Sorry couldn't resist the pun in the title!!! I do actually have a problem with mites though. (Or is it lice? What is the difference?) I noticed smaller-than-gnat-sized bugs crawling around on m BO Daffodil earlier and as she looked bothered by them I gave her a quick bath. I went out to look tonight for more on the others but they didn't seem bothered. I have also noticed during the last several days some of my chickens are pale-combed and not quite as active. I was trying to figure out why and actually ordered some wormer. (Rooster booster triple action wormer.) But now I think it is the mites affecting them. Daffodil is the only chicken that I've actually seen them ON her. I saw two different bugs tonight when I went out: A flat, biggerish red bug and a small black gnat sized bug. Daffodil was in the nesting box and the red bug (Only saw one) Was on her, around her vent, and on some caked poop that was on her. The black bugs were in the box on the poop in the box. (Just noticed tonight how dirty my boxes are...) Like I said, most of the others don't look affected but one other has poop around her vent. So this is my conclusion about my mite problem:
I caught it early.
Only 1 seems to be really affected, less active, loosing weight, pale comb. Sleeps in nesting box, where most of the bugs are. 1 other with poop butt. 2 others with pale comb not quite as active. Drop in egg production.
Small black bugs and bigger flat red bug.
We had a rainy spell a week or two ago=Unable to dust bath=mites/lice
My questions=
should I worm them anyway? Would it help at all?
Lice or mites? Both?
How do I treat them?
Do I have to clean out the WHOLE coop AND the runs?
This is what I think I will do:
I want to switch to sand in the coop. I will clean every single shaving out of the coop (Done this once before a year ago...not fun...) Scrub it out, or maybe spray some mite repellant or killer, paying special attention to the roosts/nesting box prinkle permerithin dust and/or DE put down the sand, sprinkle more dust and/or DE, and dust the chickens with dust and/or DE paying special attention to the vent/under the wings. Willing worming them help get rid of the mites?
Do you think that will take care of it?! If you have had mites please pipe in and say what you did!
I caught it early.
Only 1 seems to be really affected, less active, loosing weight, pale comb. Sleeps in nesting box, where most of the bugs are. 1 other with poop butt. 2 others with pale comb not quite as active. Drop in egg production.
Small black bugs and bigger flat red bug.
We had a rainy spell a week or two ago=Unable to dust bath=mites/lice
My questions=
should I worm them anyway? Would it help at all?
Lice or mites? Both?
How do I treat them?
Do I have to clean out the WHOLE coop AND the runs?
This is what I think I will do:
I want to switch to sand in the coop. I will clean every single shaving out of the coop (Done this once before a year ago...not fun...) Scrub it out, or maybe spray some mite repellant or killer, paying special attention to the roosts/nesting box prinkle permerithin dust and/or DE put down the sand, sprinkle more dust and/or DE, and dust the chickens with dust and/or DE paying special attention to the vent/under the wings. Willing worming them help get rid of the mites?
Do you think that will take care of it?! If you have had mites please pipe in and say what you did!
