Do my chickens have mites!

[SaltwaterChickInn]

My chickens have bare patches of missing feathers and keep scratching and pruning…I have examined them a few times but don’t see anything at all on them! What could this be It’s as though they have invisible bugs. Please help!

 

[swamphiker]

Mites are very small and can be difficult to spot unless a chicken has a lot of them, but they tend to congregate around the vent area. Some amount of preening and scratching is normal, but it's worth checking your chickens for mites if they are preening more than usual. Missing feathers is likely to be due to something else, such as feather picking between flock mates or molting. Here is a good resource on mites in chickens: https://poultrydvm.com/condition/northern-fowl-mites

 

[aart]

Here's some tips about how to check 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.

Look fast, they will scatter quickly once the feathers are parted and the light hits them.

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

 

[SaltwaterChickInn]

Mites are very small and can be difficult to spot unless a chicken has a lot of them, but they tend to congregate around the vent area. Some amount of preening and scratching is normal, but it's worth checking your chickens for mites if they are preening more than usual. Missing feathers is likely to be due to something else, such as feather picking between flock mates or molting. Here is a good resource on mites in chickens: https://poultrydvm.com/condition/northern-fowl-mites

Thanks but I have already checked them for mites multiple times. I may be dealing with Depluming Mites which (from what I’ve read) burrow in and hard to identify . They are not molting and no bullying going on, it’s some type of bug that I cannot see on them. I bought elector PSP however, I read that Ivermectin is best if they have Depluming mites. I’m a first time chicken owner so I’m reaching out to anyone who may have experience with this.

 

[swamphiker]

Thanks but I have already checked them for mites multiple times. I may be dealing with Depluming Mites which (from what I’ve read) burrow in and hard to identify . They are not molting and no bullying going on, it’s some type of bug that I cannot see on them. I bought elector PSP however, I read that Ivermectin is best if they have Depluming mites. I’m a first time chicken owner so I’m reaching out to anyone who may have experience with this.

Yes, ivermectin works well on mites. I apply it topically using the dosage here: https://poultrydvm.com/drugs/ivermectin