are vent mites deadly?

[froggyphore]

one of my girls had a dirty butt so i gave her a bath. i checked her vent afterwards and noticed a few tiny (smaller than a poppy seed) dark gray bugs scurrying around, about 50-70 of them. her vent and surrounding skin and feathers don’t look irritated. i don’t see any eggs or poop. i haven’t checked the rest of the flock yet. i’m just worried because i can’t find any info on how dangerous they are, should i get meds asap? or will they be fine? tyia

 

[10HensandaRoo]

one of my girls had a dirty butt so i gave her a bath. i checked her vent afterwards and noticed a few tiny (smaller than a poppy seed) dark gray bugs scurrying around, about 50-70 of them. her vent and surrounding skin and feathers don’t look irritated. i don’t see any eggs or poop. i haven’t checked the rest of the flock yet. i’m just worried because i can’t find any info on how dangerous they are, should i get meds asap? or will they be fine? tyia

Well. Mites can be deadly. But if you catch it in time there are simple fixes. Try tossing some diotemateus earth in the run and coop. It will kill any parasites or bugs instantly. I dump some in at least once every week or every other week. Also, try and feed some cilantro to your chicken. It's rich in vitamins especially C. Which will help fortify her immune system. Keep an eye on her and make sure she is eating, drinking, etc. Good luck!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

one of my girls had a dirty butt so i gave her a bath. i checked her vent afterwards and noticed a few tiny (smaller than a poppy seed) dark gray bugs scurrying around, about 50-70 of them. her vent and surrounding skin and feathers don’t look irritated. i don’t see any eggs or poop. i haven’t checked the rest of the flock yet. i’m just worried because i can’t find any info on how dangerous they are, should i get meds asap? or will they be fine? tyia

Did you try the DE as suggested, and what hss been the result? Are the mites gone? How is your chicken now, did the dirty bottom clear up?

 

[froggyphore]

Did you try the DE as suggested, and what hss been the result? Are the mites gone? How is your chicken now, did the dirty bottom clear up?

i couldn’t find any unfortunately, only two farm supply stores near me and delivery trucks have a hard time finding my house. i slathered vaseline over the whole area and then gave her a second bath and butt trim a few days after. checked her every few days for 3 weeks and never saw another mite. i posted another thread asking if anyone had success with this, but everyone said i would still need DE and anti-parasitics, though i honestly have not seen a single mite on anyone since then. i think they were only able to live there bc her rear had been dirty for a bit, but after i cleaned her she could properly dust bathe the area. i’m gonna see if i can get some DE and over the counter meds delivered to a friends, its annoying not having all this stuff lol.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

i couldn’t find any unfortunately, only two farm supply stores near me and delivery trucks have a hard time finding my house. i slathered vaseline over the whole area and then gave her a second bath and butt trim a few days after. checked her every few days for 3 weeks and never saw another mite. i posted another thread asking if anyone had success with this, but everyone said i would still need DE and anti-parasitics, though i honestly have not seen a single mite on anyone since then. i think they were only able to live there bc her rear had been dirty for a bit, but after i cleaned her she could properly dust bathe the area. i’m gonna see if i can get some DE and over the counter meds delivered to a friends, its annoying not having all this stuff lol.

Don't worry too much about the DE. Its efficacy is very controversial and, while many people swear by it, probably an equal number will tell you it's a waste of money. For lice use a product with Permetherin in it, it actually works. Sounds like the cleansing and dust bathing helped a lot. I'm glad to hear she's doing better.