Poultry Health Care in the Organic System - Humane and Healthy Poultry Production - page 41

Progression —live primarily off the bird on roosts or nest boxes; reproduce very quickly.
Symptoms —infestation causes irritation, low vitality, plumage damage, increased appetite
along with low egg production, reduced fertility, retarded growth in young birds, and some-
times anemia and death.
Percentage affected —80 to 100 percent.
Mortality —limited except in very young birds.
Transmission —may live for several months off the bird; spread by contaminated equip-
ment, shoes, or clothing; also spread by wild birds.
Prevention —maintain robust immunity and vigorous health in the flock; provide dust
baths; do not debeak since debeaked birds cannot properly groom themselves and remove
mites; lime runs and houses yearly; keep wild birds out of houses; inspect birds and roosts fre-
quently, paint roosts and nest boxes with mineral oil.
Alternative treatments —provide dust baths with some or all of the following ingredients:
DE, wood ash, lime, sulfur, derris powder, quassia chip powder, or powdered charcoal; place
elecampane or fleabane in nest boxes; dust individual birds with pyrethrin powder; feed garlic;
use Bacillus thuringiensis , predatory mites, or an application of silica dust; encourage Coleop-
tera beetles to live in poultry house.