Please help newby...PARASITES on chickens. Pls help identify

[r709shackleford]

Hi,
New to chicken keeping. I just found a good number small bugs. They are very quick. Some tiny some bigger. The bodies are shaped like two parts. Head area is round-ish. The body is longer shaped kind of oval like.

Also the skin has some blood looking spots on it. They are good sized, NOT perfectly round.
Two of the chickens have some bald spots on their bellies but those have been there for a while. No bugs that I knew of, I look regularly. These parasites are new.

They are clear AND see through looking. I hope to identify them ASAP. I will post pictures tmr. I hope to treat the chickens ASAP as I have will be busy next week. There are so many types of parasites; lice, mites, bed bugs and many more. Please post your pets pictures and what they are or links to good pictures and treatments.


Thanks!

 

[PerfectPoultry]

These are mites! They can help themselves and you can too! They take dust baths which can keep some away, but if they're really infested you need to but some mite dust from your local feed store! Hope I could help! Good luck!

 

[r709shackleford]

This is good advice. Thank you!
Have you had to deal with these parasites or do you have a close up picture?
My biggest fear is that they are bed bugs or some bug that can transmit to humans.

 

[hotrodflash]

Dust them with wood ash that has cooled, making sure to get the ashes in all areas, under wings between legs, etc. Also put either a large pan in their run/coop or something large enough for them to dust themselves. That will kill the mites/parasites and prevent them from getting them again.

 

[r709shackleford]

Thank you hotrodflash.

Also, I should mention I live in Alaska. It was -13 below outside. Coop is heated. But I have been having moisture problems. All vents are closed and there is a lot of moisture/frost building in my coop.

And most of the bugs i saw were near the chicken's vents/posteriors.

 

[hotrodflash]

Well since I live in East Texas, I have no clue what -13 degrees feels like, but I think you should open some of the vents at least during the daytime. It might help with the moisture problem. As for the mites, the vent area is pretty typical for a mite infestation. And the wood ash is natural so it won't hurt, can only help. I would rub it in really well and put out some for them to dust themselves. There is a thread on here about some very sick chickens that were saved with natural chicken keeping methods. Also a website called Natural Chicken Keeping that is by the ladies that are very active on that thread. Check it out. Great advice.

 

[r709shackleford]

I grew up in a hot and humid place. And last time I visited Dallas (in july) it was over a a hundred. It was painful. I would rather be in a cold place. I can always add layers, but I cant take off my skin.
The cold isnt bad here. Its only bad when its windy. Most people up north pumping oil don't stop working outside until about -40 below. Trucks usually run 24/7. Only turn them off inside or they dont restart. They can run for months at a time. lol. Google has a picture of a frozen solid Jack Daniels bottle. That happens about -30 to -40 below. But its great up here if you get a chance to visit!

Anyways...
I'll burn some birch and spruce firewood I have saved up. How much should I apply per chicken? About a cup or so? And should I cover the whole chicken?

Anyone know if a soak in Epsom Salt water would help? Or warm water with dawn dish soap with a good thorough rinse after? I know that is a home remedy against many unwanted pests on trees and shrubs.

I have a box fan in the coop going to move air around. And I am considering a dehumidifier if I can find one for cheap.
Here is my post about moisture in my coop. It goes into detail about the construction. If that helps at all.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...vetilation-problems-please-help#post_10043319

Tnx!

 

[r709shackleford]

Does bedding have anything to do with parasites? I have thin sheet metal down on the floor for easy scraping. Then sweep everything out the poop slot.
Then I spread around straw. I clean everything out about one every two weeks or as needed. What do you use and how often do you clean? How dirty do you let the coop get from droppings before you clean?

Tnx

 

[PerfectPoultry]

Same here it's pretty hot here in Texas most of the time.

 

[PerfectPoultry]

Yes, clean our ALL bedding and change it. The mites love to live in it.