How can I prevent Northern Fowl Mites?
First rule of thumb for prevention of Northern Fowl Mite is to be vigilant: It is important to keep an eye on your chickens; these mites live on the chickens so you will be able to tell if your chicken’s health is being affected by an infestation. Also check housing regularly to catch any outbreak fast – it makes it that much easier to deal with.
a. Housing: Check the housing carefully every week when you clean it, pay special attention to all the nooks and crannies, ends of roosting bars and the nest boxes.
b. Chickens: Keep an eye on your flock for any unusual behaviour, give them monthly health checks after they have gone to roost (they are more biddable then). It really helps you to know what’s ‘right’ for each chicken and spot any issues quickly.
Bedding can make a huge difference. Try not to use straw, hay or newspaper: Mites and Lice love heat and dampness, so eliminating these from the housing helps to keep the parasites away. Straw and hay also both harbour mites in the stalk tubes and contain dust spores, while newspaper will ‘wick’ wetness and get damp. We all love the image of a hen sitting on a nest of straw, but in reality, you are best to stick to something dried such as one of the shredded hemp beddings
Another handy tip is to use Nettex Buz Busters Louse Powder in the dust bath. A dust bath in your covered run encourages social behaviour, and Nettex Buz Busters Louse Powder in the dust bath can help discourage Lice too.
If you do spot any Lice act fast, clean your coop weekly and treat for any possible lice problems using the Nettex Total Mite and Lice 3 step regime.
Thoroughly clean out the coop with Nettex DEFRA Approved Virocur Disinfectant, remove all faeces, dry matter and bedding.
2. Spray the entire coop with Nettex Total Mite Kill Ready To Use Solution– this will disinfect as well as eradicate mites and lice. Both products contain a coating agent which will continue to act on the mites even after it has dried – therefore always shake the product before diluting the concentrate and before each use.
3. Sprinkle Nettex Buz Busters Louse Powder liberally over the surface of bedding, perches and nest boxes and refill with fresh bedding. It’s also important to include the Total Hygiene Powder in dust baths.
4. Additionally, use Nettex Total Mite Kill Aerosol Spray monthly to treat hard to reach areas of the housing such as cracks and crevices. This high velocity spray will penetrate deep into these areas where mites like to hide. A regular routine like this will help keep the lice at bay and ensure that your flock is parasite-free and healthy.
How can I prevent red mite?
First rule of thumb for prevention of Red Mite is to be vigilant: It is important to keep an eye on your chickens, these mites live in the housing but you will be able to tell if your chicken’s health is being affected by an infestation. Also check housing regularly and catch any outbreak fast – it makes it that much easier to deal with.
a. Housing: Check the housing carefully every week when you clean it, pay special attention to all the nooks and crannies, ends of roosting bars and the nest boxes.
b. Chickens: Keep an eye on your flock for any unusual behaviour, give them monthly health checks after they have gone to roost (they are more biddable then). It really helps you to know what’s ‘right’ for each chicken and spot any issues quickly.
Bedding can make a huge difference. Try not to use straw, hay or newspaper: Mites and lice love heat and dampness, so eliminating these from the housing helps to keep the parasites away. Straw and hay also both harbour mites in the stalk tubes and contain dust spores, while newspaper will ‘wick’ wetness and get damp. We all love the image of a hen sitting on a nest of straw, but in reality, you are best to stick to something dried such as one of the shredded hemp bedding.
Another handy tip is to use Nettex Total Hygiene Powder in the dust bath. A dust bath in your covered run encourages social behaviour, and Nettex Total Hygiene Powder in the dust bath promotes hygiene and dryness creating an inhabitable environment for mites.
If you do spot any mites clean your coop weekly and treat for any possible mite problems using the Nettex 4 step regime and repeat weekly to help deter future infestations
1. Thoroughly clean out the coop with Nettex Virocur Disinfectant, remove all faeces, dry matter and bedding.
2. Spray the entire coop with Nettex Total Mite Kill Ready To Use Solution– this will disinfect as well as eradicate mites. Both products contain a coating agent which will continue to act on the mites even after it has dried – therefore always shake the product before diluting the concentrate and before each use.
3. Apply Nettex Total Hygiene Powder liberally over the surface of bedding, perches and nest boxes and refill with fresh bedding. It’s also important to include the Total Hygiene Powder in dust baths.
4. Additionally, use Nettex Total Mite Kill Aerosol Spray monthly to treat hard to reach areas of the housing such as cracks and crevices. This high velocity spray will penetrate deep into these areas where mites like to hide. A regular routine like this will help keep the mites at bay and ensure that your flock is parasite-free and healthy.
