Chicken tick: types, causes and symptoms, treatment methods and how to get rid of it correctly

Chicken feather mite causes a lot of discomfort in birds. It has many varieties and forms. Each of them has its own characteristics. For birds, they all carry a danger, harm to he alth, violation of egg production, weight gain. To overcome pests, you need to recognize the symptoms and take certain measures.

Types of chicken mites

The feather mite has many varieties. Every farmer should know what the parasite looks like and conduct preventive examinations. If a disease is detected, treatment is immediately prescribed.

Microscopic pliers

Micro mites cannot be seen without a microscope. However, their habitation on the body of a chicken has visual manifestations. Since the parasites feed on particles of the epithelium and secretions of the chicken, there are bald patches on the body. The bird is partially bald. Her condition is deteriorating, egg production is declining, and the quality of the feather is deteriorating. Especially micro mites are dangerous for young individuals and chickens. They differ in location:

• cytodites - affects the respiratory tract and lungs;
• knemidokoptes - cause scabies throughout the body;
• epilermoptes - feeds on particles of the epithelium and causes itching.

Constant discomfort causes stress in birds. This is reflected in egg production and weight gain. Infection with a microscopic mite is fraught with complications:

• breathing problems;
• baldness;
• nodular inflammatory processes;
• loss of appetite;
• strong stress;
• disorderly conduct.

Important! Sometimes the disease appears as a change in behavior, for protection it is recommended to carry out prevention and regular examinations.

Medium pliers

Medium sized ticks are much easier to spot. They are divided into red, Persian and ixodid. They are easy to spot on the head of the bird. Insects use chickens as a source of food. They bite them only at night, as they are afraid of sunlight.

Pests can often be found in domestic chicken coops. Sometimes infection occurs in agricultural production. In the industry, preventive measures are carefully monitored, since it is not profitable for them to lose egg-laying hens. The more they get sick, the lower their productivity.

Red tick

They live in bedding, poultry houses, perches, straw and cages. Ticks have an orange-yellow color, an elongated body, 6 legs. The whole body is covered with characteristic villi.

Ticks turn red only when they suck blood. They bite at night. Bites can be seen on the back of the head and combs in birds.

It is difficult to get rid of insects, as they can exist without food for about 6 months.

Females lay 20-22 eggs at a time. From them new individuals appear. Pests do not die from severe frosts, but simply enter a dormant state. Most often, red mites breed in damp and dirty chicken coops.

Persian tick

This type of tick is common in warmer regions. It affects domestic poultry houses, rarely penetrates industrial areas. It is one of the most dangerous species, as it carries diseases that are dangerous to the he alth of chickens:

• salmonellosis;
• tuberculosis;
• pasteurellosis.

The tick drinks the chicken's blood, then regurgitates some of the digested food, toxins and disease-causing bacteria back into the blood. Then the infection occurs. All these diseases can lead to the death of birds.

Salmonella causes a severe infectious disease in humans. It can be contracted from birds and their eggs.

Ixodid tick

They penetrate the body of the chicken while walking. For birds they do not pose any danger. However, they are carriers of diseases for humans: Lyme Borelliosis and tick-borne encephalitis. They also bite people and pets.

They are rarely found in large numbers. Ticks bite birds, get food and crawl back into the grass to search for a new victim.

Reason for appearance

No matter how much you want to create the safest living conditions for your birds, this will not always work out. Insects enter the house for several reasons:

• penetration into the chicken coop of rodents, wild birds;
• replacing new stock already infested with ticks;
• due to poor ventilation in the room;
• high humidity in the chicken coop, water stagnation;
• if the number of chickens is too large for the coop;
• in the absence of a sand bath for birds;
• a person can bring ticks on clothes or shoes from the street.

To prevent the disease of chickens, it is recommended to regularly inspect small cracks, livestock, bedding in the house. They usually hide there. Checks are done in the evening. To do this, a lantern with a bright light is pointed at the place to be checked.In the presence of pests, they will begin to scatter in different directions. Then they begin to carry out chemical and sanitary treatments of the premises. At this time, it is better to evict the chickens from the chicken coop.

