Uh oh! I have tiny little black specs that are moving.........

[The Wild Hen]

I have two mamas that are currently broody in two separate nest boxes. They've been sitting almost two weeks. Tonight upon assisting them to the watering hole and such I noticed on one of the collections of eggs I could see little, tiny, and I mean tiny, almost microscopic black specks moving around all over her eggs. All 6 eggs. When mama came back I took a peek in her feathers and she has them in there too what in the world kind of bug could be alive in the most northern part of Iowa where it's like 0 degrees on a good day??? Any ideas? My chickens have access to a dust bathing area in their coop where there is a combination of dird, DE and fireplace ash AND they are free to come and go as they please to free range. Yes even in the cold, though they do less of it on the bitter days. The only thing I will say is she probably isn't partaking in the dust bathing or the free ranging much as she's steadfast in her egg sitting. Then my other thought is, uh oh, when they hatch will all the chicks have the moving specs too? Oh this sounds like a vicious cycle. I'm all ears. TIA

 

[azygous]

Good thing you noticed the bugs before the eggs hatch and they infest the chicks, too.

They wouldn't be on your hens if they were harmless. Bugs are attracted to the host they were designed by nature to make miserable. I am not able to identify them for you, but I can tell you a very easy way to get rid of them.

Go to the feed store and look either in the garden section or in the meds section and look for Permethrin Poultry Dusting Powder. It's safe for chickens.

Then take your hens off the nest and dust them thoroughly with the powder. Next, dust the nests. It's important that you do a second treatment two days before you expect the eggs to begin hatching, hens and nests. This way any of the bug eggs that have hatched will be killed before the chicks emerge. The permethrin is safe for chicks, too, so be thorough about dusting the nests.

You will need to watch closely to see if the bugs appear again. Be ready to dust everyone again if that happens.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have two mamas that are currently broody in two separate nest boxes. They've been sitting almost two weeks. Tonight upon assisting them to the watering hole and such I noticed on one of the collections of eggs I could see little, tiny, and I mean tiny, almost microscopic black specks moving around all over her eggs. All 6 eggs. When mama came back I took a peek in her feathers and she has them in there too what in the world kind of bug could be alive in the most northern part of Iowa where it's like 0 degrees on a good day??? Any ideas? My chickens have access to a dust bathing area in their coop where there is a combination of dird, DE and fireplace ash AND they are free to come and go as they please to free range. Yes even in the cold, though they do less of it on the bitter days. The only thing I will say is she probably isn't partaking in the dust bathing or the free ranging much as she's steadfast in her egg sitting. Then my other thought is, uh oh, when they hatch will all the chicks have the moving specs too? Oh this sounds like a vicious cycle. I'm all ears. TIA

Welcome To BYC!
Could be mites or lice depending on what they look like - the link below has some pretty good photos.
Yes, I would definitely worry not only for the health of the broody hens, but for the chicks that hatch out.
It would be a very good idea to go ahead and treat the hens with a Permethrin based poultry dust (dust is better due to your current temperatures, I would not use a spray on the hens because you don't want them damp).
This may be tricky because you will need to clean out the nesting boxes, treat them too, put in new bedding. You will need to be careful moving Moms and eggs, so you don't break broodiness or eggs.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[dawg53]

They are definitely mites. They will take a chicken down quickly if not treated promptly. Permethrin dust will take care of them as stated by Azygous and Wyorp Rock.

 

[Eggcessive]

Very good advice from all so far. What type of bedding do you use? Many people bring in mites that are hiding in straw. Mites can be hard to get rid of since some hide inside cracks and crevices of the coop. Some only come on the chickens at night, while one type stays on the 24/7. Mites lay egg sthat hatch every 5-7 days, so repeating the permethrin dust every 7 days will kill newly hatched mites before they have time to reproduce. In warmer weather, and for treating the coop and facilities, permethrin 10 concentrate and Elector PSP are very good to use for treating the coop yearround, and for treating chickens in warm weather.