Bugs on/in poop board

[Jenilynchickmom]

Last night I saw maybe 5 or 6 tiny bugs that looked like moving poppy seeds under the poop I was scooping out of my pdz poop board. I immediately lost my damn mind and checked the bedding and nest boxes and saw nothing, I checked all 8 chickens with a flashlight in several spots (neck, butt, shoulders and under wings) and saw nothing. Is this just bugs that like poop? I immediately puts some seven dust in the pdz and sprinkled some on the bedding. I ordered Saturday lime and will deep clean as soon as it gets here but I don’t see bugs anywhere else and even later I went back to try to find more and only could find one in the pdz since there was no poop.

I am freaking out. Help!

 

[sourland]

Relax, it does not sound as if you have a significant problem, and you have properly addressed it.

 

[Jenilynchickmom]

Relax, it does not sound as if you have a significant problem, and you have properly addressed it.

that was my husbands reaction as well. I’m a first time chicken mom just this week my girls are one year old and our coop is in our garage so I’m super cautious and feeling like we missed something.

 

[aart]

Insects are everywhere, very few are threat to poultry.
Especially ones crawling in PDZ during the day.

Learn what to look for, will save you some panic energy.

Bug Check :
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

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

 

[Jenilynchickmom]

Insects are everywhere, very few are threat to poultry.
Especially ones crawling in PDZ during the day.

Learn what to look for, will save you some panic energy.

Bug Check :
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

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. This place has been so helpful in the last year. I appreciate you all!