Hello from Michigan! Has anyone dealt with chicken mites?

[LBrake]

Hi! I love this site, I discovered it when I first started looking up chicken info this last spring when I got my chicks for the first time. I started out with six chicks from the local "Family Farm and Home" store,all of which were supposed to be girls and two were boys. Lol, I've got great luck! I got 3 Isa Browns and 3 Easter Eggers. Since then, I found an Ameraucana breeder close to me (I'm in love with the blue eggs) and got 4 more chicks, all supposed to be girls, but 1 was a boy and two of the girls died. So recent third try, got 3 more Ameraucana chicks ranging from 10 wks old down to 5 wks old. All supposed to be girls (since now I have 2 roosters, and am trying to find a new home for the Easter Egger, he's gorgeous, but I want to keep my accidental Ameraucana roo). Now I'm suspecting one of my new ones who is now 12 wks old to possibly be a roo. She/he has pointed neck feathers and questionably thick pea comb. Lol, what am I gonna do with 3 roos??? The reason I'm wondering about chicken mites is because over the last week, I and only I have been getting bug bites. I'm generally the only one who handles the chickens although sometimes the kids hold the new chicks. I though it might be fleas at first because we'd been dealing with getting rid of fleas on our dog, but since I'm the only one getting bit (even my husband who sleeps right next to me is completely bite free), but then I thought about the chickens and Googled "chicken bugs that might bite humans" and came up with the chicken mites thing. Based on what I read last night, I'm now terrified I might have chicken mites living on me and that they will infest my house. And some of what I read sounded absolutely horrible!!! Has anyone personally dealt with chicken mites? (The pics are of my 3 newest Ameraucana chicks, the littlest is a blue splash, I'm so excited about what she's gonna look like feathered out!)

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[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, LBrake, and ! Happy you joined our flock but sorry about your itchy bites! Here is a link from the Learning Center (brown tab toward the top of the page) that speaks to the issue of mites: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mites-lice-treatment-and-prevention Give it a look - it may yield some helpful info. Also, you can type 'mites' into the BYC search box and read lots of old threads where folks have posed a similar question. Along with that I wish you and your flock well and thank you for joining BYC!

 

[LBrake]

Greetings from Kansas, LBrake, and ! Happy you joined our flock but sorry about your itchy bites! Here is a link from the Learning Center (brown tab toward the top of the page) that speaks to the issue of mites: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mites-lice-treatment-and-prevention Give it a look - it may yield some helpful info. Also, you can type 'mites' into the BYC search box and read lots of old threads where folks have posed a similar question. Along with that I wish you and your flock well and thank you for joining BYC!

Thank you!

 

[N F C]

Redsoxs has given you a good link to get information about mites so I'll just say hello and it's nice to have you here!

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under LBrake

Welcome!

I have experienced a severe mite infestation in my newbie days, compliments of a visiting bush turkey and it was not fun! You will read that mites can not survive on humans and this is true, but it does not stop them biting you and getting into everything.

I do not want to freak you out and it sounds like Google may have already done that but definitely take a look at the link redsoxs has given you.

Not all infestations are severe and simply treating the coop and birds will suffice.

Our hot and humid summers are usually when they are at their worse and after the severe infestation, we were vigilant and managed to stop the next one by early detection and treatment.

So far, this summer, we have not had a problem [touch wood] and I recommend regular inspections of the birds, Permethrin Spray for the coop and I use a powder in the nest boxes as a preventative. I only dust the birds if need be.

Not being too personal, but are you finding that the bites are in the warmer areas of your body? Check you clothes, you may find them on the insides of garments.

We did have them in the bedding and in the washing basket etc off the clothes we were wearing

I lost count of how many showers a day I had and how many loads of washing I did but the good news, they can be beaten.

I do hope that your infestation is not too bad but recommend getting on top of it now.

Lice and Mites were also the Topic of the Week recently and this thread might be helpful:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...week-lice-and-mites-prevention-and-treatments

I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun. Unlike non chicken loving friends, family and colleagues, BYC’ers never tire of stories or pictures that feature our feathered and non feathered friends

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - you have some great advice and links already so I'll just say hello!

All the best
CT

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[LBrake]

Thanks everybody for the tips! I did check out that link last night. I spent the day yesterday washing everything with borax (have 6 more loads of laundry to go today). I dusted my mattress with borax. I put diatomaceous earth on all the carpets. Last night I washed my entire body with Dawn dish soap including my hair. No one else in the house has gotten bit but me. The bites I did get (no new ones last night! Yay) are on my ankles, legs, lower back, shoulders. So I'm feeling pretty positive. I haven't seen any evidence of an infestation in the chickens area. So maybe this will all work ok. I'm not as freaked out as I was! Whew! I am going to get a tire to put in the run area with dirt and diatomaceous earth for the chickens to bathe in. Its the dead of winter, but I'm guessing that doesn't matter to mites!