Chiggers
From Omlet Club Wiki
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[edit] Introduction
Chiggers form clusters on the skin around the wings, neck, and breast of poultry and inject a substance that causes an allergic reactions to the skin . The young chiggers in the larval stages are the ones that will do most of the do most of the biting. They are 0.16mm in diameter, yellow-orange in colour, and have 6 legs. Adult chiggers have a very feathery hair coat that gives them an appearance of velvet. They are bright red in color and can grow to 1 to 2mm in length. The lifecycle for a chigger is 50 days. These chiggers are the same chigger pests that can affect humans and cause similar problems. Chiggers are mostly seen as a problem in poultry that are kept on pasture.
[edit] Symptoms
Poultry that are infested with chiggers are very droopy and emaciated. They may have abscesses and extensive skin inflammation. It takes birds at least three weeks to heal after a chigger problem. Chiggers cause red scabby lesions on the carcass. In severe cases, death may result due to secondary bacterial infections.
[edit] Treatment
Infested birds should be treated with a kitten-strength dose of a pyrethrin-based spray and removed from the infested land.
