There are several species of lice and mites that occasionally are serious pests of poultry. These include the brown chicken louse, the chicken body louse and, less often, the large chicken louse, shaft louse, head louse and fluff louse. Poultry lice are not blood feeders, they chew dry skin scales and feathers. The feeding and movement of the lice on the chicken produces enough irritation to cause appetite loss and, subsequently, reduced production and increased susceptibility to diseases. The most common mites are the chicken mite, Northern fowl mite and scaly-leg mite.
Most chicken mites feed at night and spend the day in cracks around roosts, nests and walls.
The Northern fowl mites remain on the bird. If left untreated, these mites increase to the point of reduced production by the birds and an increase in mortality, either directly or from increased susceptibility to diseases. Bedbugs may be pests of poultry, and workers accidentally may carry them to their homes where they become a pest of humans. Bedbugs also feed at night and hide during the day in insulation, wall cracks, loose boards, nests or other dark areas. The section on house and stable fly control in and near livestock facilities is appropriate for poultry facilities, as well.