Help! Are these mites?

[Bluebee]

Hello everyone! I cant figure out if these are mites! I check my chickens very often for lice and mites. But today as I was cleaning the chicken coop, i noticed tiny tiny TINY bugs crawling on the outside of my coop. I checked my chickens, but they seemed to be fine, no mites. Except one of my chickens has flaky skin. But these were BUGS. Really small brownish bugs. If anyone has any experience, I would love for you to share it! Please help! I hope they are not mites!

 

[sn2bavet]

can you post a picture??

 

[Bluebee]

I'll try, but it is evening right now so it won't be a good shot.

There will definitely be one tomorrow.

 

[Terri O]

Hey Blue---lice will be ON the birds. You will see them near the vent or under the wings or around the face (especially the bearded ones)
Mites live off the bird and on roosts and in crevices. The lice are kind of flesh colored and the mites are reddish or brownish.
I hope they are lice...mush easier to deal with! Good luck!
Terri O

 

[Bluebee]

Here is a picture...

Not a very good quality but it is still visible. I think they are mites. Any ideas on how to treat them?

Bluebee

 

[casportpony]

Here is a picture...

Not a very good quality but it is still visible. I think they are mites. Any ideas on how to treat them?

Bluebee

Those looks like mites to me. Try squishing a few and look for blood. I would spray with Sevin and dust my birds. I've found them to be most active at night... Go into your coop after dark and I bet you'll see them everywhere.

-Kathy
Gilroy, CA

 

[Bluebee]

Very helpful thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bluebee]

Thank you, Kathy. Do you know how to kill them off? I looked at the Poultry Dust and it is very toxic.

I do not want to start off with it. Any ideas?

 

[casportpony]

Thank you, Kathy. Do you know how to kill them off? I looked at the Poultry Dust and it is very toxic. I do not want to start off with it. Any ideas?

 

I had the same concerns when I first started, so I tried a few natural remedies, but didn't have much luck and actually lost a couple of birds. I tried diatomaceous earth on the birds and where they dust bathe. I also tried a couple of natural sprays on the birds. Now I use nothing but poultry dust or kitten shampoo when I bathe them. I've even used the dust on very young chicks, but I apply very little and just under the wings and on the vent.

The feed store that I go to has a huge problem with their chicks and mites and I have dusted 100's of them with no problems. They actually put dust under the shavings, but I wouldn't do that.

I read that some people use Ivomec, an Ivermectin wormer, but I haven't tried it yet. They say it gets internal and external parasites, including legs mites, so one of these days I will use it.

The mite that you showed a picture of hides in all the cracks and crevices where they roost and I've even seen them in the trees where some of mine roost. When I spray, I spray in the daytime and keep them out of the coop for the day.

-Kathy
Gilroy, CA

 

[stoopid]

I have some kind of bug at my house, too. They are not mites, but called paper lice, they look like grains of sugar.
I googled them, and don't seem to be harmful, although they do give me the willies.
They are more common in higher humidity areas.
See if they are them before you make yourself crazy and start using chemicals.
These do not chew on the birds, but live on dust and stuff like that.

Check your birds butts, and the roosts to be sure.