Pest help PLEASE!

[omnislash]

This is my first post here, so hi to everyone who is nice enough to help me and my poor chickens out.

Last night I looked out the window and saw my silly bantam rooster perched in a tree with his younger buddy. If he wasn't bright white I wouldn't of seen him. I go outside with my flashlight and get them out of the tree. I brought them in the house to get a better look at the younger chicken. I was trying to decide if it is a rooster and I have been unable to catch it during the day. In the house I saw that they had teeny tiny little white bugs crawling all over their combs, wattles and beaks. I've tried googling these pests, but something is wrong with all the descriptions, either too big or the wrong color. These guys were tiny, just a little speck of white, I hardly noticed it first, and then saw there were tons of them all over my poor chickens. I can't stress how itty bitty these bugs were and white. If you know what these icky things are and how to get rid of them please let me know. I've noticed in the past 2 weeks that I've been getting less eggs. I thought maybe they heat had something to do with it. But now I'm wondering about pests. Thanks in advance for anyone who can help.

 

[ChickenCat]

I don't know, I would like to know also. Just giving a bump up so maybe someone with the "know" will answer.

 

[omnislash]

Thanks for the bump. Didn't think to say this in the first post. I went and looked at the chicken today, and there were no bugs on them. Just went and pulled him out of the tree again to lock him up with the other chickens and the bugs are on him again. I guess they only feed on them at night???

 

[skeeter03]

A lice of some type? - phone a local vet and ask them they might know.

 

[Crystalchic]

i never seen what mites look like
but i use food grade D.E in my pens
try to google chicken mites or lice
good luck

 

[duckboatprincess]

I looked it up and found this. Maybe this is what it is? "Chicken Head Louse." From the sounds of it, the only way to get rid of it is with some sort of dust made for poultry?

 

[omnislash]

The chicken head louse sounds about right. Now to research how to kill the nasty things. Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[purpletree23]

Use Poultry lice and mite powder. It is made with Pyrethren. An extract of a flower. You should be able to find it at your local feed store. Treat all the birds and the coop. The lice can actually kill the bird if they attack in large numbers for a long period of time.

Treat once and then treat again in 7 days to make sure you kill anything that hatches. Make sure you are on a worming schedule for them also.