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Chicken Mite

Dermanyssus gallinae[3]

The chicken mite (poultry red mite) is a tiny blood-feeding mite that hides in cracks, nests and litter by day and feeds on chickens and wild birds at night; mites from coops or bird nests can crawl onto people and bite.[1][2]

Group
Arachnid
Order
Mesostigmata
Family
Dermanyssidae
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Blood-fed chicken mite seen under a microscope
Blood-fed chicken mite seen under a microscope. Dermanyssus gallinae, microscopic view by Sylvain Larrat — via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are about 1 mm long, about the size of a period on a typed page.[1][2]
  • They look black, gray, white or yellow when unfed and bright red after a blood meal.[1][2]
  • Larvae have six legs; nymphs and adults have eight.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Northern fowl miteLooks alike, but spends its whole life on the bird, while chicken mites leave the host to hide.[1][2]
Bird and rodent mitesOther biting mites that move from nests into homes.[2]

Where it lives

Worldwide, including the United States, where it is found more often in breeder flocks than in caged layers; most common in Europe.[1]

Biology and life cycle

Mites feed at night every two to four days for up to an hour, then hide in nests, cracks, crevices and litter, where they lay eggs.[1][2]

The life cycle can be completed in as few as seven days.[1]

They feed on at least 30 bird species, including pigeons, sparrows and starlings, and also on rodents, horses and people.[1][2]

Sources differ on survival without a host: UF/IFAS reports up to eight months for older stages, and Utah State up to a month.[1][2]

Damage and signs

  • Infested flocks may show anemia, stress, disturbed sleep and feather pecking, with feeding lesions on the breast and legs.[1]
  • Mites spread on people, equipment and birds from infested areas.[2]

Health risk

When birds leave or nests are removed, mites can move into houses and bite people, causing irritation and itching; the mite is also linked to spreading several poultry diseases.[1][2]

Control

Keep them out

Remove wild bird nests from buildings by bagging them, clean where the nest sat, seal cracks, and control rodents and wild birds.[2]

Sanitation

Clean coops, roosts and nests thoroughly; removing the birds for a while won't eliminate mites, which survive long without feeding.[1]

In infested homes, hot-wash and hot-dry bedding and clothing left on floors.[2]

Traps and physical control

In Norway, poultry houses are heated to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) to kill the mites.[1]

Pesticides

Labeled dusts such as silica aerogel can treat cracks and crevices indoors; poultry treatments are limited by regulation and some mite populations resist acaricides.[1][2]

Common questions

Why do my chickens look pale and stop laying well?
Heavy chicken mite infestations can cause anemia and stress; check coop crevices and the birds at night.[1]
Can chicken mites bite people?
Yes, especially when they leave coops or bird nests.[1][2]
When should I look for them?
At night, when they feed; by day they hide in cracks and nests.[1][2]

Sources

  1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS, Featured Creatures), “Chicken Mite (Poultry Red Mite, Roost Mite), Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer) (EENY-611).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1070 (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. Utah State University Extension (Integrated Pest Management), “Bird Mites: Dermanyssus gallinae; Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Structural and Nuisance Pests).” extension.usu.edu/planthealth/ipm/notes_nuisance/bird-mites.php (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. iNaturalist, “Dermanyssus gallinae taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/263331 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.