HELP!! Roo With Little Brown Bugs??

[newchickens2009]

I had a very aggressive roo that would just try and attack everyone. I have alot of kids that come by my house to see my animals and collect the eggs (which they think is just so much fun) and I just couldn't take the chance of someone's kid getting their eye plucked out so I had to send him to freezer camp.
That being said, tonight when I was plucking the feathers I felt something crawling all over my arms. When I looked I was covered with little brown bugs and upon further examination when I check where I had removed the feathers the roo was full of them.

Are these what they call chicken lice and is there any home remedies to get rid of them? I live on a small island in the Bahamas and don't have access to a poultry supply store has I have to get supplies from Fl and this sometimes takes weeks.

This roo was in a wire bottom coop about 3' off the ground with 2 hens. I have some others in a coop that is on the ground, is it possiable that they would only be on the ones that are off the ground because they can't dust bath? Would putting them in the coop with the others so they can dust bath take care of the problem? Or should I treat all my flocks with some kind of lice killer home remedie or have something shipped to me from Fl.?

Any help greatly appreciated!
God bless!
Tim

 

[newchickens2009]

Anyone with some kind of advice? Or experience with this prob before?

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

It SOUNDS like Northern Fowl mites. I'm not sure if you can get them where you are...that's why I hesitate. Google them and look for pictures. They are white at first but become bright red when they have just sucked blood and dark brown when they are full of it. They're terrible. It took us months to actually figure out how to get rid of them, because poultry dust wasn't working on our birds. What chaos. I'd never, ever want to go through that again, and hope we don't have to. Northern Fowl mites are also potentially lethal. They suck the life out of their victims and make them anemic and tired, and very ill until the bird actually dies. When we were treating for them, they were crawling all over my arms, too. Little demons...

We used Nix lice shampoo for humans. It can be bought at most pharmacy stores. We're not sure if it is safe on animals but we were so desperate we didn't have a choice. The package says not to use again until after 7 days or so, but we had to use it every 2 days because of our infestation. We did this for a week and the birds no longer have it, but we're watching out anyway. Make sure this is what your birds have before you treat for it. And if you treat for it, follow the instructions like you would for a human, of course, adjusting the directions to suit your needs. Don't be afraid to use alot of it, also.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Might be lice - this article will help you narrow it down: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf

I do not know if you can get Sevin 5% dust - but that is what I use (get it from lowes) and dust every 7-10 days for a month, this gets the adults and nits as they hatch - to help break the cycle. I also sprinkle it in the nest boxes and floor - if I have a broody sitting I make sure and dust her 2 or 3 times before chicks hatch.

I have also read that DE (diatomaceous earth) help kill/control the pests - again dust the bird and nest box/dusting areas. If you wanted to bathe them, Dawn dish washing detergent also help kill the little buggers.


Yes, no access to dust bathing can help them build up. If possible, put a shallow box of dirt/sand/and DE or Sevin in their pen for them.

Best of luck - they can make your skin crawl.

 

[newchickens2009]

Good morning and thank you both for your reply. I can get seven dust from the little hardware store here has I have used it on my hogs before, I just wasn't sure that it was safe to use on chickens. I will try this on them and see if it helps. In the meen time I will research the info you have both given me and see if I can determin exactly what they are.

Thank you both again and God bless!

 

[Sjisty]

I use Eprinex by Ivomec. It worms my chickens and kills mites. I had little red mites on one of my hens, put a few drops on her neck, and within an hour the mites were all gone. It's also zero slaughter withdrawal.

 

[newchickens2009]

Just want to make sure that if I put seven dust on the chickens and in the coop/nest boxes and they end up eating some that it will NOT kill them?

 

[wyliefarms]

It won't kill them

When you dust them, make sure you rub it down to the skin everywhere, under wings and such. The bugs will try to go where you missed.

I love the ivermecton for beef cattle. I put a couple drops on the back of the neck where the bird cannot reach and it fixes the external and internal parasites. I do it twice a year. The avian vet at Michigan State University told us about it. It is easier and then we aren't breathing in the sevin dust.

Good Luck!

 

[Freebie]

Quote:
Is that the same ivermeton that is used for hogs? You just put a little in a syringe with no needle and put a few drops on their necks? The skin part, right? is there a withdrawl time for the eggs?

 

[wyliefarms]

Quote:
Is that the same ivermeton that is used for hogs? You just put a little in a syringe with no needle and put a few drops on their necks? The skin part, right? is there a withdrawl time for the eggs?

Not sure about the hog one...it is the same stuff though. someone at the clinic I went to used the ivermectin for dogs on their birds. The vet said that if you are worried about a withdrawl time, we could take our eggs to him and he would eat them