Mites in food?

[Dynamissa]

Hand feeding my birds I found long pale mites in the feeders and maybe some small coppery ones?

I have a cat, and the neighbors (a few feet over ) have a cat and I’m wary of using permethrin… any suggestions? My chickens are confined to their run with no access from outside birds and I haven’t seen any mites on them…

 

[Jener8or]

Can you try to take pictures of them? If they are grain mites, you don't need to worry too much since Chickens aren't the end host and they will be fine even if they eat a few. I'm not sure what the coppery ones would be, though.

As long as they aren't red roost mites and you don't see any crawling on your chickens, and your chickens are roosting fine, I don't think you'll need to use permethrin. I use permethrin and have never had a problem using it around cats (just don't use it on your cats.)

Can you check inside your feed bag? You should see them in there. Maybe they change colors or you have 2 kinds, and both the clear ones and copper colored ones are both in there. I don't think the typical grain mites are usually long, though, so pictures would help.

 

[Dynamissa]

Here ya go.

I found them a little bit in one of the feed bags… but not this many. This is a fresh pour from that bag.

Do you use powder or spray?

 

[coach723]

I would guess those are grain mites. More common in the summer when temps and humidity are higher. This link has a picture of some up close, for comparison:
https://nutrenaworld.com/poultry-feed-storage-something-you-mite-watch-out-for/
I personally wouldn't feed it, I would dispose of it. Whatever eats, poops, and they poop in the feed, so........
If you want to treat the premises, spray works better for that. Supposedly permethrin spray is safe once it's dry, so if you use it, I would keep the cat away from the area for at least 24 hours, and let your neighbor know beforehand. Just to be safe. If the mites are confined to the feed, then removing that, and them, may be all you need to do, and clean any container afterward.
This has some answers on permethrin:
https://outdoors.codidact.com/posts/53880

 

[aart]

I don't think those are grain mites,
which are much smaller and white when alive(gray when dead).
Here's some pics(including thru a microscope) and video;
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/grain-mites.981212/

What you have there look more like lice, but they wouldn't be living in a new feed bag.

 

[aart]

Have you checked your birds 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

 

[Dynamissa]

I don't think those are grain mites,
which are much smaller and white when alive(gray when dead).
Here's some pics(including thru a microscope) and video;
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/grain-mites.981212/

What you have there look more like lice, but they wouldn't be living in a new feed bag.

Damn, weird…

I thought they looked like lice as well but I don’t see them anywhere but in the feed with that bag’s feed in it. I just looked over my girls and saw no bugs in their feathers… I’ll look again but they are glossy and nice feathers, clear skin, definitely no eggs on the shafts or anything. They’re so damn fluffy getting through all that fluff is hard, but I’ll employ the husband again to look.