Newb questions about bedbugs and ringworm fungus...

[Intheswamp]

Howdy. "Newb Warning!" here.

I was reading in Damerow's "The Chicken Health Handbook" and under the "External Parasites" chapter read "The most common bug that affects chickens is the bedbug."

I'm still debating the pro's and con's of starting a flock of chickens and the prospect of bringing bedbugs into the house throws a bit of cold water on things. Does bedbug infestations occur as often as Damerow seems to imply? With half-way decent management are they, along with lice and mites, easy to control/kill? (I say "half-way decent management" because I would be a rank novice and I'm sure my knowledge and experience would be lacking to begin with).

One reason I'm very concerned of causing an infestation that might enter into our home is that we had a "cat explosion" several years back that resulted in several instances of ring-worms.

We've finally gotten the cats under control and I don't want to suddenly be faced with another blight of some kind.

This brings us to the situation of ringworms in chickens...I know that chickens can contract ringworm fungus, but how *easily* do they contract it from contaminated soil? How long would the fungus live in the soil, etc., after the cats are gone?

Just trying to do my homework here. Thanks for any an all replies!
Ed

 

[miss_thenorth]

While I'm no expert-I can honestly say that I have NEVER heard about bedbugs from chickens. Or chickens with bed bugs for that matter. Also go no answer for your re: the ringworm. My only parasite infestation has been lice--and they got brought in by the small birds that nest in my barn. A pain, but easily controlled.

 

[Imp]

What miss_thenorth said.
Never heard of that either.Do you suppose they mean bugs in the bedding rather than literally "bedbugs"?

Imp- itching now

 

[Wifezilla]

Maybe they meant mites.

 

[Intheswamp]

Nope, it was the first external parasite noted in the chapter and "The most common bug that affects chickens is the bedbug." is a direct quote. It goes on to describe the bug and it's feeding procedure....which describes bedbugs pretty good....even has a line drawing of a bedbug.

Seems I recall reading a message where someone stated that a particular chicken book had some "iffy" statements in it. Maybe it's this book. ??? Seems like a pretty good book overall, though, but...what does a newb know?

Thanks for the feedback!
Ed

 

[Imp]

Quote:
You may now know more than the other 25,000 of us combined.

Imp

 

[NancyDz]

My brother had bedbugs once when he came home from a trip, got them in his luggage in the hotel apparently. Called me wanting some DE , gave him some and he got rid of the bed bugs. I've never heard of them on chickens. But if so, keep some DE in your coop and run and you should be fine.


Nancy

 

[Intheswamp]

Nope, Imp. I certainly don't know more than 25,000 folks combined. I feel that I now know just about enough to be really, really....dangerous!

I did a search for "Damerow" and she apparently is well respected in the poultry circles and viewed as more or less an expert. So, who knows? Maybe everybody has managed sanitation so well they haven't been cursed with bedbugs....????

I do believe, though, that I won't let this issue be what deters me (if I'm detered) from starting my flock.

Ed

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
What is DE?

 

[ivan3]

"Haematosiphon inodorus (Duges) is a large bug that normally infests poultry houses in the
southwestern United States and Mexico; it has also been reported from Florida.
It sometimes invades houses and frequently becomes a serious pest. Its
bite is severe." (sorry, couldn't resist

)

Handbook of Medical Entomology, 1915

http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofmedica00rile

Also known as the `Mexican bedbug'. Apparently was nearly wiped out by the advent of DDT but, of course, is making a reappearance, though not common.

BASF is advertising a `new' product in the following link, but the info and photos are not for the bug phobic:

http://bug-a-pest.com/Bedbug.pdf

Gay Renee wrote; What is DE?

FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth is a relatively effective, relatively benign, adjunct used in the suppression of those nasty ectoparasites that favor the taste of chook blood. It is not, however, Ivermectin.​