chicken-tick

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun Dermanyssus gallinæ, a mite of the family Dermanyssidæ, a most pernicious pest of the hennery, which gathers on the fowls at night and sucks their blood. Sometimes they infest human beings, causing acariasis. Also called chicken-mite.
• noun An ixodid mite, Argas miniata (americana Pack.) which does great damage among poultry, especially in the Southern States, where it ranges from Texas to California. Infested chickens droop, refuse to eat, and finally drop and die.