Are these mites or lice?

[Isadora]

But I'm gearing myself up to go down and somehow turn them upside down to look.

It doesn't need to be this complicated. If you pick up one of the girls and hold her under your arm so her tail is at the front, you can gently tip her and part the feathers with your free hand to check for egg clumps.
But if your rooster is aggressive, definitely don't do this in the pen where he could get you.

 

[Frazzled chicken tender]

It doesn't need to be this complicated. If you pick up one of the girls and hold her under your arm so her tail is at the front, you can gently tip her and part the feathers with your free hand to check for egg clumps.
But if your rooster is aggressive, definitely don't do this in the pen where he could get you.

Thank you! That sounds doable. I don't handle the hens that much. They never seemed to like it, and then when the rooster got older, he started attacking when i would try to. I go out daily, feed them treats, clean the coop and water, and enjoy watching them. I know I need to start handling them, if only for health checks!

 

[Isadora]

Thank you! That sounds doable. I don't handle the hens that much. They never seemed to like it, and then when the rooster got older, he started attacking when i would try to. I go out daily, feed them treats, clean the coop and water, and enjoy watching them. I know I need to start handling them, if only for health checks!

I don't handle mine that much, but my daughters both love to hold them so good thing I have them

 

[CaretakerCarol]

fyi... mites are microscopic in size and can only be viewed under a microscope. if you can see them, they be lice

 

[Bertram]

fyi... mites are microscopic in size and can only be viewed under a microscope. if you can see them, they be lice

My birds get red mites sometimes so you can see them, they just look like little red specks.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

fyi... mites are microscopic in size and can only be viewed under a microscope. if you can see them, they be lice

There are thousands of species of mites.. only depluming mites are microscopic relative to poultry keeping.

Red "roost" mites (don't live on the birds but only come out to feed on them at night) and northern fowl mites are easily seen with the naked eye.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I had to zoom in and lighten the pics.....I don't think these bugs are either lice or mites.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[aart]

I wonder if some kind of beetle infestation.

There are all kinds of insects in the world, just because they are found in a chicken coop doesn't mean they will hurt the birds.
With warmer temps coming on they are hatching, often a bunch of insects just 'bloomed' don't last long...many only have a life cycle of a few days..
So no need to spray poison on your birds but might want to change out your nest bedding.

I examine my birds off the roost at night, after acclimating them to being touched at that time. I wear a dimmable tiltable headlight.

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[Frazzled chicken tender]

There are all kinds of insects in the world, just because they are found in a chicken coop doesn't mean they will hurt the birds.
With warmer temps coming on they are hatching, often a bunch of insects just 'bloomed' don't last long...many only have a life cycle of a few days..
So no need to spray poison on your birds but might want to change out your nest bedding.

I examine my birds off the roost at night, after acclimating them to being touched at that time. I wear a dimmable tiltable headlight.

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

Thank you so much for the helpful info. I'll wait til tonight to inspect them. I ordered elector (small bottle) from the website you linked. It will be good to have on hand anyway, even if this isn't a lice or mite infestation.

 

[Frazzled chicken tender]

fyi... mites are microscopic in size and can only be viewed under a microscope. if you can see them, they be lice

I didnt know that, thank you! So this is lice, or possibly some other type of insect.