Main symptoms

Tick infestation is accompanied by a number of symptoms. Only by observing the behavior and condition of chickens well, you can determine what they are sick with. Show the following signs:

• baldness;
• chicken tries to pluck its feathers with its beak;
• birds are afraid to enter the chicken coop in the evenings;
• bites visible on the body;
• Chickens are restless;
• refuse to nest in their usual place;
• loss of appetite occurs;
• reduced egg production;
• birds are not gaining or losing weight at all.

Not all symptoms are always pronounced. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor the condition of the chickens, check the body for bites, monitor the weight and condition of the feathers.

Important! When infested with mites, a chicken changes its behavior almost immediately.

Methods for diagnosing parasites

Ticks can be diagnosed visually by examining the places where insects live:

1. Ticks that live in holes in feathers. Most often located under the wings on the neck, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe eyes and beak. With a lesion, the chicken sharply loses weight, and egg production decreases. Bald spots are also observed on the body.
2. Microscopic mite is almost impossible to notice. It is localized throughout the body. Manifestations can be seen after 2-3 months, when bumps appear on the paws, and the fingers are deformed. Prior to this, the bird behaves restlessly, as it experiences constant itching and discomfort.
3. Red tick. More often than others, the body of the chicken is affected. It can be seen when looking through the feathers, it will run over the skin. The check is done in the evening. There will also be bite wounds on the skin.

How to get rid of chicken mites

You can destroy harmful insects using chemical and folk remedies. Each farmer decides for himself what to use. Chemicals are much more effective than natural ones.

Chemicals

Before starting the application of chemicals, the chicken is examined for wounds. If they are, then they are lubricated with any healing agent. From traditional medicines use:

• "Irethrium" - a powder consisting of crushed chamomile flowers. They are sprinkled on the body of a chicken at the rate of 15 g per 1 kg of an individual.
• "Sevin" - also used as "Irethrium".
• Ecofleece aerosol - insecticide, destroys insects in 2-3 days.
• The drug "Ivermerk" - used according to the instructions, a therapeutic and prophylactic agent.

Folk remedies

Many farmers believe that the use of chemicals in disease control is harmful to the he alth of birds and affects the quality of eggs, so they prefer to use folk remedies.

Wood ash and sand

Mix wood ash and sand in equal proportions. They leave it in the chicken coop, the birds themselves take such baths. Wood ash kills mites.

Plants

Strong-smelling plants are hung in bunches in the chicken coop, they repel pests. Suitable for this:

• wormwood;
• mustard;
• mint;
• parsley;
• garlic;
• bow.

Why is the parasite dangerous for chickens?

If you do not treat, then gradually the chicken will be completely exhausted. Her mental he alth will be destroyed. Constant itching causes stress in the bird. Dramatically reduced egg production, weight gain. Feathers are deteriorating in condition, the chicken is going bald.

If you do not treat the birds, it will lead to their death from exhaustion.

Danger and methods of protecting people

Not all ticks are dangerous to humans. Ixodid ticks are carriers of Lyme Borelliosis and tick-borne encephalitis. In order for pests to enter human blood, direct contact through the blood is needed. If there is a population of ticks in the chicken coop, then it must be destroyed with insecticides.

Persian ticks also carry salmonellosis. It causes disease in birds.If you do not notice the symptoms immediately and eat meat or eggs from an infected bird, then a serious infectious disease will develop in the human body. To prevent this, you need to carefully heat the meat and eggs of chickens.

Prevention measures

To prevent tick infestation in chicken coops, certain manipulations are carried out:

• monitor the ventilation in the room;
• carry out preventive examinations and treatments;
• Grown chickens are weighed daily for meat;
• follow the behavior of birds;
• track laying hens;
• keep the house clean and tidy.

Ticks can cause serious damage to the he alth of chickens. Birds are susceptible to their infection, react to the disease with a decrease in productivity.This greatly affects the industry. The behavior of individuals changes, they experience itching and discomfort. They constantly try to get rid of him by plucking their feathers.

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