trachea, respiratory holes are located on the sides of the body. Reproduction of parasites occurs from May to October. One female can lay about two dozen eggs. A characteristic feature of a gamasid tick is the ability to do without food for a long time (about six months), while in hibernation.
Chicken Mite Habitat
The optimal environment for a bloodsucking parasite is dirty, raw, poorly ventilated houses. A massive gamasid tick lives in the litter and is even capable of attacking a person. Most outbreaks of tick-borne activity occur in the wet and warm season, because for the ripening of eggs of a harmful insect, common on all continents, the most optimal temperature is +25 o C.
The parasite found on the human body, outwardly resembles a small lump of dirt, attached to the skin, most often to the legs. If you brush it off, bite marks will be noticeable. Frequent bites of chicken mites can contribute to allergies or dermatitis, so people in contact with the hens should look after them in special clothes: rubber boots and tight pants.
How to determine the presence of a chicken tick?
Parasites in chickens can be detected with the naked eye by examining poultry: in affected individuals, the body is covered with small numerous wounds, the mass congestion of which is most often observed on the feathered head, near the nostrils and eyes, and also in places with thin skin (tail area, under wings and neck). Earrings and ridges, pale from blood loss, also indicate the presence of a blood-sucking insect. The danger of being affected by a chicken mite lies in the fact that the latter penetrates not only the upper skin layers, but also into the larynx, trachea, ears, because of which the chicken begins to cough, wheeze and shake its head. A bird can lose its strength so much that it will not even be able to jump on a perch. The unwillingness of the bird to return to the chicken house in the evening can also confirm the presence of chicken mites, especially attacking birds in the evening.
In the afternoon, parasites hide in the crevices of walls, ceilings, cages, nests, debris. During the feeding time, which lasts from several minutes to an hour, an adult insect is able to absorb a quantity of blood exceeding its body weight by 10 times.
A large number of small parasite can be detected directly in the house with a white sheet of paper, with which all cracks and bumps in the floor and walls should be bypassed. The remaining small gray dots on the paper will be the desired ticks. A clear indicator of the presence of chicken mites is a sharp decrease in egg production with a simultaneous increase in the amount of feed consumed. Sometimes birds simply refuse to return to their nests, because it is there that an increased concentration of parasites is observed. Red spots on the eggs also confirm their presence.
Chicken tick: how to get rid?
When a chicken tick is found, the question arises of how to get rid of it. First of all, you need to urgently save the bird by lubricating the bite places with oil: a gamasid tick will die in a few days. Then the wounds should be treated with a disinfectant and a healing ointment.
An important factor in the fight against chicken mites is to restore order in the chicken coop. For this, the bird needs to be temporarily isolated, and the room should be kept as clean as possible. It is advisable to build new perches, but it is imperative to get rid of old ones in the crevices of which parasites can remain.
Chicken tick disposal methods
To remove chicken mites, which are dangerous not only to the bird, but also to humans, it is possible by processing such places:
- The floor and walls need to be doused with cool boiling water, a blowtorch or a flame. Large poultry farms require the use of special quartz lamps. Their action is aimed at protecting against ticks and other parasites of poultry.
- Birds can be treated with any permitted insecticides. The procedure should be carried out twice with an interval of a week.
An effective remedy for chicken mites can be this: Sevin powders (not more than 15 grams per individual), Pyrethrum (based on chamomile flowers), and Ecoflis - a new generation drug. A high result (about 9 weeks of protection) shows the effect of the spray with EU permethrin, which should be treated with poultry and chicken coop.
Ash and sand against chicken mite
An effective measure against chicken mite is the placement of a pelvis on the bird yard with an ash-sand mixture in equal proportions. The layer of the mixture should be approximately 20 cm or more. Chickens flounder with pleasure in such a healing bath. It is only important to control that the contents of the pots, which should be regularly updated, do not get wet under the influence of precipitation. It is also worth remembering that mites can be carriers of ticks, so you do not need to allow nests of swallows, pigeons, and sparrows to be placed under the roof of the chicken coop.
Do not use preparations containing chlorinated hydrocarbon, as there is an accumulation of active substances in meat and eggs.
Plants against chicken mite
The chicken mite is afraid of the pungent odors of some plants, so it can be scared away naturally by spreading nature's unloved parasites in the corners of the house: parsley, horseradish, wormwood, fragrant mint leaves, feathers of garlic and onions, celery. Using them as bedding dramatically reduces the number of chicken parasites. The floor can also be covered with potato or tomato tops, marigolds or cherry branches. In winter, small portions of minced garlic and onions can be added to the chicken diet.
Preventative measures
In order to prevent chicken mite, it is recommended:
- from late spring to early autumn, inspect the bird for dangerous parasites;
- change the old litter as often as possible;
- clean drinking bowls and feeders and sprinkle them with boiling water;
- keep the chicken coop in perfect cleanliness, not forgetting to remove the cobwebs;
- place the walk in a well-lit place, sprinkle with sand and keep dry;
- Spray the chicken coop for hens with diesel fuel, and coat the floor and walls with lime.
An important role in preventing the infection of chicken mites is played by the type of poultry content. With the cellular method of growing, the risk of parasites is minimal, as there are no roosts covered with droppings, where the chicken tick completes its life cycle.