Flesh colored bugs near vent

[yellowherb]

I picked up one of my juvie sultans today to look him over, make sure the flock is well, etc. It's pretty easy to see mites if they get them just because they are white chickens with pink flesh. Head was mite free and no sign of other bugs there. Flipped him over to check his vent and right at the base of his tail feathers there was a bunch of bugs congregated. They are about the size of a large flea but pinky flesh colored(nearly the exact color of the chickens skin tone) and ran like crazy When they seen they had been spotted. Are they lice of some sort?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Sound like lice to me...

 

[casportpony]

I picked up one of my juvie sultans today to look him over, make sure the flock is well, etc. It's pretty easy to see mites if they get them just because they are white chickens with pink flesh. Head was mite free and no sign of other bugs there. Flipped him over to check his vent and right at the base of his tail feathers there was a bunch of bugs congregated. They are about the size of a large flea but pinky flesh colored(nearly the exact color of the chickens skin tone) and ran like crazy When they seen they had been spotted. Are they lice of some sort?

They are lice. http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2402&Itemid=2667
Best treatment for laying hens is permethrin spray or permethrin dust. Both are approved for use in poultry - zero day egg withdrawal when used as labeled.

Ivermectin will also work, but it's not approved for used in poultry. It's not banned, it's just not approved.

 

[yellowherb]

they are juvies so no eggs yet and they mostly appear to be young roo's. I'm going to hit them with a few drops of fipronil tonight when they roost. I'm lazy and do not want to retreat or do their coop. I used it before on a heavy mite infestation and it worked great with no need to retreat. I'll get to see now if it works on lice as well. I don't eat the eggs or meat from the chickens so using something not approved doesn't bother me. Sledgehammer approach is always good in my opinion Get 'er done.

 

[casportpony]

they are juvies so no eggs yet and they mostly appear to be young roo's. I'm going to hit them with a few drops of fipronil tonight when they roost. I'm lazy and do not want to retreat or do their coop. I used it before on a heavy mite infestation and it worked great with no need to retreat. I'll get to see now if it works on lice as well. I don't eat the eggs or meat from the chickens so using something not approved doesn't bother me. Sledgehammer approach is always good in my opinion Get 'er done.

Just had to give the "not approved" blurb because so many people are funny that way, lol. I'm all for using whatever works and is easiest to use. Another product that works quite well is Vectra 3D, but it's pretty expensive.
https://www.drugs.com/vet/vectra-3d.html

 

[yellowherb]

Just had to give the "not approved" blurb because so many people are funny that way, lol. I'm all for using whatever works and is easiest to use. Another product that works quite well is Vectra 3D, but it's pretty expensive.
https://www.drugs.com/vet/vectra-3d.html

I have 3 coops going and a brooder right now all with different aged chicks. My infested chicks are the oldest at about 3-4 months old. Luckily my other coops are across the yard and they do not intermingle. I was afraid I'd be spraying the little guys with bug spray tonight. I also checked my budgies, cockatiels and button quail who DO live near the infested chicken coop. None of them have any bugs. So hoping this is a chicken only louse. I may do a ivermec water treatment anyway, just to be safe and get it over with rather than fight a reoccurring problem.

I swear it's never ending with birds and chickens. Always something needing treatment or hand feeding.

 

[yellowherb]

BTW, anyone searching on the web and getting a link back. Fipronil does NOT cause sterile chickens. I hatched many, many eggs and have healthy chicks from chickens treated with it.

 

[aart]

BTW, anyone searching on the web and getting a link back. Fipronil does NOT cause sterile chickens. I hatched many, many eggs and have healthy chicks from chickens treated with it.

Wouldn't want to eat eggs that came from birds that had that on them tho.

 

[yellowherb]

I don't eat the eggs. I hatch them to promote the breed. The young flock I just treated are my new breeders to replace old birds.