Knowing the difference between chicken mites and lice is essential if you want to guarantee the health of your backyard flock.

Are your chickens looking a little bit…itchy or irritated? If so, it might be time to inspect them for parasites.

Of all the ailments that can affect your favorite feathered friends, parasites are some of the most common. Unfortunately, chickens can be affected by internal parasites as well as by external parasites – also known as chicken mites and lice.

But what is the difference between chicken mites and lice? The two are quite similar, and the symptoms can be hard to differentiate. Well, chicken mites are pests that survive by feeding on your chickens’ blood, while lice feed instead on the scales, skin, and debris in the feathers of your chickens. 

There are several other important differences to be aware of when it comes to chicken mites and lice. The bottom line is that both can be incredibly annoying problems to deal with. Here’s what you need to know.

Pretty rooster standing on grass with blurred background

What is the Difference Between Chicken Mites and Lice?

Though equally annoying, there are several key differences between chicken mites and lice. Discussing the similarities first, though, can be helpful as you work toward developing appropriate treatments.

Both kinds of pests are parasites that rely upon your chickens for their survival. Lice feed on the skin scales of your chickens while mites feed on their blood. Mites can live anywhere in the coop – sometimes, they’ll lie dormant in your chicken coop and only feed at certain times. They don’t live out their full life cycle on the bodies of your chickens.

Lice, on the other hand, live their entire lives on the bodies of your chickens. 

Mites are tiny moving specks that, at first glance, look like spots of dirt. However, they are actually wingless arachnids. They are more active in the winter than in the summer. Lice are straw-colored ectoparasites that can be found at any time of the year. 

Despite these differences in habitat, both can be incredibly harmful to the health of your birds. Though they usually don’t present life-threatening symptoms, they are still parasites to be aware of. 

How Are Chicken Mites and Lice Transmitted? 

Both mites and lice are usually transmitted by other birds. This could include other chickens (particularly those that are new to the flock) as well as wild birds. From turkeys to songbirds,  all kinds of birds have the ability to spread external parasites to your chickens. They don’t have to get super close, either, so it’s important to do your best to keep your farm clean and secure to prevent the spread of diseases like these.

It’s not clear whether mites and lice can be transmitted from your chickens to other animals, like your other pets or livestock. However, if you have a parasite problem with your chickens, it might be worth your time to treat or at least inspect your other animals, too. This way, you’ll be able to head off an infestation before it becomes a major issue. 

a vet examines a chicken for mites and lice

What Are the Different Types of Chicken Mites? 

There are several kinds of chicken mites that can affect your flock. Red mites are some of the most common. These pests are usually spread from bird to bird and they hang out in the ark of your coop during the day. At night, they’ll feed voraciously on your chickens, going back into hiding as soon as day breaks. 

If termites are the culprits behind your chickens’ itchy skin, you’ll notice tiny black and red spots on the skin and feathers. These pests, despite their small size, will feed constantly on your birds and can cause your chickens to become dangerously anemic. They can also cause severe feather loss.

Another common type of chicken mite is the Northern Fowl Mite. Though less common than the red mite, it is equally destructive and spends its entire life cycle on the bodies of your chickens. It can also cause anemia which, if left untreated, can be quite dangerous. 

Scaly leg mites are also common, though generally less so than the other two species. These pests are not difficult to identify, since they infest only the legs of your birds. They will make your chickens’ legs look scabby and crusted. Left untreated, these pests can quickly migrate to the other members of your flock. We created a product to take care of this, find it here.

How Do Poultry Lice and Mites Affect My Flock?

A poultry lice or mite infestation is rarely life-threatening, but it can make your chickens seriously uncomfortable. You may notice that your chickens spend a lot more time grooming themselves, particularly around their vents or beneath their wings.

You may notice areas where feathers have completely disappeared. There could be a drop in egg production, a reluctance to use the nest boxes, weight loss, or even pale combs and wattles. Your chickens might simply appear sick, too.

Can I Get Poultry Lice From My Flock?

Fortunately, poultry lice aren’t exactly the same thing as human lice, so you don’t have to worry about “catching” them from your chickens. They do occasionally bite humans, leaving behind itchy red marks. However, they would much rather take up permanent residence in chicken feathers (rather than your skin).

To prevent being bitten accidentally, wear long gloves and long-sleeved clothing when you work in your coop or handle your chickens.

What Are the Different Types of Chicken Lice?

As with chicken mites, there are several kinds of chicken lice that can affect your birds, too. Shaft lice tend to inhabit the feather shaft of your chickens, as you might expect by the name alone. These pests are only a few millimeters in size and move quickly. 

These pests cause all kinds of problems for your chickens. They’ll be itchy, but they’ll also be more likely to engage in behaviors such as feather pecking. You may notice a listless demeanor, a decline in egg production, or even a pale comb or weight loss.

chicken dust bath to prevent chicken mites and lice

Tips for Preventing and Eliminating Chicken Mites and Lice 

Clean Everything Thoroughly

A good, thorough cleaning is both a preventative measure as well as a treatment method to help you get rid of mites and lice. If you suspect parasites – or even to prevent them – clean on a regular basis. You will want to dispose of all bedding (don’t compost it, as the mites and lice won’t necessarily be killed) and hose down every crack and crevice.

