Agricultural bulletins advise farmers who think their flock may have mites to take several chickens to the veterinarian.

This is because there is a big variation in the level of infestation of different individuals.

Mites tend to cluster on one bird in a flock and bleed it to the point where it is a stationary meal.

There is no reason mites infesting a human family would behave differently than they do when they choose a favorite chicken.