Mites or just dusty?

[HeyHo]

Doing a routine check on my buff orpington, I noticed areas of gray dust near the base of her feathers, just below the vent area. Did she take a really good dust bath and just hasn't shaken off all the debris? Or is this the start of mites? It doesn't look like the mite pics I find online, but those may be extreme cases. I'm fairly new to chickens and have not yet had to deal with mites/lice, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Could be the beginnings of lice nits right at the base of a few feathers, but it's very hard to tell!

https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[HeyHo]

Could be the beginnings of lice nits right at the base of a few feathers, but it's very hard to tell!

https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

Thanks! (I'm glad it's not just me that can't tell.) My girls have no other issues and otherwise seem their usual selves. So I'll just keep an eye on it. I've got one week old chicks in the brooder that will be integrating into the big coop in a month or so. If I'm not sure in a few weeks, perhaps I'll treat before that.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes, that's the bugs.. don't wait to treat. Nice catch! I can see her skin is a little red instead of light pink.

My preferred method... a permethrin based spray.

Soaking is not required. Just a small spritz... right below the vent, in each wing pit, and at the back of the head where the base meets the neck... Making sure feathers are parted and spray hits the skin. Under $8 for this bottle and it lasted my 2 large goats, 3 medium dogs, and 82+ birds for more than 2 years. But it comes under other brand names like Gordon's... sold in the cattle section, but labeled for use in chickens and does NOT require any withdrawal time for eggs. I bought it for mosquitoes but discovered its' many uses.

I'm still learning how to identify these things... yours look like (maybe) northern fowl mites. Either way, this stuff works!

The first time I saw nits like that... I thought it was clumps of dried on mud. It is NOT.

Retreat after 10 days (or according to directions) to completely interrupt the life cycle and get anything that still hatches. This will ensure they are taken care of and help avoid them building resistance to the drug.

If you have a hard time catching your birds... wait and do this after dark using a flashlight or head lamp. Treat everyone. They *should* stay in their place on roost if you keep it dark enough. Easy peasy.

I also treat nest boxes and coop floor and roosts.

 

[HeyHo]

Yes, that's the bugs.. don't wait to treat. Nice catch! I can see her skin is a little red instead of light pink.

My preferred method... a permethrin based spray.

Thanks for the confirmation! I definitely don't want them uncomfortable, so I will treat once I get the spray. What about Elector PSP? That's what Chicken Chick recommends but is very pricey. Is it better for the environment or healthier?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks for the confirmation! I definitely don't want them uncomfortable, so I will treat once I get the spray. What about Elector PSP? That's what Chicken Chick recommends but is very pricey. Is it better for the environment or healthier?

It's a personal choice, I can't spend that type of dough right now... even if it does last forever.

To me organic poison is still poison. I think the Elector is an enzyme. They sell a cheap enzyme based one called poultry protector at Wally, some gave good reviews last time I checked.

Regarding better for the environment... the permethrin is a syntehetic form of pyrethrin extract from a chrysanthemum flower. It is broken down by sunlight... so the residual effect can vary depending on your weather. We drink our ground water here without any extra filtering so I'm kind of uptight about what I will and won't use. No problems with the permethrin so far. I have used it on broody's and chicks as well... using a cotton swab to apply for chicks.

With ANY advice you MUST also use your own judgement... chicken chick also suggest dipping in gasoline for scaly leg mite (as one option), I would never do that. She gives a LOT of good advice and information though.

 

[HeyHo]

With ANY advice you MUST also use your own judgement....

Totally agreed! Thank you for your thoughtful insight!

 

[Blingchix6]

I have used Elector PSP for mites and it WORKS!! No egg withdrawal either. It is pricey, but an 8 oz bottle will yield almost 30 gallons of product...making the cost of each gallon around $5. With Elector PSP, you treat once and you are done. I have also used Frontline for the first time this yer, and my chickens are all free of mites,lice and nits. Full size birds get 2 drops behind the neck and 2 drops below their vents. Bantams get 1&1. Good luck!

 

[HeyHo]

Follow up question. I dusted the hens with permethrin about 10 days ago (because that is the product that the very knowledgeable chicken adviser at my feed store recommended for a first treatment). I cleaned the coop all out. And I've been checking almost every night and seeing no night time evidence of mites. But several of my girls still have gray dust near their feather shafts in the vent area and, for one or two, their skin is a little reddish (looks just like my original picture). None of them have any evidence of anything under their wings or anywhere else. Otherwise they are totally fine, eating, drinking, pooping, digging holes, laying an egg a day, bright red combs.

Do they even have mites? Do I dust again? Did I not do enough the first treatment? Do I get the permethrin spray? Do I get Elector PSP? I realize that I need to make my own decisions on this, but I am looking for advice because I have a tendency to overreact. I'm tempted to give the 2 or 3 with the dust/redness a butt bath to get everything squeaky clean.

I have 4 chicks in the brooder, so I need to get this resolved in the next couple weeks before I introduce them to the coop/run.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

I would dust again, get any hatchlings!!