Mites?

[Bejep714]

I noticed these above one of my hens butts today. Shes been having a messy bottom and we recently lost a hen to flystrike so I've been checking her alot to make sure that wont happen. I think these are mites, which is better than maggots. How do I get rid of them? I know elector psp can work, but I dont think we can afford enough to spray the entire flock and coop down multiple times. Does epsom salt bathes work? They're inside tonight and I assume that it's ok for now since everyone definitely has mites, but what do I do now?

 

[Jenbirdee]

to me, they look more like lice.
This link may be helpful
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

edit to add this https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-fleas-dealing-with-external-parasites.74599/

 

[dawg53]

View attachment 3591153
I noticed these above one of my hens butts today. Shes been having a messy bottom and we recently lost a hen to flystrike so I've been checking her alot to make sure that wont happen. I think these are mites, which is better than maggots. How do I get rid of them? I know elector psp can work, but I dont think we can afford enough to spray the entire flock and coop down multiple times. Does epsom salt bathes work? They're inside tonight and I assume that it's ok for now since everyone definitely has mites, but what do I do now?

Those are lice, not mites. Be thankful they arnt mites. Mites suck blood, cause anemia, then death. Lice are more of an irritant.
Buy Permethrin dust and dust your birds with it. Redust your birds in 10 days to kill lice hatched from eggs. If you see lice eggs on feather shafts, use coconut oil to remove them.

You'll have to clean out their coop and nest boxes. Dispose of the bedding far away from the coop or incinerate it, same for nesting material.

An easy way to dust your coop after removing bedding is to put a pile of the dust at the entrance to the coop. Close all the vents and ensure no birds are inside the coop.
Then get your leaf blower and hit the pile of dust at the entrance to the coop full blast with the leaf blower, close the entrance door. It will look like a smoke bomb went off inside the coop. It will take several hours for the dust to settle. It will get in every hidden crack and crevice inside the coop, killing the lice and any other bugs.

Then after the dust has settled, open all the vents and put fresh bedding inside the coop and nest boxes. Sprinkle a little Permethrin dust on the new bedding and pat it down.
Wear chicken clothes and shoes, also a mask when you do this procedure.
It's best to start in the morning, it'll take several hours before the dust settles and you'll have to leave the coop in lockdown until then.

 

[Bejep714]

Ok sounds good I'll do that, I used some elector psp and sprayed the hen and the coop a bit, does that work at all with lice?

 

[dawg53]

Yes, it treats lice as well as mites.

 

[Bejep714]

Will regular dust from regular dirt work or does it have to be the permethrin dust?

 

[Jenbirdee]

Will regular dust from regular dirt work or does it have to be the permethrin dust?

nope!!!...
and you said you already used elector psp... on the birds and in their coop... so therefore you dont need to use the permethrin also.
follow directions for your elector psp...
read the first link i sent you, the elector psp is a one time treatment and does not have to be repeated in 7-10 days