How can I prevent Scaly Leg Mites?
It can be difficult to prevent Scaly Leg mites, however, the following can help.
1. Ensure your housing is as clean as possible by implementing a regular hygiene regime using Nettex Virocur Disinfectant and Ground and Bedding Sanitising Powder.
2. Check any new arrivals do not bring the parasites with them and use Nettex Scaly Leg spray prior to introduction with existing chickens if they are infested.
3. Check your chickens regularly for signs of infestation from wild birds.
How can I tackle Northern Fowl Mite?
If you do spot any Northern Fowl Mite act fast, clean your coop weekly and treat for any possible lice problems using the Nettex Total Mite and Lice 4 step regime.
- Thoroughly clean out the coop with Nettex DEFRA Approved Virocur Disinfectant, remove all faeces, dry matter and bedding.
- Spray the entire coop with Nettex Total Mite Kill Ready to Use Solution- this will disinfect as well as eradicate mites and lice. Both products contain a coating agent which will continue to act on the mites even after it has dried – therefore always shake the product before diluting the concentrate and before each use.
- Sprinkle Nettex Buz Busters Louse Powder liberally over the surface of bedding, perches and nest boxes and refill with fresh bedding. It’s also important to include the Total Hygiene Powder in dust baths.
- Additionally, use Nettex Total Mite Kill Aerosol Spray monthly to treat hard to reach areas of the housing such as cracks and crevices. This high velocity spray will penetrate deep into these areas where mites like to hide. A regular routine like this will help keep the lice at bay and ensure that your flock is parasite-free and healthy.
How can I tackle Red Mites in the coop?
To tackle an infestation of Red mite, vigilance and planning is key! A regular weekly inspection and cleaning routine is essential to remove the threat and deter future possible infestations.
To remove the constant threat of mites, a 4 step programme is advised. Do this once then repeat 3 days later during times of infestation then carry out as part of your weekly cleaning regime to help deter future infestations.
1. Thoroughly clean out the coop with Nettex Virocur Disinfectant, remove all faeces, dry matter and bedding.
2. Spray the entire coop with Nettex Total Mite Kill Ready To Use Solution– this will disinfect as well as eradicate mites. Both products contain a coating agent which will continue to act on the mites even after it has dried – therefore always shake the product before diluting the concentrate and before each use.
3. For Red Mite: Finally, apply Nettex Total Hygiene Powder liberally over the surface of bedding, perches and nest boxes and refill with fresh bedding. It’s also important to include the Total Hygiene Powder in dust baths.
4. Additionally, use Nettex Total Mite Kill Aerosol Spray monthly to treat hard to reach areas of the housing such as cracks and crevices. This high velocity spray will penetrate deep into these areas where mites like to hide. A regular routine like this will help keep the mites at bay and ensure that your flock is parasite-free and healthy.
NB: Never use Nettex Total Mite Kill Sprays directly on the chickens – they are for application to housing only. Always ventilate treated areas and allow them to dry fully (they dry very quickly) before returning any birds to the treated area.
Top tip: when removing bedding be sure to dispose of it properly to stop any mites or lice from re-entering the environment.
How do I know if my chickens have lice?
Typical signs that your chickens may be suffering from poultry lice, could be as simple as a change in their behaviour or character. They may look pale or anaemic, they may be scratching or plucking at their own feathers or they could be refusing to enter the coop at night.
If you have concerns then the best way to check for Lice is to part the fluff around the vent area and search as the base of feathers for white eggs or black critters the size of a sesame seed.
How do I know if my chickens have Northern Fowl Mite?
Because Northern Fowl Mites live on the chickens, if there is an infestation will you will be able to see them or their eggs if you regularly examine your chickens. Lice are small brown critters; Northern Fowl Mites are smaller and black. Both lice and Northern Fowl Mites feed off your chickens’ blood, which makes them irritable and grumpy; they may peck each other or pull out their own feathers. Infested birds may also look pale and may stop laying for no reason.
How do I know if my chickens have Scaly Leg Mites?
Scaly Leg Mites burrow under the scales of the chickens legs causing great irritation, which the hen tries to relieve by pecking. This creates painful sores on the legs. The scales will look raised, with a crusty exudate under them; this is the mites’ excrement.
How do I prevent lice and mites?
First rule of thumb for prevention of Lice and Mites is to be vigilant: It is important to keep an eye on your chickens as you will be able to tell if your chicken’s health is being affected by an infestation. Also clean and check housing regularly and catch any outbreak fast – it makes it that much easier to deal with.
a. Housing: Check the housing carefully every week when you clean it, pay special attention to all the nooks and crannies, ends of roosting bars and the nest boxes.
b. Chickens: Keep an eye on your flock for any unusual behaviour, give them monthly health checks after they have gone to roost (they are more biddable then). It really helps you to know what’s ‘right’ for each chicken and spot any issues quickly.
