Mites/lice again. AAAGHHH

[trudyg]

I've been treating for mites/lice all summer. Got a brand new coop--coated the inside,roosts, egg boxes with permethrin spray before putting the chickens in there. Put the chickens in there when I did the 3rd spray treatment on them (sprayed and ivermectin'd them, waited 10 days and repeated, then on the 10th day after that did just the spray and put them in the new building). Now I saw a tiny gray bug on an egg, so it's lice? (I had seen lice in the egg boxes and what I assume was scaly leg mites as the scales were raising on 2 birds)
So do I start over with the permethrin spray? I plan to sevin dust the roosts/joints tonight when I get home. My gosh, I hate to replace all that bedding! It's an 8X12 building and I put about 3" of horse pellet bedding mixed with pine shavings on the floor, pdz and sand in the poop tray. I don't want to haphazardly treat--would rather have a strict routine so they'll be gone this time. We had a wet, humid summer and now being October maybe the weather will be in my favor.

 

[aart]

Now I saw a tiny gray bug on an egg, so it's lice? (I had seen lice in the egg boxes and what I assume was scaly leg mites as the scales were raising on 2 birds)

Are you sure that gray bug was a mite?
There's a lot of bugs around, most not detrimental to chickens.
I believe leg mites are pretty much microscopic.
Did you treat the leg mites....with what?

I don't want to haphazardly treat

I'd check the birds, around vents-parting feathers right down to skin, before spreading more insecticide.

You probably know this already but:

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.

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

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

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

 

[Folly's place]

Aart has great advice, as always. Don't add the carbaryl! It's no longer approved for use in poultry in the USA, and isn't an improvement over permethrin spray anyhow. Probably you just say a bug of some sort, not a problem.
As long as your birds go outside, and interact wild birds in any way, or the wild birds come inot your coop/ run, you will have occasional episodes of external parasites to deal with. As long as you stay ahead of them, all will be well. I go out every week or so, at night, with a flashlight, and inspect maybe six or eight birds (out of 45), especially at least one of the roosters. If any bird has ONE mite or louse, everyone gets the permethrin spray treatment, very soon. Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I only use Ivermectin if fecal parasite counts are an issue; hasn't happened in two or three years here. Mary

 

[trudyg]

I assumed scaly leg when the scales started lifting and looking dirty. I treated that with ivermectin dropped on the skin and a follow-up treatment at the 7 day mark (would have gone 10 except I was also doing the permethrin spray).

I assumed lice after reading the thread where someone found a small gray bug on the eggs. I had seen many of these small gray bugs in the nest box, hence the treatment.

After going thru all of that already, I'm not looking forward to doing it all again but will if I must. They are free range, staying in the 8X12 coop at night and out in the chicken yard (just over a half-acre for 5 birds) during the day. I realize they are exposed since I don't attempt to keep wild birds out and we have fruit trees in that area.

the roo and 2 hens are molting, one is just about done molting & has new feathers. Only 1 is actually laying at this point, so I will check her bum tonight and see what's there. I'm not concerned about using sevin on the structure--I realize it's not approved, but I'm not a commercial enterprise and I'll do it if it kills the ones in the coop. I'm not applying it to the birds, just the structure, and I brush it into crevices. If they get it on their feet I'm not too worried since they aren't eating it or breathing it in.

 

[aart]

I assumed scaly leg when the scales started lifting and looking dirty.

Good assumption.
Best treated with some kind of oil or petroleum jelly rubbed up under scales once a week for several weeks. You should see some improvement in scale appearance pretty quick but it can take weeks for scales to totally refresh, sometimes they never look quite right again if the infestation is particularly bad.

I assumed lice after reading the thread where someone found a small gray bug on the eggs. I had seen many of these small gray bugs in the nest box, hence the treatment.

Bad assumption IMO.
I don't treat unless I see the bugs on the birds or red roost smears and positively ID them using the procedure I outlined in my post above.

JMHO.

 

[trudyg]

So, after some research, the bug may be a poultry tick. I did not see any pictures of this bug, so I'm not 100%. The treatment is the same-permethrin or sevin. I have already filled all the cracks and crevices with sevin dust but will spray more thoroughly this weekend. All of my ladders/roosts/etc can be lifted or removed, so I know the dust got into all the spots. The only places I can't easily do are the studs in the walls/ceiling. I will wet these joints thoroughly when I spray. What do you think of neem oil? I could coat surfaces with it, I'm thinking it will stay for a long time. I also have powdered elemental sulfur that I can dust with but it sure does smell.

 

[Folly's place]

Adding different products isn't the answer; you've got bugs coming in, and need to continue with the spray as directed. Ticks especially are tough and will die, but not as fast as lice, mites, or any flies. With all that insecticide already present, it was likely a sick dying tick (the best kind!). Mary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I will say this one more time yet again, mix Permethrin spray with used motor oil then cover and fill all the joints, roost, and cracks in your coop with this mixture.

Also use a magnifying class to positively identify whether the pest that your dealing with is a louse or a mite. Hint #1: one has 6 legs and the other 8 legs.

Hint #2: if you are dealing with Gray Mites AKA Northern Fowl mites you must either spray, or soak, or dip the bodies of your chickens in a mixture of Permethrin and water. Use a hand pump up garden sprayer to shoot some of this Permethrin and warm water mixture under each wing, around the vent, on the neck and back, and then between each leg. The good news is that you can accomplish this at night without handling your hens.

Hint #3: go back the next night and use Vaseline to grease up all your chickens legs to keep down the scaley leg mites.

When you only treat a few birds at a time your just playing musical mites with your chickens' lives.

 

[aart]

Also use a magnifying class to positively identify whether the pest that your dealing with is a louse or a mite. Hint #1: one has 6 legs and the other 8 legs.

Exactly.