Lice? Mites?

tlkjaw

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jun 27, 2012
36
2
34
Maine
My royal palm tom had been acting a little strange, he just wasn't being as active as he usually is. I looked him over and found a whole bunch of these bugs on him. Luckily I had some Garden and Poultry Dust and treated him with it. I also completely cleaned their coop and sprinkled some of the dust under the new litter. That was yesterday and today quite a bit of the bugs were gone.
I know that birds have dust baths to keep these pests away but my tom rarely has any dust baths! I think he is too busy trying to show off his handsome plumage!
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-Have I done all I can do, or can I do more and how often can I use the dust?
-Also what are these, mites, lice or something else?

Sorry for the bad picture, he really didn't like the fact that I was "attacking" him!
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Here's another one that isn't as zoomed it (although it probably doesn't help):
 
If they are straw colored they are probably lice I am guessing. I have not dealt with lice, only mites.

For mites, repeat dusting at 7 days. For lice, repeat at 7 and 14 days.

I would repeat the coop treatment too just in case. For mites, repeating the coop treatment is vital.

Also, ALL of the bugs should be dead with your treatment. I wouldn't allow some to live. I would treat immediately again. They are supposed to die immediately with the insecticide.
 
If they are straw colored they are probably lice I am guessing. I have not dealt with lice, only mites.

For mites, repeat dusting at 7 days. For lice, repeat at 7 and 14 days.

I would repeat the coop treatment too just in case. For mites, repeating the coop treatment is vital.

Also, ALL of the bugs should be dead with your treatment. I wouldn't allow some to live. I would treat immediately again. They are supposed to die immediately with the insecticide.

X2 Those look straw colored which are most likely lice. It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but they look lice-colored and shaped to me. Dust again until you don't see any.
 
what is a safe way to keep them from coming..dont like to use pesticides being my dad has cancer
Good prevention (but not good enough for an infestation in my opinion) is a woodstove ash dust bath, and you can mix it with feed-grade diatomaceous earth and a little sand too if you want. Make sure your ashes are totally cool and remember that sparks can exist for up to one month in ashes - I have read- so let those ashes really cool down and don't put them in something flammable like plastic or wood. I use a fire pit to put my ashes in and it is under a shelter.
 
Lice and mites are out there on wild birds; unless your birds are indoors with no access to the outside, or wild birds, you will have lice and mites show up sometimes. You must treat your entire flock, and the coop and pen. Permethrin or Sevin dust on the birds and the bedding, or Ivermectin on the birds and dust in their environment. What you have now are lice; treat twice as mentioned above. Mary
 

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