Poultry Red Mite - COREMI European Questionnaire

Please read prior to completing the questionnaire:

Completed questionnaires will be treated confidentially, anonymity will be ensured and we will not share your farm details with any 3rd party.
Please answer all questions.
If you have multiple flocks, PLEASE SELECT THE OLDEST FLOCKon your farm and complete the questionnaire for that ONE selected flock.
Only select a flock with 1000 birds or more.

System background:
Is your production system?Free-range  Not free-range (indoors only)Other (specify)......
Do you operate?  Organically  Non-Organically
Housing system type?  Enriched cage Multi-tieraviary Single-tieraviary  Battery cage  other (specify) ......
Does your system have a: Manure belt Manure pit  Deep litter Other (specify)......
Is the hen perch structure: Hollow with open endSolid or has sealed ends  Acrevice on the underside (i.e. hollow underneath).
Does your production system have? Closed ventilation Open (natural) ventilation
[KB1]Current age of flock: ……...... weeks old
Number of birds in the flock (at start): …......
Farm location: country...... county/province......

Poultry Red Mite indicators (please answer all questions):[KB2]
Do you think this flock has red mite now? Yes  No
Have you seen red mite in this flock in the past? Yes  No
Do you think the mitecausing a reduction in egg production in this flock? Yes  No
Do you see red mites on the housing? Yes  No
Do you see red mites in cracks and crevices? Yes  No
Do you see clustered spots of red mites on the furniture? Yes  No
Do you see bloodspots or mites on eggs? Yes  No
Do you or the animal care staff complain about red mites and itching skin? Yes  No

Hygiene and red mite treatments:

Please fill in the table below answering these questions:

List all treatments/hygiene practices used on this flock a / Give the age of birds (weeks) when treatment was first used in the stocked shed. If used on unstocked shed state ‘shed empty’. / List age(s) of birds when the treatment was reapplied or state not applicable (NA) if it was not reapplied. If routine please give an indication of how often, e.g. weekly / Was the treatment applied to the whole or part of the shed? (please tick) / Did the treatment reduce red mite numbers? (please tick)
Whole / Part / Yes / No / Don’t know

aPlease list all the treatments used for shed hygiene and/or red mite control. Include all chemical pesticide treatments (e.g. phoxim, bendiocarb, amitraz, permethrin, spinosad, abamectinetc) or their brand name (e.g. Milben Ex, ByeMite, Elector, CBM8 MV, Ficam W etc), detergents, adhesives and degreasers (e.g. Smite, MiteMax, Poultry Shieldetc), hygiene treatment (e.g. manure removal, washing with water), heat/cold treatments, silica sprays or powders (e.g. Mitex), natural products (e.g. white vinegar, Breck-a-Sol), feed additives (e.g. NoReds, Zoomite) and any other treatments/hygiene practices not listed here.

Implementation of red mite control:
When do you begin treatment for red mite in stocked houses (tick all that apply)?

Before mites are seen 

When mites are first seen (low numbers) 

When mites are clearly visible(medium numbers)

When mites start to impact on production(high numbers) 

Routinely (regardless of red mite presence) 

When animal care takers start to complain 

When I feel the mites on my skin

Do you use a red mite monitoring method e.g. mite traps (ADAS/Velcro traps/PVC tubes/card board etc) to indicate the presence of red mite?

Yes  No

Costs of red mite control (please answers as many questions as possible)

How much have you spent on red mite control products so far for this flock:...... ……...... (please state currency).
How many labour hours have been spent on red mite control this last month for this flock:...... ………hours
Is egg production at the expected breed stand levels for the age of your hens:  at breed standard  below breed standard
Can you estimate the percentage reduction in egg production (if any) you think is being caused by red mite in your flock now?...... %
What are the control costs per hen for this flock so far?......

Please add any extra remarks that you think may be helpful:
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OPTIONAL personal details:

We may wish to contact you in the future to obtain a sample of mites, or to ask for further information. If you are happy to participate in follow up studies, please tick the consent box and provide your contact details below.Your contact details will be securely storedin a database that will not be shared them with any third party (e.g. commercial companies, government departments etc). If you do not give your consent for us to store your details or to contact you thenplease leave this section blank and return the form to the address below (box). Thank you for your participation.

I consent to my details being stored in a database and to be contacted by COREMI scientists in the future, please tick 

Name......

Address......

......

Town......

County......

Postcode......

Telephone number...... [KB3]

[KB1]These choices have been selected for the UK systems. You can add in another option for systems types specfic for your country if necessary.

[KB2]A points system will be used for this section, i.e. 1 point for every yes tick will give us a scale from 0 to 8. It will give an indicator of the severity of the mite infestation.

[KB3]Please alter this section for your own country and add your own detail for return for to section.