Health note: This guide is general information, not veterinary advice, and our writers are not veterinarians. If a bird is sick, injured or not improving, contact a poultry vet, and always follow product labels and your vet's instructions for any medication. How we write health content.
To get rid of chicken mites, find out which mite you have, treat every bird and the coop with a product labeled for poultry, and repeat the treatment every 4 to 7 days, because treatments don’t kill mite eggs. Two blood-feeding mites cause most problems in backyard flocks: the northern fowl mite, which lives on the bird, and the chicken red mite, which hides in the coop and feeds at night. Each needs a slightly different approach.
Key Takeaways
- Northern fowl mites live on the bird, mostly in the vent feathers. Red mites hide in coop cracks by day and feed at night.
- Treat all birds at the same time with a product labeled for poultry, and follow the label, including any egg and meat withholding period.
- Retreat every 4 to 7 days: mite treatments don’t kill eggs. Resistance to pyrethrins and pyrethroids is widespread.
- A prescription drinking-water treatment for northern fowl mites (Exzolt) was approved for laying hens in 2025.
Not sure what you are dealing with? Use the mite and lice check below: tick what you see and it tells you which pest is most likely and what to do.
Correction: an earlier version of this article recommended essential-oil mixtures applied directly to birds, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide as mite killers, and sealing ventilation openings. None of that was supported, and it has been removed.
Know Your Mite
| Northern fowl mite | Chicken red mite (roost mite) | |
|---|---|---|
| Species | Ornithonyssus sylviarum | Dermanyssus gallinae |
| Where it lives | On the bird its whole life, mostly around the vent; eggs laid in the fluffy feathers | Off the bird, in cracks, roosts, nest boxes and droppings |
| When it feeds | Day and night | At night, on roosting birds |
| Life cycle | 5 to 12 days; survives up to 4 weeks off a bird | About 1 week; an empty house can stay infested for up to 9 months |
| What you see | Darkened, dirty-looking vent feathers; scabby skin; mites crawling onto your hands | Birds avoiding roosts or nest boxes; pale combs; specks in roost cracks at night |
Scaly leg mites are a third type that burrow under the leg scales. They need a different treatment: see our scaly leg mite guide. Heavy infestations of blood-feeding mites can cause anemia, lower egg production and kill birds, so don’t wait.
How to Check for Mites
- At night, with a flashlight, part the feathers around the vent and under the wings. Look for tiny moving specks and eggs in the feathers.
- Check the roosts and nest boxes after dark, looking in cracks and under perches for gray or red specks.
- Check several birds, not just one, and check again every few weeks.
Mite & Lice Check
Tick everything you have seen. Check the birds and the roosts after dark with a flashlight: that is when most mites are active.
| What you see | Most likely pest |
|---|---|
| Dark, dirty-looking vent feathers, scabby skin, tiny specks crawling on the bird in daylight | Northern fowl mite |
| Birds avoid the roost or nest boxes at night; gray or red specks in roost cracks after dark; pale combs | Chicken red (roost) mite |
| Raised, thick, crusty scales on the legs and feet | Scaly leg mite |
| Pale, flat insects scurrying through the feathers; egg clusters glued to the base of the feathers | Lice |
This is a guide, not a diagnosis. Use only products whose label lists poultry and follow the label, including egg and meat withholding times. Call a vet if birds are weak, very pale or dying. Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual, Extension Poultry, UC ANR.
How to Treat Mites
1. Treat Every Bird
Use a product whose label lists poultry, and follow the label exactly, including any egg and meat withholding period. Treat the whole flock at once: untreated birds will reinfest the treated ones. For northern fowl mites, make sure the product reaches the skin around the vent.
2. Treat the Coop
Remove the litter and nesting material, then treat cracks, roosts, nest boxes and other hiding places with a product labeled for poultry houses. This is essential for red mites, which spend the day off the birds.
3. Repeat
Mite treatments don’t kill the eggs, so repeat every 4 to 7 days as the label allows. Keep checking for a few weeks after you stop seeing mites.
4. If Treatments Aren’t Working
Resistance to pyrethrins and pyrethroids is widespread in northern fowl mites, so a product that worked before may not work now. Talk to a vet. In July 2025 the FDA approved Exzolt (fluralaner), a prescription treatment for northern fowl mites in laying hens and replacement chickens, given in the drinking water as two doses 7 days apart. Don’t use livestock or pet ivermectin on your hens: it isn’t approved for chickens in the US, and residues have been found in eggs for up to 71 days.
What About Natural Remedies?
- Diatomaceous earth (DE): the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that food-grade DE in dust-bath boxes can help. It works by drying out the mites, but it works less well in humid coops and varies from batch to batch. Apply it in a well-ventilated area and wear a dust mask.
- Essential oils, vinegar and peroxide: none has been shown to control mite infestations in real flocks. Don’t apply essential oils directly to birds.
Preventing Mites
- Isolate new birds for at least 30 days, and check them for mites before they join the flock.
- Keep wild birds and rodents out of the coop; they can bring mites in.
- Keep a dust-bathing area, and keep the coop clean and free of clutter.
- Check birds and roosts regularly, especially in warm weather.
Free tools
- Molt Tracker: see which molt stage your hen is in
FAQs
Can chicken mites bite humans?
Yes. Northern fowl mites and red mites bite people but don’t infest them. See what’s biting you after handling chickens.
Can I eat eggs while treating for mites?
It depends on the product. Check the label for an egg withholding period and follow it. If there is no poultry label, ask your vet.
How long does it take to get rid of mites?
Expect at least two or three treatments 4 to 7 days apart, followed by a few weeks of checks. Red mites can survive for months in an empty coop, so treat the coop thoroughly.
Does vinegar kill chicken mites?
There is no good evidence that it does. See will vinegar kill mites on chickens.
Conclusion
Identify the mite, treat every bird and the coop with a poultry-labeled product, repeat every 4 to 7 days, and keep checking. If mites keep coming back, ask your vet about resistance and prescription options.
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Mites of Poultry
- Extension Foundation (poultry.extension.org): External Parasites of Poultry
- UC ANR Pests in the Urban Landscape: Pests of Backyard Poultry
- Experimental and Applied Acarology (2020): Management of the poultry red mite using silica-based acaricides
- FDA: First oral product approved for northern fowl mites in laying hens (Exzolt, 2025)
- USDA APHIS NAHMS: Backyard Poultry Biosecurity info sheet (2024)
Checked September 2026. Labels change, so always read the label on the product you buy. See our editorial policy for how we research health articles.
