Ticks in chickens - prevention and treatment with natural remedies. Chicken mite - a small pest that can lead to large losses

Kira Stoletova

If a tick bites chickens, small wounds and dried blood remain on the body of the birds.

Consequences of a tick bite

If the egg production of laying hens has decreased, the bird is constantly itching (behaving aggressively or too active), and the young growth does not look good, the birds should be examined and checked in the hen house and the infected birds should be treated. Parts of the body that are affected by insect bites:

  • wings;
  • skin under the tail;
  • nostrils;
  • head.

In some cases, you can follow the movement of the tick through the body of the chicken (places where thin skin is most vulnerable), but you should not expect such clues. The danger of tick invasion is that they attack the ears, larynx and trachea of ​​broilers, which is why the first symptoms do not appear immediately in birds, and noticeable signs develop against the background of secondary diseases. In sick birds, a head tremor begins, coughing fits appear, are heard.

In order to get rid of ticks in chickens, farmers lubricate the bites with oil on those parts of the body of birds on which unhealed wounds and legs are visible. After a couple of days, the tick dies. The wounds are disinfected and smeared with a cream that promotes rapid healing. The poultry house must be cleaned and disinfected, and after the illness and treatment, the chickens must be moved to a dry, ventilated room. As a result, the red dangerous chicken tick will be completely destroyed.

There are many methods that make it easy and effective to deal with ticks. Effective ways to fight ticks are as follows:

  • Treatment of a flock of chickens begins with the treatment of the skin of birds with special therapeutic agents. The procedure is carried out 2 times a day with a weekly interval. Powder "Sevin" - the best remedy for chicken feather mites. Feathers are sprinkled with a powder preparation, and birds and their habitat are sprayed with disinfectant sprays.
  • Sand and ash are the best natural remedies to completely get rid of pests. 2 ingredients are mixed, and then the mixture is poured into a glass container. A container with a product is placed in the yard. Chickens in close proximity to the product will self-clean of ticks. Soon you won't have to worry about the problem of ticks.
  • Feather mites do not tolerate too high temperatures, so it would be useful to treat the floor and walls of the chicken coop with boiling water, a flame (if the house is not wooden) or a blowtorch. Quartz lamps will do an excellent job of killing ticks, this method is used on large poultry farms. At home, it is also suitable for insect control.
  • Plants will help to bring out such aliens. Mint, parsley, onion, celery and garlic are laid out in the chicken coop (along the entire perimeter). Specific odors will quickly drive pests out of the house.

Treatment with sprays and aerosols should not be used without consulting a specialist. The veterinarian will accurately prescribe medication and tell you in detail how to deal with chicken mites at home without harming the birds.

Bird mites are dangerous. Pests carry serious diseases: plague, borreliosis and cholera. If you do not take appropriate measures for treatment and prevention, the birds will die and harm the person.

Treatment of the chicken coop from ticks

The red tick is tenacious and multiplies rapidly. The female insect lays 20 eggs at a time. Adults actively breed both in the warm season and on rainy days. Insects dangerous to humans remain for six months. Under adverse conditions, they hibernate.

Features of preventive cleaning of the poultry house:

  • in late spring and early autumn, a scheduled inspection of birds for the presence of wounds and dried blood is carried out;
  • it is recommended to clean up traces of litter in a timely manner, change bedding, sweep away cobwebs and disinfect feeders with boiling water;
  • the courtyard is sprinkled with dry sand and its cleanliness is monitored;
  • once a month, the premises where the birds live should be disinfected.

The legs and skin of poultry are attacked by two types of pests: acariform and feather insects. A tick in a chicken on its legs (acariform type) causes a serious disease - knemidokoptosis. Roosters suffer from a complex disease more often than chickens and laying hens. The symptoms of a dangerous disease are as follows: the upper layer of the skin on the legs becomes thicker, the phalanges of the fingers become covered with a gray coating, and the bird looks weak and lethargic. If you do not start urgent medical treatment, the deformity of the limbs of the rooster cannot be corrected.

Funds from knemidokoptosis will not cost the farmer too much. To treat the disease, the people use cheap and natural birch tar. A remedy with a characteristic odor treats diseased areas of the skin (so that the infection does not spread throughout the body). The course of treatment with a folk remedy is 6 days.

Acaricides are used to treat poultry as the most effective medications. The agent is rubbed into the lower limbs of the rooster. The desired result can be seen on the second day. The feather mite in chickens settles on the stem of the feather and in the hole, directly sucking blood from the feathered one. The loss of blood leads to the complete destruction of the feather and the chicken, if not treated in time, may be left without plumage. The consequences of such an attack on chicken coops can be found in many photos.

