Red Mites
Red mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) are blood-feeding ectoparasites that live in small cracks inside poultry houses, coming out at night for a blood-feed from chickens and turkeys during the warmer months. They are difficult to eradicate and have significant welfare and egg production implications in commercial and backyard flocks.
Red mites are not species-specific and will feed from any type of bird, although ducks and geese are not normally affected because they do not roost and are relatively active, moving around their house at night. These tiny mites (about the size of a pin-head) can go quietly unnoticed until environmental conditions allow them to reproduce at an extraordinary rate. Under ideal conditions, typically between late spring and late Autumn, a female mite can lay 8 eggs that can become reproductively active adults within 7-14 days! They cannot complete their lifecycle at temperatures below 9 degrees and exposure to freezing temperatures will kill them, but regular monitoring is essential during the warmer months.
This parasite is something you only ever control, not eradicate.
This parasite is something you only ever control (not eradicate), as they can travel large distances via wild birds and clothing, and will constantly be reintroduced. Resting your coops is unlikely to work, either, as the bugs can easily last 6-8 months without a feed. Avoid having coops with areas such as floors or double-layered walls or ceilings that you can’t access to spray, as these are perfect hiding places. Avoid permanent fixtures - instead try to set up roosts and nesting areas that can be removed for cleaning. Regular cleaning of nesting or bedding material, and removal of faecal material will all help with control.
Treatment of the coop surface with permethrin, Banshee’s certified organic spray or Miss Muffet’s Revenge by Wet and Forget, after a proper clean out, help deter mites returning. An organic control method being trialled overseas is using predatory mites that feed on the red mites.
Rangiora Vet Centre recommends the use of EXZOLT (see below) on the birds, which can help reduce infestations quickly and safely, but it’s also important to alternate products to avoid resistance.
EXZOLT Red mite treatment for poultry
It is great that Exzolt is helping so many people deal with this potentially deadly and often frustrating parasite.
It’s really important we all follow some basic rules when using this product to maintain its effectiveness for as long as possible. Resistance WILL eventually happen, but when it occurs will come down to those using it. It’s a tool, and like any tool the better you look after it the longer it will work for you.
Below are the really important parts to remember. Please read thoroughly and let us know if you have any questions. These 4 rules will help keep this product effective for everyone decades to come!
ALWAYS DO TWO TREATMENTS
– 7 days apart
The second dose is used to get any mites that have hatched after the first treatment. This ensures they are exposed to a fully effective dose and prevents the laying of further eggs and thus breaking the lifecycle.
95% of mites may be killed with the first treatment but the remaining 5% have the ability to develop resistance as the levels in the blood of the bird drop below effective levels, hence the second treatment.
DON’T RELY ON EXZOLT ALONE
No product is 100% effective either due to natural resistance through genetic variation or resistance through the improper use of this product.
Please make sure you use at least one other method of control, ideally something that kills via a different method e.g. predator mites, or a coop treatment that kills on contact or a repellent effect.
GET AN ACCURATE LIVE WEIGHT
– as accurate as possible
This product is dosed to weight so to ensure they all receive an adequate dose, we need to know the total live weight as accurately as possible. Weigh a sample of your birds and use these to calculate the total. The following is a guide to help:
Small Birds/Bantams: 0.5-1.1kg
Light Breeds/Shavers: 1.5-2.5kg
Heavy Breeds: 3-5kg
DON’T UNDER DOSE
Under dosing is the leading cause of creating resistance. If in doubt, round your weight estimate up. This product is incredibly safe. Safety studies have shown no ill effects to birds when dosed up to 5x the recommended dose for 5 treatments 7 days apart.
FACTS
Active Ingredient: FLURALANER
Dose: 0.05ml/kg
Administration: ORAL
Peak Kill Time: 48-72 hours after administration
Residual Effect: up to 15 days after second treatments
Egg withhold: NIL
Meat withhold: 10 days
Safe to use in breeding birds: YES
Safe to use in young birds: YES. Dose accordingly, weigh the whole group if they’re too small to register on your scales.
Safe for other species: A paper discussed its use in poultry with their definition of poultry including species such as ducks and turkeys. No specific data found so any concerns please discuss it with us.
ADMINISTRATION
It is recommended to dose all birds through a water source.
You want them to ideally consume this within 2-4 hours.
Here’s some tips on doing this:
Ideally have a place you can confine your birds and control access to water sources.
Remove all water sources 2 hours before sundown the day before you start treatment.
Feed out dry feed only in the morning.
Add the first exzolt dose to a water source containing a max of 25ml/bird. Leave out until consumed then replace with fresh water and offer this as normal.
Repeat process in seven days.
Try to avoid doing treatments when really cold or raining.
If you choose to dose each bird directly:
Pull up each individual dose (0.05ml/kg) into a syringe and then draw up a further 0.5-1ml of water.
Gently mix by inverting the syringe and dispense into the birds beak (careful not to cause aspiration) or apply to a bit of bread.
We are always happy to help and answer any questions when available.
Look after the product and it will look after you!