Bird bugs!

[SillyChicky]

I was remembering these bugs my birds got once, they were light brown and about 1 1/2 mm long and had a hard flat back kinda like a beetle. I was holding my sick hen and they jumped into my hair, I kinda freaked out and jumped in the shower. They were easy to wash out of my hair but then I wouldn't hold my girls after that. Come winter time they seemed to go away cause I could handle them without getting infested and they weren't preening (erm bug picking) very much.

What the heck were those icky bugs? Is there something I can use on them in case my current birds get infested? Some kinda delousing agent?

 

[Imp]

Sounds like fowl mites

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

You can use Sevin 5% or poultry dust to get rid of them.
Wood ash, DE. dustbathing can help as a preventative.

Imp- Good luck

 

[SillyChicky]

Thanks Imp I'll stock up on that stuff for sure. Nothing like feeling all creeped out and itchy after petting your birds lol.

 

[Sgtfirstwife]

I just found mites on one of my chicks. Now I have to dust close to 60 birds, oh yeah. Probably my own fault or not keeping my nesting boxes cleaner and sprinkled with DE. By the way I read on Facebook that Sevin Dust is harmful for bees. So if you raise bees you may want to check into this. How well does DE work for killing mites? Also you can you herbs to keep your nesting boxes clear of bugs. I may give this a try.