Bedding can make a huge difference. Try not to use straw, hay or newspaper: Mites and Lice love heat and dampness, so eliminating these from the housing helps to keep the parasites away. Straw and hay also both harbour mites in the stalk tubes and contain dust spores, while newspaper will ‘wick’ wetness and get damp. We all love the image of a hen sitting on a nest of straw, but in reality, you are best to stick to something dried such as one of the shredded hemp bedding.
It is also important to remember when buying in new chickens always check them carefully and tackle any pest issues before introducing them to the rest of the flock to limit any possible infestation.
Another handy tip is to use Nettex Total Hygiene Powder in the dust bath. A dust bath in your covered run encourages social behaviour, and Nettex Total Hygiene Powder in the dust bath promotes hygiene and dryness resulting in an inhabitable environment for Red Mites.
If you do spot any mites clean your coop weekly and treat for any possible mite problems using the Nettex Total Mite 3 step regime.
How do I prevent lice and mites?
First rule of thumb for prevention of Lice and Mites is to be vigilant: It is important to keep an eye on your chickens as you will be able to tell if your chicken’s health is being affected by an infestation. Also clean and check housing regularly and catch any outbreak fast – it makes it that much easier to deal with.
a. Housing: Check the housing carefully every week when you clean it, pay special attention to all the nooks and crannies, ends of roosting bars and the nest boxes.
b. Chickens: Keep an eye on your flock for any unusual behaviour, give them monthly health checks after they have gone to roost (they are more biddable then). It really helps you to know what’s ‘right’ for each chicken and spot any issues quickly.
Bedding can make a huge difference. Try not to use straw, hay or newspaper: Mites and Lice love heat and dampness, so eliminating these from the housing helps to keep the parasites away. Straw and hay also both harbour mites in the stalk tubes and contain dust spores, while newspaper will ‘wick’ wetness and get damp. We all love the image of a hen sitting on a nest of straw, but in reality, you are best to stick to something dried such as one of the shredded hemp bedding.
It is also important to remember when buying in new chickens always check them carefully and tackle any pest issues before introducing them to the rest of the flock to limit any possible infestation.
Another handy tip is to use Nettex Total Hygiene Powder in the dust bath. A dust bath in your covered run encourages social behaviour, and Nettex Total Hygiene Powder in the dust bath promotes hygiene and dryness resulting in an inhabitable environment for Red Mites.
If you do spot any mites clean your coop weekly and treat for any possible mite problems using the Nettex Total Mite 3 step regime.
How do I tackle poultry lice?
Although the lice live on the chickens, when tackling them it is important to treat the housing as well as the chickens themselves as they will pick up any lice left in the housing and the infestation will continue. Be sure to undertake a weekly cleaning regime using Nettex Total Mite and Lice Products.
Step 1: Take the housing apart, remove and destroy the bedding. Clean the housing with Nettex Total Mite Kill Ready To Use Spray. This powerful dual purpose cleaner and insecticide contains Permethrin which acts fast and kills lice, it even continues to work after it has dried.
Step 2: Use Nettex Total Mite Kill Aerosol Spray in all hard to reach areas such as cracks and crevices of the housing, to blast and kill any hidden pesky pests!
Step 3: Once dry, sprinkle Nettex Buz Busters Louse Powder in your chicken’s housing, bedding and dust bath. This highly effective insecticidal powder contains a blend of three active ingredients to achieve a rapid kill of any lice.
Top tip: when removing bedding be sure to dispose of properly to stop any lice from re-entering into the environment and causing another infestation.
How do I tackle Scaly Leg Mites?
When your chicken has a Scaly Leg mite infestation, it is important that you do not pick the scales this will only cause more irritation for your chicken. Scaly leg mites can be easily managed with the following 2 step programme:
1. Spray the legs of affected chickens with Nettex Scaly Leg Spray, this product suffocates the mites, eases the discomfort and provides a barrier to deter and protect the legs. Apply to the legs with a soft toothbrush, in an upward motion, gently working it under the scales.
2. Repeat every 5-6 days (to break the egg cycle) and repeat over 2-3 weeks or until the infestation has gone and the scabs have gone from under the scales. Note that the scales will remain raised when the mites are gone.
How frequently do I need to treat Northern Fowl Mite?
If you already have an infestation we recommend that you clean your coop and use the Nettex Total Mite Regime initially then repeat three days later to break the mite life cycle! Then use as part of your weekly cleaning regime to deter any future infestations.
