Northern fowl mite

Cheviot

Cheviot

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Hi,
Tonight when shutting everybody in for the night, I noticed my cream legbar cockeral was looking rather sorry for himself, :( head down, tail down and he looked wet, further investigation revealed a serious infestation of northern fowl mite, :shock: so I gave him a good dusting with mite powder, and put him to bed, I'll need to purchase an industrial sized tub of mite powder tomorrow and get everyone dusted.
I don't know much about this mite, apart from it lives on the chicken all the time, (as opposed to red mite which is only on the bird at night) so I have a few questions, does it live in the house, like red mite, - how long should I leave it between dusting again and can waterfowl be affected with it ?
Regards
Sue
 
Northern Fowl Mite is horrible and causes really quick deterioation in a birds condition, even death. The mite lives on the bird. The feathers take on a "greasy" appearance and if you part the feathers you will see scores of small black mites particulary near the vent. The mite lives on the skin of the bird and literally eats it alive, after an attack the areas will be scabby until healed.

I would advise a premethrin based product, Frontline drops, or Ivermectin, and get him treated ASAP, then treat ALL your other birds in case they have the mite too, I really wouldn't bother with powders right now as they will take too long. Then use a tonic, as a booster after as he will be really feeling under the weather.

Good luck!
 
Hi Sue,what makes you think it is northern fowl mite? Is it not lice? Do the feathers look grey and covered with dust or can you see grey/brown lice actually moving? Waterfowl can be affected but it's not common -probably because of their water habits/bathing etc.
regards David :)
 
Hi,
Thanks everyone for the info, the cockerel is looking much happier this morning :D , head up, tail up and he looks dry, but that could just be the powder I put on him last night, put frontline on him and his girls this morning, one girl had mites around her vent the other two looked to be clear, just have the house to deal with this afternoon, and then tonight the rest of the flock will get frontlined.
Regards
Sue
 
Hi Sue,
What is PM - sorry David said u had PM, and as mites seem to be fairly prevalent at the minute thought I should start a bit of reading up on symptoms / remedies etc... Just trying to keep on top of things!! The only one I actively try to deter and that's in the coop only is redmite (diatom, poultry shield blah blah)
Having never been unlucky enough to have mites am really unsure of what exactly to look out for
Thanks A x
 
Oh........ I thought that as I have used PM loads... but PM and talking bout bugs.... I had pesky mites / parasite mites etc etc.......... I'm blushing now - what a nugget...
ANYHOO: Mite info please! Question still stands, LOL!!!
 
I use Total Mite Kill (concentrate as it is cheaper) to wash the coop with, and then spray it.
Then use Buz Busters powder in the coop and on the birds which contains Permethrin (so not licenced for poultry ;) ) and so will kill lice and mites on contact :D
 
I promise you if it's Northern fowl mite - you don't need to scrub out your henhouses - it's the one bug that only lives on the bird - not the same thing as Red mite (although some confuse it because you see red "mites" running around) - that's because they are full of the hens blood.. Red Mite live in the wood and come out at night, northern mite live on the bird only..and you can see it at any time of the day - the difference is if you look at the base of the vent feathers, you will see sort of white cotton like blobs at the bottom of each feather - That is northern mite - and they bite you, but don't live on you - red mite don't bother humans at all
 
Hello, sorry to disagree Dorinda but Northern fowl mite can live off the bird-I think you may be getting confused with lice- they live on the bird 24/7 and their egg cases are like cotton buds at the base of the feathers- northern fowl mites make the feathers black and greasy looking- especially around the vent area- they can survive for up to two days off the bird so it is advised to treat the coop as well- lice can only live on the bird, so, if they are lice, treating the bird only will be fine.
regards, David :)
 
So can someone confirm whether my actions are correct or not.

I treat my birds every three months with FRONTLINE spray. I squirt some under each wing, back of their neck and their vent area. I do this as a preventative measure. I also periodically puff some BARRIER LOUSE POWDER on the same areas- which smells lovely. They also get a bath over the summer months and regularly checked .

I have only ever seen some type of louse/lice/mite when I first had them. One girl had two very large and visible brown crawlies running through her feathers. The lady I had them from did say it was Northern fowl and probably from the wild birds in our garden. Having sprayed them with Frontline, these bugs were killed instantly. But after reading the above it clearly wasn't northern fowl??

Like Aileen I use poultry shield for cleaning, a red mite spray can in summer, and Diatom after each monthly deep clean.

So does Frontline kill everything, and am I right using it as a preventative measure. OR should I be using IVERMETCIN in the form of a dropper?

I am getting more confused by the minute......
 
Hi, your birds had lice not mites- northern fowl mites are tiny- they make the feathers greasy and black ( their poo) especially around the vent and in bad cases the neck- easier to see on white/light birds- just carry on what you are doing- and dont worry- lice are the most common problem- northern fowl mites aren't that common- only had a few birds with them over 40 years and louse powder will kill them - poultry shield will clean the coop.
Northern fowl mite.jpg

regards, David :)
 
Frontline- is it the kind you get for cats and dogs?
How much do you use on each chicken - the full vial thing? I have only ever "powdered" my gals but would be much happier doing this sporadically as its what i use fro my 6 cats so trust it implicitly to get rid of nasties and would guess this is the ideal time of year to start with it what with the weather getting warmer.
Does it any any effect on red mite?
 
Aileen- I not fully conversant with Frontline drops etc. The Frontline Spray requires a prescription and I don't think it is licensed for poultry- I purchased it off ebay from france, (Approx £8 for 100ML).

I need peace of mind with these bugs and mites etc. My girls take the spraying all in their stride, and we ditch the eggs for a week -10 days.

Now as for red mite thats another issue. I worry I won't be able to see them. Last summer I sprayed both coups with Total Red Mite just to be on the safe side and it has a residual effect for up 3mths.

In this months poultry mag- it shows you a red mite infestation under some felt roofing- it literally looks like grey dust/powder. After I have finished with the diatom both me the chixkens and the coups all look infested!! :roll:

Just found this article-

http://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-medication/poultry-medication/frontline-for-lice-and-mites.html
 
Hi,
The cockeral seems to be recovering well :D , heard him crowing this morning, haven't seen him treading his girls yet, tried to catch him up to have an inspection, but he was having non of it, so that is a good sign.
Just out of interest, anyone know how long it takes from using the frontline drops until they start being effective?
Regards
Sue
 
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