little bugs?

[Cocotte]

My two Ameraucana pullets have some sort of bugs on them (I haven't seen any on my cochins so far). My chicken books haven't been super helpful as they don't have pictures of bugs and the descriptions aren't all that awesome. I only saw a few on each bird, in their neck feathers. The bugs are kind of ovalish shaped and flat and they are close to the same colour as my wheaten girls' feathers. When I move the feathers aside to look the bugs crawl away into the fluffy part of the feathers. The girls don't seem to be bothered by them, I haven't seen any scratching or pecking at themselves, but I don't like the thought of bugs on my poor chickens! I mix some DE in with the shavings in their coop, and I've sprinkled DE on the birds too since seeing the bugs. My chickens all take dustbaths several times a day in the garden too. Is there anything else I can do to get rid of the bugs? And what kind of bugs are they? Thank you for any help or advice!

 

[CoopCrazy]

Sounds like mites to me .. I would dust well with sevin dust . and redo in a a week.. Also you can coat your roosts with old mototr oil and it will gas them out.. just be sure your coop is very well ventilated.. I have just used an old paint brush and appllied a thin coat..

 

[DTRM30]

Actually - from the description it sounds more like lice - which are easier to get rid of than mites.
Lice are flat and oval shaped - and have wheat colored bodies (skin tone)
Mites re small, round and black/red.
Below are some links with info on both.
And don't worry - poultry lice are host specific so they won't infest people. You may get them on you - though - but they won't live and breed.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8162.pdf

http://entweb.clemson.edu/cuentres/cesheets/poultry/ce216.jpg photo of adult lice

 

[Cocotte]

Oh gross, I think its lice! Thank you so much for your help!! I'm going to find some sevin dust!