MITES! PLEASE HELP!

[Chickensfan]

She seems to have a LOT of mites. I am taking her back to the place where I got her and they will try to treat her.

 

[Sbell]

I'm having a similar experience, except I don't know if it's mites or lice, the bugs are about the size of the tip of a ball point pen, and pale in color. They were found on the eggs today. My question is which kind of bug are they, can people catch them? One day the story might be funny but they were crawling up my arm so it's still a little fresh for comfort. Please help ease my mind before I try to sleep tonight! Thanks

 

[JaeG]

I'm having a similar experience, except I don't know if it's mites or lice, the bugs are about the size of the tip of a ball point pen, and pale in color. They were found on the eggs today. My question is which kind of bug are they, can people catch them? One day the story might be funny but they were crawling up my arm so it's still a little fresh for comfort. Please help ease my mind before I try to sleep tonight! Thanks

I'd say they are mites as lice like to stay on the chickens (they die pretty quickly if they fall off). Mites like to hide in your coop especially under the roosts (run your hand under them and look for streaks of blood) and nest boxes and come out during the night to feast on your birds. Some people can have quite a reaction to mite bites (I did as I battled them - very itchy) so make sure you shower after cleaning out the coop and put your clothes straight in the washing machine.

When you clean out the coop and hit them with your chosen method of eradication you need to dispose of the bedding. Burning it is the best option, but I bagged mine up, put the bags as far away from my chickens as I could and kept spraying it all with fly spray every couple of days.

Good luck! Just ask if you need more help.

 

[Sbell]

I'd say they are mites as lice like to stay on the chickens (they die pretty quickly if they fall off). Mites like to hide in your coop especially under the roosts (run your hand under them and look for streaks of blood) and nest boxes and come out during the night to feast on your birds. Some people can have quite a reaction to mite bites (I did as I battled them - very itchy) so make sure you shower after cleaning out the coop and put your clothes straight in the washing machine.

When you clean out the coop and hit them with your chosen method of eradication you need to dispose of the bedding. Burning it is the best option, but I bagged mine up, put the bags as far away from my chickens as I could and kept spraying it all with fly spray every couple of days.

Good luck! Just ask if you need more help.

Just to be clear, I have no worry of them hosting on people? Thanks so much for your prompt reply!

 

[JaeG]

I think some bird mites can transfer inside but it's usually from a bird nest in your roof that then gets abandoned, leaving the resident mites with nothing to eat. There are quite a few different types of bird mite. I certainly didn't manage to transfer them indoors (despite them trying to eat me alive as I was cleaning out the coop). I also avoided transferring them to my aviary, or bantam coop/run (much to my great relief). So just be careful and you shouldn't have anything to worry about. They are awful things. But do treat your birds and coop because they can kill your chickens if you don't get on top of them.

If you don't have a big coop then painting the inside with neem oil (I did a 50% neem 50% water mix) should kill them off and it stops insects from being able to move to their next stage of development. It apparently interfers with their appetite so they starve too. I keep checking for mites by running my hand under the roosts and I found evidence of mites again the other day so I dosed my coop once more. It's been at least 3 months since my big outbreak of them, and they seem to turn up every time we have a rat problem (rats apparently can carry the little suckers, as can wild birds).

 

[GGBEAR]

rofl orange scented soap

 

[Folly's place]

Permethrin spray or dust is very effective and actually approved for use on poultry, unlike the carbaryl or ivermectin. The spray is the easiest to use, but the powder does work. Mary

 

[TinyBirds]

Neem oil use a dropper and put above vent and under armpits and behind neck.

 

[casportpony]

Permethrin spray or dust is very effective and actually approved for use on poultry, unlike the carbaryl or ivermectin. The spray is the easiest to use, but the powder does work. Mary

And the spray has a longer residual effect than the powder.

 

[ILuvMyFlock]

It's normal for outdoor birds to have mites.