Typically, this parasite is found beneath the chicken's wings and next to soft feathers around the neck, tail, vent, and higher part of the leg. They might also be found in the cracks and crevices around a chicken coop, in nesting boxes, on roosts and in the materials used for floor covering.

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Although they prefer poultry as a host, they will move onto people when in search of a suitable blood host and will take a sample bite or two, so don’t forget your PPE when inspecting your birds. However, they cannot reproduce on human blood.

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The signs of a northern fowl mite infestation are scabby areas on the skin, weight loss, pale pink combs. The feathers around the body and vent area will be soiled with black mite excrement or dried blood.

 

The mites will appear as tiny black specks moving on the skin of the bird If they have recently fed, they will appear to be red. Symptoms can be increased and frequent preening and scratching, blackened feathering around vent (caused by mite faeces, dried blood and dead mites), and blood smears on eggs.

 

The Northern Fowl Mite’s entire life cycle is spent on a host bird, where it feeds on blood and is a source of irritation to the bird. Eggs are laid at the base of the feathers, usually in the vent area, but the back is also a popular site as the mite population increases.

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The complete life cycle from egg to egg-laying female can be as little as five to seven days. This can result in rapid increases in mite populations.

 

The larvae that hatch do not feed on the bird; however, larvae rapidly moult to the nymphal stage in about eight hours. The nymphs do feed on blood from the birds and mature in between four to seven days.

 

A displaced northern fowl mite will generally die within three to four days without a host. However, it is possible that a well-fed mite could survive for up to two or three weeks without a host. Therefore, temporarily moving an infested flock and subsequently moving your birds back into their coop sooner than three weeks may not resolve the problem.

 

The seven-day life cycle of the northern fowl mite means that if you wait more than seven days before repeating the treatment a second time, a whole new generation of mites might have developed from eggs that were hatched after the first treatment and therefore unaffected by the initial treatment.​

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When one bird is affected, it is best to assume that all your birds have. The coop should be treated as you would for a red mite infestation (Click Here). Important note: substitute Nettex Total Hygiene Powder with Battles Poultry Louse Powder for Northern Fowl Mite.