Has anyone contracted mites from handling quail?

[warmfuzzyfeeling]

I've had a rash on my right hand and wrist ever since I started incubating a bunch of Texas A&M eggs from an eBay seller. At first, I thought it was hives or an allergic reaction (I seem to be allergic to raw poultry meat), but hydrocortizone and Benadryl didn't help. I've started wondering whether I'm picking up mites from the birds because I notice little itchy bumps appearing about 30 minutes after turning eggs or tending the adult quail. The rash is limited but persistent--as old bumps heal, new ones crop up. It would have to be a mite that does not prefer human hosts because it is not spreading to other areas or family members, and is mostly on the right hand and arm (I'm right-handed).

Alternatively, maybe this is a reaction to the galvanized wire of the quail pens. I made the cages but I don't know how to finish the rough edges, so I am perpetually scratching myself on the edges of the cage doors when I reach in.

The birds appear to be healthy, so I don't see any visual indication that they have mites. Will diatomaceous earth work for mites? I could treat the cages with it if so.

Lastly, if anyone has had fowl mites, chicken mites, etc, how do you treat them? Just wait for it to run its course? I've tried hydrocordizone, antihystamines, tea tree oil, hand sanitizer, and even fingernail polish remover.

Thanks so much!

 

[Stellar]

Permethryrin treats mites. It's a dusty applicator and you can powder up the birds if they have mites. Do you see them at all. They would look like clear bug things. They would make you itch. I found some on a bird at a friends house and immediately dusted it with the treatment.

 

[warmfuzzyfeeling]

Thanks for the reply. I haven't seen anything, nor any apparent evidence of infestation on the birds (such as feather loss or skin irritation). I remember seeing tiny bugs on wild bird feathers before, but I always assumed those were lice. So, the mites would be visible to the naked eye?

 

[tuesdays chicks]

sounds like an alergic reaction to me, I used to get a alergic reaction to a watch band that sounds like yours, but maybe its the soap your using too, you may be scrubbing to get it off more.

 

[Rozzie]

Could you be allergic to something in their feed?

 

[warmfuzzyfeeling]

I don't know. I don't suffer from allergies in general, and my understanding of feed is that the main ingredients are corn and soy. The closest thing I have to a known allergy would be that my skin itches and stings whenever I handle raw poultry (as in dinner prep). If I'm not picking up mites from the quail, there could be a million possibilities. I just felt some small paranoid horror when the idea of mites occurred.

 

[warmfuzzyfeeling]

If it is a contact allergy, it would be interesting to figure out based on the rash pattern. It is predominately on the underside of my right arm--covering the two inches just below the wrist--and on the back of my right hand--covering the area over and between the first and second metacarpals. The only thing I can think of offhand is that those are the areas that I keep scratching on the cage doors.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

do you wear a watch on that hand that sounds like where I always got it from the zinc in my watch, I'm not alergic to anything but zinc, that area is a very sensitive area, might be contact with the birds.

 

[warmfuzzyfeeling]

No, I don't wear a watch, bracelet or anything on area.

 

[JJMR794]

Poultry Mites Do Not Cross Zoological Barriers So Everybody Can Stop Itching Now

Mites Also Wont Come From Eggs... Now If Your Other Birds Have Them They Can Be A Source, And They Can Be Treated With Permethrin As Quail Lady Stated, Or You Can "shake And Bake" Them With Seven Dust And An Empty Feed Bag.

Mites Will Be Visible On The Birds If An Infestation Is Present.