Is this mites? (pictures) How do I fix this?

[blinkk]

I'm new to owning chickens, and my flock has something, but I'm not sure what. My fellow chicken friend came over a few weeks ago and said they have mites. She suggested I sprinkle a little DE on them at night. It's been about two weeks and I'm about to put my third round of DE on these birds, but they haven't gotten any better. I'm starting to wonder if her advice was off? The DE doesn't seem to be working.

My second in command has it really bad (she's the last picture.) Her skin looks horrible. I don't want anyone else to progress to her stage. It looks nasty.

What does this look like to you? How should I fix this? I want to get this cleaned up right away- I've been messing with this useless DE for too long.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

do you have a rooster in with them? IF it is mites your right , your wasting time. they like to bath in it and it helps keep them down but for a heavy infestation you gotta pull out the big guns. lol they sell poultry dust. i use 7 dust. you will need to do the coop too.

 

[blinkk]

Nope, no rooster. Just the ladies.

I did some research online and it said (if it is mites) I've got to clean out the whole coop and redo everything (bedding, nesting boxes, etc.) Before I go that whole route, I wanted to confirm with people on here to make sure that's the right course of action. I've spent two weeks on the wrong medicine; I want to get it right this time.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

good idea, i cant tell.

 

[realsis]

It very likely could be mites I'm dealing with mites and lice right now brought in from a bird I had shipped to me.if lice you will see straw colored bugs that are flat and likely eggs that Are white at the base of the feather shift. If mites it's possible your dealing with A couple different species. Exanple: if it's the red mite you likely won't find the mite on the bird. They hide in the hen house and are nocturnal and feed on the bird at night. They CAN cause the damage your seeing on the bird. This would explain why you don't see the bugs but the damage is on the bird. Another possibility is the northern foul mite which I have. You will see this mite and it looks similar to a very small moving pepper flake. A bit lighter. The feathers will look as if they have mildew on them. The course of treatment I've chosen for the northern foul mite is I vermin 5 mg per liter pour on. I mix one part I vermin to two parts water and place on the back under each wing and above the vent.then exactly 11 days later repeat this process. This has rid the body of mites all except for the head.i have silkies and the crests still have some mites. So for the head I take a small art paint brush and gently brush poultry dust on the flesh of the head. I've dusted the house and put clean shavings in with some poultry dust on the bottom.i will have to repeat this process as well. There are many different ways to approach attacking the mites and this is just the method I'm using. The Ivermectin has been fairly successful for me. Try to identify the species of mite then do some research on the best way to eradicate them. I hope this is helpful. This is my first go around with these bugs myself but so far the treatment is working pretty well.

 

[LittleRockColle]

This looks more like you have a bird that like to peck at others. I had a trio of birds and I was convinced rats were doing this but I spent some time with them and finally found the culprit...another hen. Are they in close quarters at night or during the day?

 

[blinkk]

This looks more like you have a bird that like to peck at others. I had a trio of birds and I was convinced rats were doing this but I spent some time with them and finally found the culprit...another hen. Are they in close quarters at night or during the day?

I had thought about this, but I'd be shocked if it was true. Our chickens have a huge run. More than enough space for the 8 of them in the day. We also let them free range in the late afternoon until sunset. They get plenty of space and plenty of alone time. I suppose the queen might be a bully- she's not the nicest thing around, but she's got a few feathers missing, too. The same thing is probably gnawing at her back.

 

[realsis]

I would look into the red mite ..because they live in the hen houses and roosts and off the bird. They only feed on the birds at night because they are nocturnal. Hiding during the day. Perhaps this is the creature getting your chickens? Do a search on red mites and I think the information can be beneficial. I highly doubt it's the northern foul mite because these live on the bird and can be seen on them.

 

[blinkk]

Thanks, Realsis. I'll check into redmites. More suggestions are always welcome.