Different Types Of Mites On Chickens And How To Diagnose It

Chicken parasites can affect your flock at any time so it needs to be treated as soon as spotted to ensure that your chicken stay healthy and fit, most important that parasites don't spread to rest of your flock. Chicken don't require much veterinary treatment but when it comes to parasites there are many different way through which your chicken might get treated. Mites are the most common parasites which can affect your chicken and also proven distressing to the chickens. Mites can occur to chickens at any time of year but summer months are more prevalent. If your chicken have incredibly nasty infestation, they might can lose their feather very quickly and if it is left untreated can eventually result in death of your chickens. Because with out feathers, chickens can't survive.

There are basically main three type of mites. scaly leg mite, red mite and northern fowl mite.

Scaly leg mite

Scaly leg mites on chickens is very uncomfortable condition for chickens, the mites can feet's of the chickens and burrow under scales on the leg. Chickens leg become swollen and scales on leg can actually fall off. Scaly leg mites on chickens is notoriously difficult to treat and it is very much essential to clean the chickens coop thoroughly so that it don't spread to other chickens. If chickens coop is not cleaned then even after treatment of mites, your chickens might contract this again.

Red mite

Red mites on chickens isn't that much easy to detect as it lives in the corners and crevices of chickens coops. If there is red mite infection chickens will be reluctant to go into their coop at night because night time is when mites will come and feed on chickens. The only way to fight again red mites on chickens is to completely treat chickens coop and allow it to be dry before letting your chickens back in and along with that you need to treat your chickens with powder.

Northern fowl mite

Northern fowl mite remain throughout on the chickens, unlike red mite on chickens which will only transfer on your chickens when they enter the coop at night. The northern fowl mite live off the chickens for only about one week and can be breed very easily, it come in winter months so it is very much important that you check you chickens in summer and winter months.