Uh, oh! Roo I dispatched last night had mites

[2pinkmom]

I butchered two young mixed breed Roos last night. Didn't want extra mouths to feed with the winter coming on, and they were beginning to get into things and be pests. I got most of the way through plucking one roo when I noticed tickling on my arm. I looked down and saw some tiny, light brown bugs that I assume were mites. There were also some crawling on the almost-finished carcass. Fortunately,, there weren't any on the bird my 12 year old stepson was working on. I rinsed my arms off well, and rinsed the bird off. Didn't see anything else after that. But I still put oil on my arms and took a really good shower after I got in!

I'm assuming that while they're creepy crawly, mites aren't an issue as long as the carcass is washed thoroughly? I hate to waste the meat. I've never encountered this before. I guess because CX's don't have a lot of feathers or just aren't around long enough to get mites

 

[Tracydr]

If you freeze them, it will kill all the mites. Did you have them near your layers? I would treat my laying hens, if it were me. Mites can get bad enough to kill your hens from anemia.
Sevin dust or permethrin, will work. Need to dust the coop and clean, as well. In fact, coop cleaning and dusting is the most important part.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Actually, it sounds like lice. Very common problem as wild birds tend to bring them with when they come for a snack or drink and often leave a couple behind who find our chickens.

Will not hurt the meat you are planning on eating, but can hurt your living chickens. You will want to dust them with lice powder or Sevin dust and then do it again in 7-10 days to kill of all nits who have hatched. I dust about 4 times a year, do to the wild bird draw I have created here in the desert (open water sources plus chicken feed

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Here is a great fact sheet - and even some pictures - with talk about lice and mites. http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf