Do these silkies have mites?

[Kadjain]

Just picked up 6 juvenile silkies and I noticed their heads and necks are covered in little white.. .things. I asked her if she knew what it was and she said she thought it was cause they are molting.
It's hard to tell from the pics but there are big clumps of them going all the way up the head and neck feathers. Looking at them close they look like tiny pieces of rice.


Here they are in their intro pen after I dusted them heavily w DE.

 

[Eggcessive]

Maybe they are lice eggs, but I'm not sure? If they are lice, you should see the orange-brown tiny bugs quickly moving around, especially near the vent. I wouldn't waste time with DE if you have an active infestation. Permethrin or Sevin dust is best. Here are a couple of good links with pictures: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If you even think they are lice (which I am thinking they might be), I would definitely do as Eggcessive said and ditch the DE- get an insecticide!!

Poultry dust is sold at the feed store (permethrin) and you should dust them carefully everywhere but the face, then repeat in 7 days to kill the hatching eggs, again in 14 days, and use unrefined coconut oil to dissolve the nits after the bugs are dead. I have read the dissolving process can take a week or so.

You should treat your whole flock, since the lice can move across to the other birds near them.

 

[casportpony]

The Silkies at the feedstore always seem to have more lice than any other breed I've seen, and they get them *all* over, but especially around the face and wattles. Like the others said, dust them with a proper poultry dust or 5% Sevin, DE won't work.

-Kathy

 

[Kadjain]

Yeah they're definitely lice. I already got the 5% Seven.

Thanks