Microscopic bugs?

[Ted Brown]

Thanks, I think I see a similar pattern on the back in the pictures I posted above but...

Would you assume and treat as if they are mites?

 

[Painted Calls]

I would rather be safe than sorry I think. Check everyone over really well. Maybe have someone there to help check. That way if one misses something, maybe the other will notice.

If you don't see any evidence of mites on the birds, I would wait for better pics and a definite answer as to whether they are harmful.

 

[aart]

If you can get a few into a jar put it in the freezer for an hour, then get your magnifying glass out.

 

[Ted Brown]

If you can get a few into a jar put it in the freezer for an hour, then get your magnifying glass out.

My photographer friend suggested that I use clear packing tape and capture some that way. I have done so and will look with a magnifying glass today, report back if i see something. She will bring a better camera on the weekend and will try to capture better shots then.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[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...

 

[Ted Brown]

@cmom Thanks for your input.

I am in Canada and cannot get much of anything without using a vet, expensive. I have permethrin concentrate in hand but no powder. I have added a big bucket of wood ash to their dust bath today.

I have 20 pullets/hens but only 9 at an age to lay, I am getting 3-7 per day most days 5-6. The others are just 5 months. Most are not lethargic, have had two deaths and 1 that went through a lethargic few days but we isolated/examined/bathed/cuddled her and she seems to be back to "normal". She is the one on which we discovered the infestation that we are trying to identify.

I am reluctant to start a treatment without being certain what I am dealing with. If I have either red or northern or... I will need to do a deep clean of both coop and runs and that translates to a big job as we are just going into winter.

 

[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.

 

[Ted Brown]

@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?

 

[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.

 

[Ted Brown]

...
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.
...

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