How will I know if my chickens have mites or lice?
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A heavy infestation of either lice or mites will severely affect the health of your chickens; it can stop them laying, cause anaemia and even kill birds. Before this however, there are more subtle signs that may indicate that there is a mite or lice infestation · Chickens may avoid going into the coop at night · Blood spots on the eggs · Your chickens may be irritated and look pale or anaemic – evident in paler combs and wattles than normal · You spot either mites or their faeces – the latter looks like grey ash-type deposits – along crevices inside the coop. · Northern Fowl Mite are little black critters about 1mm in length. These live on the chickens, and particularly like to hang at the base of feathers. · Lice are about 1-3mm in length and a golden brown colour. They are fast moving and like to lay their white eggs at the vent and the base of the feathers, especially underneath the wings. |
What are Scaly Leg Mites?
Scaly Leg Mites are particularly nasty; they spend their entire life cycle on the chicken they are spread by direct contact with other birds. Scaly Leg Mites burrow under the scales of the chickens legs causing great irritation, which the hen tries to relieve by pecking. This creates painful sores on the legs. The scales will look raised, with a crusty exudate under them; this is the mites’ excrement.
What are these things I can see crawling in my chickens feathers
If you can spot some abnormal looking critters in the base of the feathers of your chicken they could be suffering from an infestation of Poultry Lice or Northern Fowl Mite. Because these parasites live on the chickens, if there is an infestation you will be able to see the Lice or Mites themselves or their eggs if you regularly examine your chickens. It is always useful to check the fluff around the vent area as Lice and Mites love to hang here where it’s nice and toasty! Lice are small brown critters; Northern Fowl Mites are smaller and black. Both Lice and Northern Fowl Mites feed off your chickens’ blood, which makes them irritable and grumpy; they may even peck each other or pull out their own feathers. Infested chickens may also look pale and may stop laying for no reason.
What are these things things crawling inside the coop?
If you have creepy crawlies in your housing it is most likely to be red mite, as these mites live in poultry housing and they emerge after dark to feed off the chickens. Red mites particularly enjoy living in the cracks of wooden housing but don’t be fooled they can be prevalent in any type of housing. One way to check if you have a red mite infestation is to run your hand under the roof of your chicken’s housing, if your hand comes away with blood spots, this means red mite are present. Other signs of Red Mite include grey ash looking deposits in corners of the housing which are in fact red mite poop! Gross we know. As if you didn’t have enough poop to deal with.
What is Scaly Leg?
Scaly Leg is a common health condition in chickens. It refers to raised, sore looking scales that have a crusty residue underneath which is caused by mites burrowing under them which in turn causes great discomfort for your chickens.
What is the life cycle of Red Mite?
The typical life cycle of Red Mite is around 7 days. You can see in the diagram below the full life cycle at each stage from egg to adult mite. It is important that chicken keepers know the life cycle of Red Mites to understand how to tackle the adults, break the life cycle and deter future infestations. The Nettex Total Mite Kill regime is a weekly programme for this reason – to break the life cycle of those mites and to help prevent eggs forming into adults which then lay more eggs and so on.
Why is my chicken itching?
If you have an itchy chicken, or a chicken that is scratching you could have a potential lice or mite infestation. Both poultry lice and northern fowl mite live on the chicken so it pays to be vigilant. Check your chickens for signs of Northern Fowl Mite or Lice – particularly in the fluff of the vent area. These will look like little black critters and their eggs will appear white, you may spot these at the base of the feathers. Check the housing, especially nooks, crannies and roosting bars for signs of Red Mite or their faeces. Red mite deposits can look like a grey ash in the corners of the housing.
Why will my chickens not go into the coop at night?
If your chickens do not want to go into the coop at night it is quite likely that you have a mite or lice infestation. In order to find out if this is the case, firstly, check the cracks and crevices of housing for any physical signs of Red Mites or their faeces which look like grey ash type deposits. Secondly check your chickens, check underneath the wings and part the fluff around the vent area. Look out for any signs of eggs, Lice or Northern Fowl mites. If you have established that you do have an infestation, then be sure to follow the appropriate Nettex Mite or Lice regime to help tackle and deter future infestations.
If you cannot find any evidence at all of parasites like mites or lice then consider the housing and observe the behaviour of your chickens when they would typically take themselves into their coop. Are there enough perches and nesting boxes to accommodate them all? Is the bedding clean and dry? Are there any signs of bullying or cannibalism? If you can identify overcrowding, bullying or unsanitary conditions then rectify these by either removing the chickens instigating the bullying or improving the conditions inside the coop as necessary.