Mites or Lice?

[marie_martin]

I have a hen in a large dog box brooding some babies. She is a silkie. She is acting a bit off and one of her babies seemed a bit weak. So I was checking them out and on her rear area, she has little bugs, but I am not sure if they are lice or mites. I will dust and clean the area regardless, just wondering how to know which is which. These are pretty large, about the size of a flea on a dog, but light brown colored. I also found a bit of blood on a piece of shavings, not really in poop but just on a piece of shavings. Could they be biting her enough to bring blood or should I treat for cocci too? Thanks.

Marie

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

lice are bigger than mites
and you have lice
so do the clean up and when every thing is clean put down 5% seven dust good before adding the bedding

also you can put some oilve oil or cooking oil with a cotton swab on her behind and that will put the go on the lice as it smothers them and the area they are
EATING BLOOD FROM THE HEN
they are sucking blood from the chicks also
that is why the chicks are weak
give the hen some

is the hen and chicks in the chicken house?
if so clean it and use this to paint the wood that has cracks and or knot holes in it

CLEAN THE CHICKEN HOUSE AND

then you need to get the mites and lice where they live
take a gallon can and put 1 pt of cooking oil and 1 pint of keroseen and paint the roost poles
and all the cracks in the wood of the building
especially the knot holes if any are in the wood
these areas are where the mites and lice live and breed

then I would clean out the bedding and start fresh by putting
a good layer of sevin 5% on the bare floor now put the new bedding back in the building

this will get rid of the mites and lice and any lice and or living in the building
always do this so you can leave a window cracked that night
so fumes will escape

also feed this to hen and chicks
probiotic wet mash
3 tbsp of dry crumbles
2-1/1 tbsp of milk and 1 tbsp of yoguart
twice a day for the health of the chicks and her
if they are eating they will eat the wet mash also

email me PM with more questions

 

[Smoky73]

I would guess that they are lice by your description. Seven dust is fine, dust away.

 

[Imp]

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

marie_martin,

Maybe this will help

Imp

 

[NotTheMomma]

Sounds like lice. I'd dust with Sevin dust and repeat in about 10-14 days as any eggs still there will hatch out.

Congrats on the chicks!!

 

[TreeHugger]

Glenda - thanks for the recipe!!!! I got on here because I've been battling lice for the last week & I can't seem to get the under control. I've treated my chickens 3 times in the last week & I still have them. I've started to have nightmares. I will have to clear out my chicken house & paint the floors & roosts with that stuff!

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Lice are worse than mites. The same number can do a lot more damage to your birds.

DO clean your coop, go get some stall safe and use this. Do this after you remove all the bedding. Be sure to take the bedding you remove OFF YOUR property. Get the sevin 5 percent and dust like there ain't no tomorrow.

Put down fresh bedding and again spray with the stall safe.

You will be killing two pest in one fell swoop this way.

If you have and use DE dust this like there ain't no tomorrow also.

You WILL have a return of these critters because it is darn near impossible to rid the coop of them once they are there.

You are simply reducing their numbers.

 

[JakRat]

I heard from my neighboor today to put vinegar under their wings to prevent lice/mites. Has anyone else heard of this???

 

[marie_martin]

Well, I got home from work and everyone seemed ok. So maybe I caught it in time. I did not have anything mentioned except pyrethin (sp?) And I mixed some up and sprayed her with it and took out the bedding and sprayed the entire area with the spray. I soaked her down pretty good, especially her back, chest, under her wings and her rear area. I did find that there are eggs matted in the feathers around her vent area. The babies got under her and were damp too so everyone is in the brooder with the heat lamp on tonight. I only have a few moms with babies in the brooder house. So all will be treated tomorrow altough I did check the other moms and did not see much compared to the mom I mentioned. I also checked some broody girls who are in the main coop. Some sitting on eggs and some just sitting. Not much that I could see but all will get treated. I will clean out the bedding and spray everything down and use seven under the new bedding. I had some b-complex that I use to inject into my goats when they needed it for energy, etc. I put some in some water for the infected birds. I am still confused about the blood I found on the shavings though. None in the poop, just on some shavings in one spot. Any ideas? Should I treat for cocci too?

Thanks again for the help. I wish I could find DE in my area.

Marie