mites

I was cleaning out my hens the other day and took their waterproof cover off to find lots of mites,two of my hens are loosing there feathers so I have treated all my hens and moved them into a new coop . My concern is I have very itchy arms can this be the mites every time I cleaned out the hens, went to the gp but they don't know why I'm itching so much got cream but still itching lots, can any one help.

Tricia1272 said:

I was cleaning out my hens the other day and took their waterproof cover off to find lots of mites,two of my hens are loosing there feathers so I have treated all my hens and moved them into a new coop . My concern is I have very itchy arms can this be the mites every time I cleaned out the hens, went to the gp but they don't know why I'm itching so much got cream but still itching lots, can any one help.

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Welcome to BYC

I'm sorry you are having trouble.

It depends on the type of mites/lice that you are dealing with. Some will bite humans and cause an itchy rash/allergic reaction.
Since you visited your GP for help and the problem has not resolved, you may want to contact them for follow-up care. A visit to a Dermatologist may be helpful, they can perform testing to help determine the cause and possibly prescribe a more effective treatment.

Some things you may want to do is re-treat your flock to ensure the mites/lice are taken care of - re-treating the coop/run and chickens 7days after initial treatment is usually best, this way you get any that have hatched from eggs that may have been missed.

If you aren't doing so, consider wearing a long sleeve shirt when treating/cleaning and handling your birds and removing the clothes you are wearing and launder them (hot water) immediately after your done. Also on a side note, a respiratory mask will be helpful when cleaning as well - just for your general health - you don't need to be inhaling all the dust/dander, etc., associated with chickens.

Something else to consider is your having an allergic reaction to whatever you used to eliminate the mites/lice (Pyrethrin, Poultry Dust, etc.) you may have a chemical sensitivity.

I know it can be nerve racking and I sympathize with you. I personally have some skin sensitivities that suddenly developed over the years as I age - a break out of hives/rash can seem to take weeks to start to clear up and it is hard to sometimes find relief. Contact your GP for tips, but a few things I have found is keep your bath/shower water temperature cooler, heat makes itching worse. I also switch to a very mild / hypoallergenic soap, something with no perfumes/dyes and the least amount of "chemicals" I can find. Also using a laundry detergent for skin sensitive helps to. Evaluate your body lotions and perfumes - go without those for a few days if you can. Once the hives/rash starts - it seems like everything irritates it.

I hope you get better soon.

Here's some info on mites/lice found on poultry:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/poultry/ectoparasites/mites_of_poultry.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

Thanks very much for all the info, I found this very helpful and I am doing what you have advised. Who needs a GP hahaha....