Is this poultry lice? (pics)

ChickenHawk12

Chirping
May 7, 2015
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These are the best pictures I could get because I had to hold the chickens while my 4 year old shot them with my phone :)
This morning I noticed dirty butts and bald spots on 2 of my 4 BO's, and after research, I'm thinking that it's poultry lice? I cleaned out the coop and stood staring for a while to see if I could see any moving little buggers but I didn't see anything. I dusted their butts with DE as a precaution because it's all I have right now and didn't know what it was.

Do you think that's what it is? And I read a few products that the Chicken Chick recommends to treat.....can I pick something up at TSC to remedy this? I do not live in a rural area and there are no other agri stores around here. Even TSC is a 45 minute drive.

Can an experienced chicken keeper give me any advice? I've only got a year under my belt and these are the first "pets" we've ever had, so I'm a little green....









 
Sorry about the pics, I don't have an extra adult here to take the pics. I really can't see bugs. There's black specs but they aren't moving and it looks like dirt. One has what looks like white flakes on the bald spots but could that just be where the feathers were pulled out?
 
They may have picked some feathers off preening the 'dirty butts'.
If it was lice you'd see them and their eggs clusters on the feather shafts near the skin.
I wouldn't treat unless you see live bugs, DE won't do much, I use poultry dust with permethrin if I see bugs.
Grab them off the roost well after dark and look again......around vents, head/neck and under wings.
Google images of lice and mites before hand so you know what you're looking for.
 

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