The life cycle of ticks is 7-8 months, while at the same time they can be without food for 2-3 months. The development cycle of the mite is more favorable in dirty and damp houses. When bitten, bloodsuckers inject a special substance that prevents blood from clotting. After the bite, severe itching begins.

What are the dangers of chicken mites?

The first thing that may alert poultry farmers is the symptoms of a bird.

  • birds have a sleepy look;
  • chickens have dull-colored earrings;
  • anemia;
  • scallops have a blue tint;
  • the bird is not active (sluggish);
  • decreased appetite;

Chickens move slowly around the house, have a fluffy look. The laying of eggs is noticeably reduced, but at the same time, the nutrition remains the same, the norms. Young chicks refuse to eat, fluff up and sit. The most common cause of death of young animals is exhaustion.

Bird treatment

The bird can be treated with special insecticides. Processing is done twice with a weekly interval. It is recommended to treat birds with Sevin, Feverfew, Ecoflis powder. Powders are intended for the treatment of feathers, and aerosols for the treatment of poultry houses and birds. Well proven spray with permethrin EC. After spraying the livestock and poultry house, the effect lasts up to nine weeks.

An ash-sand mixture is recommended as a proven folk way of fighting. It is scattered over the basins, leaving livestock in the walking area. In this mixture, the bird bathes, the contents need to be changed every two weeks. If the mixture accidentally gets wet, it must be changed immediately. In the old days they washed with wood ash.
Measures to combat ticks in sheds can be carried out with boiling water, fire or a blowtorch. It is necessary to process floors, walls, nests, perches.

If there are old things in the premises where the bird is kept, they must be thrown away, wooden perches, it is better to replace them, it is very difficult to smoke ticks from their cracks.
On poultry farms, for the prevention of premises, quartz lamps are used.
Products containing chlorinated hydrocarbons are prohibited for processing. Active substances can accumulate in the meat and eggs of chickens.

Preventive measures for the chicken coop

Having considered how to treat a bird from a red tick, you need to find out the rules for combating possible infection.

Regular inspection of the bird is required, it is carried out from the first days of spring until the end of the autumn season. It is necessary to clean the chicken coop and pallets from litter in a timely manner, change the litter regularly, and make sure that cobwebs do not accumulate. It is necessary to periodically scald containers for drinking and food with boiling water. Walking places should wake up with sand and be always dry. The walk must be in an open area.
Disinfection of premises should be carried out at least once a month. Preventive measures require sand and ash.

If a container is delivered from another poultry farm, it must be checked for tick infestation. Metal egg cages have a plastic lining, which is considered a weak point by farmers, it must be cleaned with chemicals and washed in hot water. Farmers advise - carrying out prevention reduces the risk of infection with ticks.

It is easiest to act in advance than to suffer later with the removal of pests, especially some species are difficult to remove. A simple inspection of the bird and the place of detention will save not only the livestock, but also their owners from many problems. When buying young animals, you need to carefully examine the bird for ticks. One infected chicken can bring a lot of trouble. Best of all, play it safe. Before releasing a new bird into the coop, it is better to treat it for tick prevention.

914 09/10/2019 5 min.

The chicken tick causes a lot of trouble for both the sick bird and the farmer. As a result of infection, productivity decreases, the condition of the feather cover worsens, chickens may begin to lag behind in growth and development, and gain weight poorly. Although ticks are most active during the warm season, it is theoretically possible to become infected regardless of the season. About what ticks are dangerous, what they are, how they are treated correctly (depending on the type), you will learn further. The disease does not go away on its own, and the sooner you take action, the better.

Disease Definition

Symptoms of infection:

  • apathy and weakness;
  • sores, wounds, scratches and wounds;
  • shortness of breath, dry frequent cough;
  • pallor of earrings, scallop, mucous membranes;
  • cessation of laying eggs;
  • weight loss;
  • thirst, refusal to eat.

When infected with mites, small spots of red and black color are usually visible on the body of a bird, and there are droplets of blood on the feathers.

Varieties

Large

Large ticks can be easily seen, visually and in size they are similar to fleas. Varieties:

The red tick is considered the most dangerous - it carries viruses, bacteria, spreads typhus, cholera, spirochitis, borreliosis.

microscopic

  1. knemidokoptes- cause the appearance of body and foot scabies.
  2. Epidermoptes- microorganism-causative agent of skin-eating scabies pathology.
  3. Cytodites- pulmonary or tracheal micromite, which feeds on secretions of the epidermis and particles of cellular structures.

Treatment

Treatment of ticks, regardless of the breed of chickens (, ), is prescribed taking into account the type of pathogen.

foot scabies

Treatment involves the treatment of feet with acaricidal preparations - only 2-3 treatments with an interval of one week. Possible options are birch tar (baths are made with it), Nikochloran, K soap, Trichlormetafos 1% solution, Azuntol 0.3% emulsion, Karbofos 1% emulsion, tar-soap hexachlorane paste. Read about the description of the Manchurian quail breed.

