The Cragstud Novice Breeders & Exhibitors Of Crag3 Exhibition Budgerigars

After so many emails this year asking questions on Red Mite I think it's best to understand the parasite and know what your dealing with:

The

red chicken mite is a common external parasite of birds. Although very small it can be seen by the naked eye. Mites feed on blood or feathers, skin or scales of birds. Mites are generally regarded as pests but heavy infestations can result in poor health, reduced performance (egg laying or weight gain) or, in extreme cases death.
The poultry red mite is considered one of the most important ectoparasites affecting egg layers in all types of production , Newcastle virus and fowl typhoid. Poultry mites will bite mammals, including humans, causing painful skin irritation.
The appearance of the red mite is dependent on when they last fed. When recently fed they appear red and this colour goes through black to grey as the time since the last feed increases.
                                                           
Life Cycle systems across the whole of Europe. This species, Dermanyssus gallinae, is an obligate blood feeding mite that attacks the resting hens mainly during the night for a blood feed that typically lasts 1-2 hours. After feeding the mites are bright red & return to their hiding places in cracks and crevices where they mate and deposit their eggs.

As a result of this behaviour daytime inspection may not detect large populations of red mites.
White paper can be put around to catch the signs, there are product you can spray that turn green if mites are there.....
At high infestation levels mites cause increased stress to the birds which leads to reduced egg production, anaemia and death. Mites have been implicated as vectors of several significant diseases of poultry including chicken pox virus
Red mites only feed on birds in darkness and blood feed for 1-2 hours each night.
Red mites spend most of their life in cracks and crevices and this is where the female mite deposits its eggs.
The eggs of red mite are small (0.4mm x 0.25mm) oval and pearly white. Under warm conditions the eggs hatch in 2-3 days into 6-legged larvae. One mite can lay at least 200 eggs per day normally after a feed, so do the maths you don’t want many laying eggs as the numbers increase dramatically, the products used normaly start to work and you will soon think you have won but don’t be fooled by these mites as there will be eggs or some hiding waiting until you think you have cleared them.

Normally people don’t see the beginning of the problem and only see it when its grown to a massive size then the work Red mite can survive for up to 8 months without a blood meal and, when hidden within cracks, are very resistant to desiccation.

                                                                ACTION to get rid of these pests is harder.

There are many methods on the market for example powders and sprays I would say ask others and see what has been working for them? as I feel these mites get immune to many treatments with time.
Before the first feed the larvae moult into an 8-legged protonymph (usually within 24 hours of hatching).
Protonymphs start to feed on the roosting birds and moult to a deutonymph that continues to feed before moulting into an adult male or female.
Under favourable conditions a mite can complete a life cycle (egg to egg) in 7 days.
Populations can build up very rapidly within bird houses.

Action- good cleaning alone will not clear the problem cleaning - filling in all the cracks with painters chaulk or no nails or filler will help spray or mix a paste of the mite powder up and get it in the cracks and then fill over it will help. Treat the birds with Ivormectin make sure its the correct dilution for your birds feed garlic granules and other food like fennel and cellary as these also help as they come through the birds skin and the mite don't like the taste of garlic this is Garlic for birds or horses not our garlic bulb from the kitchen.

After you think you have cleared the problem think again as always keep a look out for them-

You may wonder where did they come from well there are many ways-

trees-brought in on the wind- those birds you bought had them and you didnt keep them away from your shed or treat them before adding them to the stud.

Boxes of millet sprays has been on the list last year also as many feel that's how they have got them.

The need to be ever more watchfull is always there monitor things and clean and when you construct you shed keep in mind cracks and nooks and crannys can house these problems.

Wood has a grain that can hold the eggs of mite and hide them well until theres that many you can't help but see them.

Plastic and tiles and other materials can helps keep a place for mite to a much rediced rate.

Pre-planning - prevents - poor - performance.

Have a place for everything and everything in it's place.

A good management system takes some beating - clean everything at least weekly.

Deep litter systems harbour problems and kill birds it's a lazy system for those that don't care!

Many products will kill the mite but not many will kill the eggs so keep treating every 2 weeks or more if the problem is really bad. Try and do a deep clean in the bird room look in cracks and dark places they hide well away.

 They are full of blood and red looking if they have fed so you can tell what is happening by this.

 Duramitex doesn't seem to work as it used to but many new products do work well and help reduce the numbers until the next batch of eggs hatch then you start again, keep at it and it will get reduced and in time get them all. 

Here is a link to a website you can buy poultry sheild this when mixed and sprayed turns green if it comes into contact with mite or mite eggs and it kilss both things and the birds are safe.

This stuff works we have used it and found it one of the best ways to kill both mite and mite eggs.

http://www.sprcentre.co.uk/diatomandpoultryshield.htm