Mites or Lice? Please help identify and need treatment for Ducks and chickens

[Folly's place]

Try to look at everyone, around the vents, and neck, and under wings. My roosters often have mites, or more mites, than some of the hens. It will vary!
Mary

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I will check them. Is there anything wrong with spraying the Gordon's permethrin spray on the birds during the day or is it just easier at night?

 

[Folly's place]

It's easier!
Mary

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have had mites 2X on my birds in the years I have had poultry and always on my chickens never my water fowl even though they sleep in the same coop. Mainly I think because the water fowl bathe. I used a powder for my chickens I put the powder inside a paper bag you could probably double a plastic grocery bag and put the powder inside of it too then put the chicken inside feet first then close the bag up around the neck and gently shake till the bird is completely covered. Once you set it on the ground it's going to shake out excess powder. To me this helped keep the dust from me and my birds inhaling much. I have never treated my water fowl but I did clean out both sides of the coop and sprayed the heck out of it. making sure to do top bottom and all crack and crevices. Take the bedding and bag up or carry far away from where your coop and birds are so the mites don't just make their way back. The mites on my birds were black and smaller than a pepper flake. I bought the dust at my feed store and it was cheaper bagged than in the shaker can.

 

[quackersandfern]

This infographic might help answer your question - http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/identifying-common-ectoparasites-of-backyard-poultry

 

[casportpony]

This infographic might help answer your question - http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/identifying-common-ectoparasites-of-backyard-poultry

That is a pretty good site, but it is *full * of misinformation. I really wish people would stop posting links to it.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

That is a pretty good site, but it is *full * of misinformation. I really wish people would stop posting links to it.

Do you have a source that covers a vast amount of accurate information? I was planning on doing a search here for "poultry lice" and "poultry mites". I thought I was taking the proper steps to keep my birds safe by cleaning out coops and runs on a very regular basis, checking the birds over really well at least once a week (usually more often), and anything else I could think of, but I was wrong. It doesn't seem feasible to do any preventative treating in fear of building up a resistance. If you have any advice or suggestions, please feel free to share as I'm so grateful for the chance to learn more. The more I think about wild animals bringing things with them, the possibilities are endless. My bachelor Flock constantly hangs out under my wild bird feeder that feeds so many crows and other wild birds. Squirrels are rapidly reproducing so there are ALWAYS squirrels around my coops. At the pond, I have a pair of Canada Geese that are working on a nest, plus we've had wrens on multiple occasions that will hang out for days. These are all examples that I've witnessed often, so I'm sure there are lots of animals that I don't see.

I did pick up some of the Gordon's spray and masks (which are incredibly difficult to find because of the coronavirus apparently) and will be using it tonight for my 17 chickens, 6 ducks, a duck house, 2 coops, and 2 runs. If anyone has any advice, tips, tricks, suggestions, or anything they'd like to share, PLEASE share it. I will be grateful

 

[cmom]

I personally spray the coop thoroughly weekly for about a month. That should take care of the pests. I also put permethrin dust in the nest boxes. So far it has been working. I don't do a preventative spray but if I see anything suspicious, I began another month of weekly thoroughly spraying inside of my coops. I have a number of coops so I buy the concentrate. Spray in every crack and crevice, everywhere. Wild creatures such as birds, rats, mice, etc., can bring in and introduce the pests into your coop. As long as you don't use it continuously, there should be no problems controlling the pests.

 

[casportpony]

Do you have a source that covers a vast amount of accurate information

Most university sites have pretty accurate information, though some might be a little dated.

 

[casportpony]

This site is pretty good, but it also has misinformation.
https://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2391&Itemid=2654