Chickens stopped laying

[marianne7]

Don't laugh... Should I be able to see the mites on my birds? If not how can I determine if they have mites?

Trust me, you will see them, they are only tiny but you will see them on your birds, and in the coop.....

 

[aoxa]

Trust me, you will see them, they are only tiny but you will see them on your birds, and in the coop.....

Not always. Mites don't live on the chicken, but rather come out at night. You should see them when it's dark out. Go out to the coop with a flashlight and check their vent area. That is the blood sucking place of choice. The Northern Fowl Mite is the mite that lives on the chicken. Not as common as the typical mite you are thinking of.

Lice will be easy to spot. They will leave their eggs in little pouches - I find it's mostly around the beard. Lice are easy to get rid of with Sevin and a clean coop. My birds typically keep the parasites at bay by self lousing in their dirt baths.

Sevin also treats mites. I have never had mites, so I am only speaking from what the packaging says.

 

[dawg53]

Some mites can and do live on chickens. Here's a link:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

 

[aoxa]

Some mites can and do live on chickens. Here's a link:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

That's what I said. The northern Fowl Mite lives on the host.

The Common Red Mite does not.

Common Red Chicken Mite
The common red mite (Figure 5) is found on domestic fowl throughout the world, parasitizing chickens, turkeys, pigeons, wild birds and occasionally man. Older fowl exhibit similar symptoms of infestation as those parasitized by northern fowl mite. Young chickens will usually die when attacked by this mite. The red mite also serves as the vector for avian spirochetes.

Figure 5. Red chicken mite.
Credits: J. F. Butler, University of Florida
The red mite hides in cracks and crevices during the day and crawls onto the host at night for a blood meal. The life cycle is similar to the northern fowl mite and also can be completed in as little as 7 days. Premise treatment as well as bird treatment aids in the control of this mite since much of its life is spent off the host.

 

[Derekwit]

I checked I do not see any mites. They seem to been fine by appearence but only getting 3-4 eggs a day compared to 28-34 last week. They do not seem to be lethargic or inactive. Puzzled...

 

[aoxa]

I checked I do not see any mites.  They seem to been fine by appearence but only getting 3-4 eggs a day compared to 28-34 last week.  They do not seem to be lethargic or inactive.  Puzzled...

How is the weather there?

 

[BethChick78]

Are they starting to moult? My egg production dropped right off once the first few showed the first signs on their moult. They were around the same age!

 

[Derekwit]

Mid 80's and humid. Typical Georgia weather but we have had an extremly hot summer and they laid all summer.

 

[aoxa]

Mid 80's and humid.  Typical Georgia weather but we have had an extremly hot summer and they laid all summer.

Change in weather can throw them off. Molt can start any time now.

Since there are no mites/lice, what about their droppings. What do they look like?

 

[marianne7]

Could they be laying eggs in another place ?