Warmer weather is moving in, be alert for red mite in your coop.
Occasionally I look at my site stats to see which search terms are finding my blog. I tend to see a lot of chicken/poultry related queries and questions, so I thought I would write about one of the biggest problems poultry keepers sometimes face – the dreaded red mite.
Carried by wild birds, red mite are tiny gray mites (red when fully engorged with blood) that can be a dangerous health problem for chickens. Usually hiding away during the day in small cracks/crevices of the coop, ends of perches or under felt roofs they come out of hiding just after dusk to feed on your hens whilst they sleep. This makes identifying a problem difficult. Depending on the severity of red mite infestation, a flock will eventually become very unwell and death could well occur. Red mite seem to be more of a problem during the warmer temperatures of summer, but can strike any time of the year…
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