In the risk zone of the "calcareous foot" - chickens aged 3 to 5 months.

Body scabies

If the pathological process is clearly expressed, it is recommended to bathe the bird in solutions:

  • Odilena;
  • Neguwon;
  • Yakutin;
  • Mycotectan;
  • chlorophos;
  • metaphos;
  • neostomazana;
  • Azuntol.


The procedure is carried out once a week for a total of 3-4 times. Additionally, it is recommended to use acaricides in the form of ointments. More than a third of the body area at once, the drug is not applied. Akacyrid ointments are prepared using petroleum jelly and birch tar. If the lesions are not strong, it will be enough to lubricate only the damaged areas.

Skin-eating scabies

Treatment - treatment of the affected areas with solutions and ointments with acaricides:

  • tar ointment;
  • tar with alcohol;
  • creolin ointment;
  • creolin solution.

If the livestock is large, you can spray it with solutions of chlorophos and karbofos 2-3 times at intervals of one week.

cavity mite

The cytodites tick has a small, round, yellow body and lives in the respiratory tract. Most often, it affects chickens from 120 days of age. Pathology often makes itself felt in summer and autumn, can affect up to 50% of the total livestock. Mucous serous discharge begins from the nose, if you press the bird on the trachea, it will begin to cough. Chickens, and other breeds infected with the mite, quickly become lethargic and weak, and may fall into a semi-comatose state. The diagnosis is made after a laboratory test. Treatment is considered ineffective. Sick individuals are recommended to inject an oily solution of camphor - 0.5 ml on both sides of the peritoneum. It is desirable to replace the herd.

Video

This video will tell you how to deal with the red chicken tick.

findings

  1. The chicken mite causes a lot of inconvenience to both the birds themselves and the farmers. Treatment must be carried out necessarily, although with the same cytodites it is not effective.
  2. Ticks are microscopic and visible to the eye. It is possible to determine the former only by the symptoms characteristic of tick damage and / or with the help of a microscope.
  3. Standard processing of infected birds is carried out from 2-4 times with a weekly interval. Please note that solutions and ointments must have a certain concentration, which must not be exceeded.
  4. Most often, chickens of any breed are infected, including and, at the age of 3 to 5 months. Inspect the livestock regularly to detect problems early.

In domestic chickens, ticks provoke the following diseases:

If the bird has become inactive, experiences severe itching, egg production has decreased, the young are not gaining weight well, the condition of the plumage has worsened, or bald spots have appeared on the body, it is most likely that the chickens are infected with ticks.

Pay attention to the behavior of feathered wards. If the chickens began to clean their feathers more often, pluck feathers under the wings, in the area of ​​​​the cloaca, constantly take “sand” baths - this may also indicate an infection with feather, scabies mites.

Other symptoms of ticks in chickens:

  • weakness, apathy;
  • wounds, scratches, sores on the body;
  • dry frequent cough, shortness of breath;
  • pallor of mucous membranes, scallop, earrings;
  • lack of egg production in laying hens;
  • weight loss;
  • refusal to eat, increased thirst.

Upon closer examination, you can see small red or black spots, small grains, droplets of blood on feathers, the body of birds or on the walls of chicken coops, perches.

You can detect a tick by placing material from a nest, perch, chicken coop on a white sheet of paper and examining it in bright light. The collection of material is best done in the evening, at night.

Advice! If the hens are reluctant to enter the chicken coop, equip new nesting sites, experience severe itching - these are clear signs of infection of the bird with red ticks.

The red chicken tick feeds on blood, biting through, damaging the skin. The bird experiences discomfort, itching, and anxiety. The condition of the feather cover is greatly deteriorating, immunity is weakening, anemia develops, which can cause the death of infested feathered wards.

Infection is facilitated by high humidity in poultry houses, the lack of sand baths for chickens, and a high density of birds in a limited space. It is worth noting that red chicken mites are dangerous to humans. They cause severe itching, allergies.

When day-old chicks are settled in poultry houses with ticks, a high mortality rate is noted. Chicks die from exhaustion, anemia within 5-7 days.

Chicken mites that infect nails, bird feathers

In addition to the red chicken tick, feather and acariform chicken mites are a danger to domestic chickens, especially for small chickens and young individuals.

The feather mite in chickens lives on the core of the feather, in the hole, feeds on circulating blood, which eventually leads to the gradual destruction of the feather, the deterioration of the plumage. With a strong infection, hens may be left completely without feathers. Unfortunately, at the moment, effective treatment for feather mites in chickens has not been developed.