If you choose to follow up your cleaning with one of the treatment methods prescribed below, make sure you give it plenty of time to dry out before you introduce your chickens. Don’t forget to clean the “accessories” of the coop, too, like the nesting boxes and roost bars.

While you’re at it, you may want to add some nesting herbs or essential oil products to your coop. Particularly during heavy infestations of lice, mites, and even other pests, like ticks. These products and their ingredients can make a difference in improving the health of your flock.

Herbs like these can be super helpful if your chickens have suffered any blood loss or other symptoms, too!

Quarantine New Arrivals

If you’re adding new birds to the flock, make sure you keep them separate for a few days (at minimum) to make sure they possess no health problems that can affect the rest of your flock. This includes any diseases they might be carrying and, of course, mites and lice. 

The ideal quarantine period is at least two weeks, but this period of time is ultimately up to you.

Prevent Wild Bird Activity 

One of the most common ways that chicken mites and poultry lice spread to a new flock is through wild birds. If you can, take appropriate measures to prevent them from interacting with your chickens.

An easy way to keep birds (along with other poultry mite and lice spreading pests, like rodents) away from your chickens is to keep feed locked up and out of reach. Keep the coop clean and tend to nest boxes to help avoid the potential for a severe infestation.

Don’t keep your chicken feed in open containers that can be accessed by any other animal that passes through. Do your best to avoid attracting unwanted visitors in your general day-to-day chicken keeping practices and you shouldn’t have to worry about creepy crawlies, either!

Bath Time

Before you treat your chickens with any kind of dust or natural method, it’s important that you get them squeaky clean first. Let your chickens soak in a tub of lukewarm water, then gently clean them. Once they’re dry, you can apply your treatment. 

Treat Chickens With Dust

Mites are tiny blood suckers that can plague chickens and cause long lasting health issues. That’s why we’ve created our proprietary MitesBGone herbal blend!

There are other options out there for treating mites as you will see at your local farm store or online. Just remember you will likely need to treat it a couple of times, spread several days apart. This is because not all treatments are equally effective on both the adult and lice eggs stage of these pests. 

One chicken owner on BackyardChickens recommends using dust treatments as follows:

Just hand dust them as best as you can trying to keep it out of their eyes. It is very good for treatment of both lice and mites. Be sure to repeat treatment in 10 days for lice eggs, and the litter in the coop and nest boxes need to be cleaned out and disposed of or burned.

Eggcessive

If you find that your treatment of choice fails to work effectively, you may need to get in touch with your vet, who will likely prescribe you another poultry dust entirely.

Try DE

Diatomaceous earth (DE), is an effective treatment that works well as a natural insecticide against poultry mites and lice. When you apply it, you’ll need to make sure it doesn’t get wet, as it will be rendered ineffective. Food-grade diatomaceous earth is not toxic to humans or animals, as it consists simply of the ground-up exoskeletons of fossilized organisms. 

It is, however, quite damaging to most insects and parasites. When you sprinkle this in the coop or in your chickens’ dust baths, you will find that it quickly dries up the bodies of the parasites, causing them to dehydrate and die. 

A chicken keeper on BackyardChickens recommends:

Just add the DE to the place where your chickens like to dust bathe. A little goes a long way. Mix it in a little. Your chickens will dust bathe and take care of the lice themselves.

Noobchick

You can find a great herb/diatomaceous earth blend in this product. It’s great for treating heavy infestations and has all-natural ingredients, too! Use it at any signs of mites or lice for best results.

Give Chickens Dust Bathing Areas

One of the easiest ways to prevent a mice or lice infestation is to provide your chickens with ample dust bathing areas. Dust bathing is a natural behavior of chickens and it helps them prevent parasites on their own.

You can put a pan filled with dirt inside the chicken coop, or simply allow your chickens access to an area of the run that can be used as a dust bath. The clean and infested birds alike will make their own bath there! It can help slough off dead skin and relieve any skin irritation your birds might have, too.

While you’re at it, it’s a good idea to give your chickens some treats to snack on while they’re recovering from the infestation. Try a high-protein option, like these mealworms.

Summary

Regardless of whether it’s chicken mites or lice that are causing your hens (and roosters) some distress, it’s essential that you understand the difference between them to stop them in their tracks. The ability to identify the signs and symptoms of an infestation is integral since these pests can quickly drain your chickens of their health and energy. Plus, they can cause a serious decline in laying.

If parasites are giving your chickens a run for their money, consider these tips to stop them in their tracks.

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Maat van Uitert is a backyard chicken and sustainable living expert. She is also the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in it’s Amazon category.  Maat has been featured on NBC, CBS, AOL Finance, Community Chickens, the Huffington Post, Chickens magazine, Backyard Poultry, and Countryside Magazine. She lives on her farm in Southeast Missouri with her husband, two children, and about a million chickens and ducks. You can follow Maat on Facebook here and Instagram here.

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