Mites, but what type

[dadbern]

I live in Colorado springs and I found these little critters in-side the handle of a metal coal shovel I use to clean my coop. I treat my coop regularly with DE, but had been a little lax in doing it and it has been very hot. I don't see any issues with my girls but egg production has been low. My girls are older and with the heat I don't know if it is the mites, the heat or their age or all three. Can you tell me what type of mite this is? Thought I had killed them last week but they re-appeared.

 

[dadbern]

oh, and by the way the shovel are kept outside the coop

 

[aart]

Thought I had killed them last week but they re-appeared.

Were the ones you thought you killed also outside on this shovel?
What did you do to kill them?

Can you tell me what type of mite this is?

There are dozens of types of mites, most are not a problem for poultry.


Here's some info about poutry mites:
Have you checked the birds themselves over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Look fast, they will scatter quickly once the feathers are parted and the light hits them.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[aart]

Oh,and @dadbern how did you take the pic of the mites?

 

[dadbern]

yes to the shovel being where i though i killed them.
I used a desecticide from southland organics. Coated them in DE today and no further movement.
I have checked some of the chickens but not all, no sign of mites on them, I will check the roost trick tonight after dark
I took the picture with my google pixel 4a5g, then i sent them too my computer and cropped the picture to get a better close up.
I have a video of them crawling around on the shovel.

 

[nuthatched]

DE is ineffective and is bad for you and especially your birds to breathe.
Can you get permethrine based powder or spray?

 

[dadbern]

Permethrine is not much better than DE for health risks. DE has been very effective for me for years, especially in my dry arid climate. If my birds do have mites I will use Ivermectin

 

[aart]

DE has been very effective for me for years

You've had infestations of mice and/or lice and killed them with DE?

 

[dadbern]

no mice or mice with lice infestations, but grasshopper infestations that have been eliminated and i used to use it in my aquarium filters. Lice aren't common in my environment. I trap for mice to keep numbers in check, plus we have a lot of snakes in the area