Acariform mites in chickens provoke knemidokoptosis (leg scabies), which roosters are more prone to than hens. The disease is also known as "calcareous foot". It has a slow development, so the manifestations can be noticed immediately.

If the bird is infected with leg scabies, the sick chicken can hardly move, becomes inactive. Dense gray growths are noticeable on the paws. The skin of the legs becomes bumpy. Pathological exudate accumulates under the scales. Over time, if you do not start treatment, the scabies mite causes deformation of the limbs.

Treatment

Advice! If the tick lives on the legs of chickens, use a solution of Trichlormetaphos or a mixture of birch tar and kerosene in a 1: 1 ratio.

Effective Chicken Coop Cleaning Methods

The main method of control, which will allow hanging ticks from birds, is complex disinfection, desacarization of the poultry house, cages, and premises in which the bird is kept. Treat walls, floors, perches, ceilings, and inventory with insecticide-acaricide solutions, special chemicals. Thoroughly wash the feeders, drinkers. Replace pad.

For desacarization, you can use:

  • cyodrin 0.5%;
  • dicresol 0.25%;
  • karbofos;
  • chlorophos 1–2%;
  • trichlormetaphos 0.5–1%;
  • DDVF 0.25–0.5%;
  • neocidol 0.25–0.5%.

Important! If a bird is affected by a red, Persian tick, poultry houses are treated two to three times with an interval of 3-6 days.

Carefully inspect the chickens. If there are wounds, scratches on the body, treat the affected areas with antiseptic solutions. Lesions can be lubricated with vegetable oil, wound healing ointments, liniments.

With a strong infection, ticks will have to be removed in several approaches. Treatments are carried out at intervals of 5-10 days, depending on the agent used.

Before use, carefully read the instructions for the drug. When choosing an insecticide-acaricide, be sure to consult with a veterinarian. Some drugs are strictly forbidden to be used for treatments, since their active substances accumulate in eggs and meat.

In order to avoid infection of chickens with ticks, it is very important to treat poultry houses and cages systematically, at least once every 30-40 days. You can use disinfectants, used engine oil, solarium. Cells are disinfected once a month.

Change the bedding in a timely manner, keep the feeders, drinkers, perches clean. Disinfect inventory. Remove the web, as it may contain mites, which will subsequently move to the bird.

The walking area must be dry. Build a canopy to protect from rain. Give the bird bowls of sand and ash.

Chicken mites are able to annoy the inhabitants of the chicken coop much more than other bloodsucking ones. At the slightest suspicion of their presence in wards, the poultry farmer should diagnose and get rid of annoying parasites as soon as possible. How to do this is described in the article.

The chicken tick is divided into several varieties that differ in appearance, size and habitat on the bird's body.

  1. Very small arthropods that are not visible to the naked eye. These include: knemidokoptes, epidermoptes, cytodites. They feed on skin scales and various animal secretions. They cause foot and body scabies, live in the trachea and lungs of birds.
  2. Larger members of the species. As big as lice and fleas. These are ixodid ticks, Persian and red chicken. Representatives attack chickens only for the purpose of biting and feeding on blood. Arthropods spend the rest of the time on the walls, perches, and the floor of the chicken coop.

It is not so easy to notice a small tick in feathers, therefore, more often the owners are guided by signs of damage.

Attention! The chicken mite can drink the blood of people caring for the bird. Frequent bites lead to allergies and dermatitis.

Having settled in a chicken coop, the red tick delivers tangible trouble to its inhabitants. Regularly feeling bites on themselves, adults reduce egg production, and young animals grow poorly. If arthropods settled in nests, chickens will stop visiting them. Constant, albeit slight, blood loss leads to anemia, which is easily determined by the paleness of the earrings and combs.

Attention! Too many red bloodsuckers lead to the death of birds.

The fact that a red chicken tick appeared in the chicken coop can be suspected by the following signs:

When such signs appear, each bird should be carefully examined. If it is a red tick, then small black and red grains are visible on the body and feathers. The red tick looks like this:

  • Oval body 0.6-0.7 mm long.
  • The arthropod has 4 pairs of legs of different lengths.
  • The color of the body is red. After the tick has eaten blood - dark purple.

Advice. The tick is clearly visible on white paper. In order to detect bloodsucking, the sheet is carried out along the walls and perches. Maximum accumulation in the litter.

Chickens affected by ticks and the chicken coop are treated with an insecticidal agent. Walls and perches in the room are recommended to be burned with a blowtorch. Containers with sand and ash are installed on the walking area, where the birds can "swim". For prevention, aromatic herbs are scattered on the floor: wormwood, chamomile, tansy.

Diseases and treatments

Attention! If ticks are found, contact your veterinarian. The specialist will select the necessary drugs and prescribe treatment.