🐔🕷️ Vs 🐔🪳 Red Mites or Lice? Spotting the Difference in Chickens

If your hens are itchy, restless, or looking a little scruffy, you might be dealing with some unwanted freeloaders. Two of the most common pests in the chicken world are red mites and lice. But here’s the kicker—they’re not the same thing! In fact, they behave very differently, and knowing which one you’re up against is the first step to kicking them out of your coop.

Let’s break it down 👇

🔴 Red Mites: The Sneaky Night-Crawlers

• Where they live: Not on your chickens (at least not during the day). Red mites hide in cracks, perches, and nest boxes, then creep out at night to feast on your hens like tiny vampires.

• What they look like: Grey when hungry, but turn reddish after a blood meal. Very tiny, but if you lift up perch ends or check crevices, you may see clusters of them.

• Signs to look for:

  • Chickens reluctant to go into the coop at night

  • Pale combs and wattles from blood loss

  • Decreased egg laying

  • You (yes, you!) may feel itchy after handling coop equipment

• Biggest problem: They multiply FAST—so a small infestation can explode into thousands almost overnight.

🪶 Lice: The Feather Hitchhikers

• Where they live: Directly on your chickens, living their best life between feathers and near the skin.

• What they look like: Straw-coloured, fast-moving bugs you can actually see crawling on your hen if you part her feathers. They also leave tell-tale “egg clusters” at the base of feathers.

• Signs to look for:

  • Constant preening and feather pecking

  • Broken or patchy feathers

  • Irritated, scaly-looking skin

• Biggest problem: While they don’t suck blood like mites, they cause constant irritation, which stresses your hens out and lowers egg production.

🛠️ How to Tackle Them

• For Red Mites: Focus on the coop! Clean thoroughly, treat cracks and perches with a mite treatment or powder, and repeat regularly. Think of it as declaring war on their hideout.

• For Lice: Treat the birds directly with poultry-safe lice powders or sprays, and repeat until the life cycle is broken. Don’t forget to check the rest of the flock!

🐓 Final Cluck

Red mites = sneaky vampires hiding in your coop.
Lice = irritating freeloaders living on your hens.

Both can make your chickens miserable, but once you know which one you’re facing, you can swoop in with the right treatment. A little vigilance goes a long way to keeping your flock happy, healthy, and bug-free!