Northern fowl mite: signs and control
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The northern fowl mite (Ornithonyssus sylviarum) is a poultry mite that lives its whole life on the bird, mostly in the vent feathers, feeding day and night. Signs are vent feathers blackened with mite debris and scabbed skin. Infested birds need a registered veterinary or poultry product, while premise control keeps mites out through bird quarantine, wild bird exclusion and equipment cleaning.
The northern fowl mite completes its whole life cycle on the bird, mostly in the vent feathers, which makes it a different problem from the poultry red mite. Treatment of the birds requires registered veterinary or poultry products; the premise role is preventing introduction and spread.
What is the northern fowl mite?
Ornithonyssus sylviarum feeds day and night and lives on the host throughout its life. The cycle from egg to adult can complete in five to seven days, so populations on a bird can build within weeks. Mites concentrate around the vent, where feathers become blackened with mite debris and the skin scabbed. Off the host they survive only days to a few weeks, which limits the role of the house as a reservoir compared with red mite.
How does the northern fowl mite spread?
Introductions come with infested birds, wild birds and their nests on or in buildings, rodents, and equipment and egg flats moved between houses. Crews carry mites on clothing. Breeder flocks and caged layers are most affected; birds kept at higher densities spread mites faster. Backyard flocks are exposed through bird swaps, shows and shared equipment. Inspection of every incoming bird, and a two to four week quarantine away from the main flock, is the simplest barrier.
How do you keep northern fowl mites out of a flock?
Remove wild bird nests from buildings and screen openings; control rodents; quarantine and inspect new birds; clean and disinfect crates, egg flats and carts between houses; use dedicated clothing per house. Inspect the vent area of a sample of birds weekly, parting feathers in good light. Treatment of infested birds must use a product registered for application to poultry. Vetpure Miticide is a premise product and is not applied to birds; it can form part of the structural cleanout between flocks as its label directs.
Key takeaways
- The northern fowl mite can complete a generation in five to seven days, so populations build within weeks.
- Off the host it survives only days to a few weeks.
- Introductions come with infested birds, wild birds and their nests, rodents, equipment, egg flats and crew clothing.
- Inspecting every incoming bird and a two to four week quarantine is the simplest barrier.
- Inspect the vent area of a sample of birds weekly, parting feathers in good light.
Key facts
- Northern fowl mites live on the host continuously and can complete a generation in 5 to 7 days (Axtell and Arends 1990, Annu Rev Entomol 35:101)
- Wild birds and their nests are a recognized source of northern fowl mite introduction to poultry houses (Axtell and Arends 1990, Annu Rev Entomol 35:101)
- Pesticides applied to animals must be registered for that use and applied per label (FIFRA section 12(a)(2)(G))
How our delivery technology applies
Because this mite rarely leaves the bird, control is led by veterinary treatment of the flock. Encapsulated products contribute to cleanout of crates, equipment and house surfaces between flocks, where residual on porous surfaces helps catch mites carried in on equipment.
Questions
How do you treat northern fowl mites?
Infested birds must be treated with a product registered for application to poultry. Premise measures support that treatment: clean and disinfect crates, egg flats and carts between houses, and use dedicated clothing per house.
How is the northern fowl mite different from the red mite?
The northern fowl mite completes its whole life cycle on the bird, while the poultry red mite is a different problem. Off the host the northern fowl mite survives only days to a few weeks, which limits the house as a reservoir compared with red mite.
How do you check birds for northern fowl mites?
Inspect the vent area of a sample of birds weekly, parting the feathers in good light. Look for feathers blackened with mite debris and scabbed skin.
How long can northern fowl mites live off the bird?
Off the host they survive only days to a few weeks. That is why prevention focuses on birds, crates, equipment and people rather than on the house itself.
Tighten equipment and wild bird exclusion with our biosecurity protocols.