Last weekend, I spent several hours deep cleaning my backyard coop. I took all the bedding out, scrubbed floors, walls and roosts with a bleach water solution. Let it dry, put down some DE and then fresh bedding (I use coffee chaff). Today, one week later, I went out for my weekly cleaning, when I scoop out the poop and refresh the bedding.
Suddenly I realized that some of the bedding was moving (ugh!) and upon closer inspection discovered these small worm-like things. They were coming out of the seam between the wall and floor. I didn't notice any crawling in and out of poop, they seemed to stick close to that seam. I plan to go out tonight with a flashlight and see if they are bugging the chickens while the roost, but right now I am thinking they might be non-chicken related pest. My husband thinks they look kind of like termite larvae (yikes!). I was thinking maybe some kind of maggot (yuck).
Any ideas what these nasties are?
(it is wet because I sprayed with a flea/tic spray that didn't seem to have any effect)
I cleaned out all the bedding again and put down a thick line of DE along the wall. What else do I need to do?
Suddenly I realized that some of the bedding was moving (ugh!) and upon closer inspection discovered these small worm-like things. They were coming out of the seam between the wall and floor. I didn't notice any crawling in and out of poop, they seemed to stick close to that seam. I plan to go out tonight with a flashlight and see if they are bugging the chickens while the roost, but right now I am thinking they might be non-chicken related pest. My husband thinks they look kind of like termite larvae (yikes!). I was thinking maybe some kind of maggot (yuck).
Any ideas what these nasties are?
(it is wet because I sprayed with a flea/tic spray that didn't seem to have any effect)
I cleaned out all the bedding again and put down a thick line of DE along the wall. What else do I need to do?
