Summer has definitely arrived, and now is the time to think about external parasites – mites, lice and scaly leg.

Mites appear as tiny red/brown dots, either crawling on a chook’s skin or the roost. The mites will live on or in the perches or other timber infrastructure during the day and come out at night to suck blood from roosting chooks. Mites can cause death if left untreated.

Lice are easier to see than mites. They are about the size of a long grain of rice, brownish/yellow in colour and have white eggs that stick to the feathers, usually about the bum, but they can be all over.

Treatment and prevention for mites and lice

Dust chooks with an insecticide powder such as Pestene or Derris Dust (available at hardware stores).

We use Derris Dust because of how natural, low toxic and organic it is. Plus, it’s less than half the price! 

Dust again within two weeks to break the parasite’s life cycle, remove and replace nesting material and dust nesting boxes and perches.

How to dust a chook

Grab the chook by the legs and turn it upside down.

Powder the bum, belly and underwings. Turn over and massage the dust into the back. 

Wear a face mask (we should all know how to use one by now, chooks don’t spread Covid!) and disposable gloves. Wash your face and hands after use.

Make a dust box. A dust bath is the best method of prevention. Place one in an area that is out of the weather is big enough so the chook can dust itself. Fill this with dry, fine sand to about 75% capacity and add powder.

Scaly leg mites

These tiny mites tunnel under the scales of the birds’ legs, causing the tissues to become thick and crusty, flaky and irritated.

Treatment and prevention

Putting petroleum jelly on affected areas will smother the parasite, and it will die. Repeat every two weeks until parasites are gone. 

Do not use sump oil/diesel (old wife’s tale). It will affect the health of your chooks.

If you have a problem with your chooks, write to us! We might be able to help.