A new method using quail (Coturnix coturnix) as a suitable host for laboratory rearing of Dermanyssus gallinae

The poultry red mite (PRM) is a detrimental blood-feeding ectoparasite infesting poultry and sylvatic birds. A traditional rearing system of PRMs was usually established by using chickens as the host. However, the system with chickens had some defects, such as high feed consumption, large amount of feces, high cost, and intensive labor. In present study, we used quails as the host to rear mites, and compared the reproductive efficiency of this new system with that of the chicken system. The results showed that the number of mites increased 96-fold and the number of eggs increased 50-fold after four weeks in the quail system, which were significantly higher than those in the system with chickens. The survival rates of mites in both systems were higher than 95%, and the value in the quail system at the fourth week was significantly better than that of the chicken system. The statistical results of feed consumption, live weight, and daily excrement of chickens and quails showed that the quail system was more stable with less feed consumption and less waste excretion than the chicken system. Comparing the number of eggs laid by each female mite, hatching rates and molting rates in both systems, we can conclude that the breeding system, in which quails replaced chickens as hosts, had no effect on the fecundity of D. gallinae. In conclusion, the new system established using quails as the host, is a highly efficient alternative for largely rearing of mites under laboratory conditions.