Microscopic bugs?

[Ted Brown]

I have have bugs of some description on the birds; they are about the size of a pin point barely a dot against a white dish. They are present on the birds during the day, do not present as mites from the descriptions I have read (but my 1st time with this situation) eg I swiped several onto my forefinger and then crushed them between thumb and forefinger, no blood (midday). I have not checked under the roosts at night, will do so tonight.

All birds are hatched here, no contact with other chickens or animals ; they free range so could have had contact with wild birds. I have lost two ISA Browns recently, do not know why, about 18 months old.

The closeups below are on the edge of a dish 5" wide and then a zoom:

Closeups of the bird's vent:

I have permethrin concentrate in hand.

Thanks

 

[Ted Brown]

@Tesumph

Success with better pictures, taken with Nikon D810 with a 105mm Macro lens processed through Photoshop for enhancement, clarity and sharpening.

They have eight legs so are mites and we have determined that they have lived off the chicken for a bit more than a week. The pictures (white background) also show, we believe, some without blood and some with. It is apparent from leg movement (see shots with black background) that they are still alive. The white background shot with the circle clearly shows eight legs.

I will check again tonight with paper towel under the roosts for signs of blood. Will also try to feel for lumps on the chickens.

 

[aart]

Not sure the rain suit is necessary, it's not hydrochloric acid.

 

[Tesumph]

@Tesumph

Success with better pictures, taken with Nikon D810 with a 105mm Macro lens processed through Photoshop for enhancement, clarity and sharpening.

They have eight legs so are mites and we have determined that they have lived off the chicken for a bit more than a week. The pictures (white background) also show, we believe, some without blood and some with also after off the chicken for a bit more than a month. It is apparent from leg movement (see shots with black background) that they are still alive after more than a week. the white background shot with the circle clearly shows eight legs.

I will check again tonight with paper towel under the roosts for signs of blood. Will also try to feel for lumps on the chickens.

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Cool pics! they are mites.
Engorged Ornithonyssus can survive off the host for a couple of weeks. Following the spraying schedule + keeping up with routine checks will clear them up no problem.

 

[Ted Brown]

Day 5 and the flock has been sprayed for the second time, once again confined to the cage inside the garage. I will empty all bedding from the coop into the covered expanded run tomorrow (I just finished the roof today so can move without fear of getting rain/snow on it). I have decided to spray the old bedding once it is moved and then do do a very thorough job in the empty coop. Birds will have to stay outside for the day but they will not mind that.

One more spraying scheduled for 9 days from now.

 

[Ted Brown]

1st spray down of the flock is done. Temperatures increased and will continue to rise over the next 7 days.

I was fortunate to have my photographer friend lend a hand. Twenty five birds to do, took just under two hours. Waited until after dark.

They are now in a large cage inside the garage, will stay overnight. I will spray the inside of the coop tomorrow morning and let it dry. I will repeat the treatment next Monday.

Also started the roof on the expanded run, drive to finish while the weather remains warm.

 

[cmom]

If the birds are lethargic and your egg production is down, I would suspect some type of parasite and most likely mites. Did you check the birds at night after they roost. I use a headlamp so I have both of my hands free to inspect the birds. I would treat the coop and the birds. If you can get some poultry dust, put it on the birds and in their nest boxes. Good luck...

 

[Tesumph]

Can the mite (Red, Northern, etc.) possibility be eliminated based on pictures and info above? I know that is a difficult call but...

Exact species ID is generally only possible with microscopic equipment, but we can rule some things out.

Red mites (chicken mites, Dermanyssus spp.) will hide in crevices off of the host during the day. You can feel their bites when holding an infested bird. Based on your description (visible during the day), they are not red mites.

Chicken lice are flat, thin, and tan, and cause a buildup of white eggs at the base of the feathers they feed on. It's hard to tell from your photo if this is the case or not but it doesn't look like it. Your photos look smaller than chicken lice.

"Northern" mites (Ornithonyssus spp. have a range of common names) rarely leave their host and are less shy during the day. They tend to form dirty clumps throughout feathers, and O. sylviarum (Northern fowl mite) congregates especially around the vent.

If you can confirm they have 8 legs then they are definitely mites, and most likely O. sylviarum, although it doesn't really matter in my opinion as treatment is all the same.
If it were me, I would spray my birds and coop. Personally my fear of pesticides is outweighed by my fear of the diseases mites can vector.

 

[Tesumph]

@Tesumph thank you, useful.

If they are Northern Fowl mites can I empty the coop and add new bedding but not do the same with the run?

Can I assume that they are from my local environment (no chickens or people from outside, I do not visit other chicken locals except feed stores)? Am I therefore best to avoid free range?

Is permethrin a one-time application?

Northern fowl mites spend their entire life cycle (egg to adult) on the host, but engorged adults may survive a couple weeks off of the host.

For Northern fowl mites, you need to spray a minimum of two times: on day 1 and again on day 5 to kill hatched eggs.
If you confirm after this time (from your photographer friend) that they were indeed mites, then I would spray again at 14 days.
I would spray now because you already have dying and lethargic birds. Even if mites are not the major cause of disease, it's very likely there is an opportunistic infestation and at the very minimum, the sick birds should be sprayed.
The mite life cycle is remarkably fast and a couple days difference means a lot more mites.

I wouldn't worry about cleaning out the run or preventing them from free ranging.
You cannot assume they are from your local environment... but they probably are.
Eliminate rodent attractions such as spilled feed or trash/wood piles and check your most susceptible (very young, very old, or sick) birds every few weeks. Don't worry about a deep clean.

The good news is that they don't look like red mites, which are much more stubborn and difficult to get rid of.

 

[Tesumph]

To clarify, I assume it is best to clean out the coop at least for the first cycle? 2nd, 3rd?

Yes, or just spray the coop as well.
This is all assuming that you do NOT have red mites, which would require a deep clean AND spraying of the entire building multiple times. That is because Red mites can survive off of their host, the chickens, while Northern fowl mites (generally) cannot.
Best of luck, please tag me if your photographer friend gets some good photos.