poultry mites or lice --something unseen crawling on us! HELP

[willkatdawson]

For the first time since having chickens I felt like I had something crawling in my hair yesterday after leaving the coop.

Later on my son said he felt something crawling on his arms. YUCK!!! Neither one of us saw what it was. Do you think it's mites or lice. I have a mother hen and 4, 3 day old chicks in the coop closet. Is liquid seven something I should spray the coop with to get rid of these? I'm scratching while I'm writing this. I don't feel anything crawling anymore but the thought of something on my children and myself is creeping my out.

I read about Ivermectin, Pyrethrin and an organic Orange product under the learning center but I want to know what members use and what you have found to work. If you use these products will it hurt the chicks and how long before you can eat the eggs again? THANKS

 

[onthespot]

Sounds like mites. I got that feeling on my arm after checking for eggs under a broody. Found out I was REALLY allergic to their bites too. I looked in the coop in general and noticed some of the hens giveing occasional quick shake to the head, but none of the other birds in surrounding runs were doing that. I dusted them with poultry dust and hit them again a week later and changed the bedding in the nest boxes, sprinkled a little dust on the new bedding as well and they were gone and never came back. That was about a month ago or longer.

 

[Chickenaddict]

I battled mites all winter long, had to dust them twice and gut the coops, nests ect... I finally just picked up a bottle of adams flea and tick spray with IGR. That dust is nasty stuff and makes a horrible mess but it does work, if you can tolerate the dust factor. The spray is sooo much more simple and faster. A bit expensive but worth it to me

 

[TXmom]

I'm sorry, I don't have advice about treating them, but if you or the kids feel something "crawling" on you or under your skin, you should probably see a doctor about scabies. I know someone who's kid got them from an infected dog.

 

[Picky Chicky]

Luckily we didn't have any winter mites/lice issues (knock on wood), but I'm feeling itchy at just the thought of what you're going through.

Reminds me of when DD got lice in 1st grade. I had to treat her FOUR times (and us, and the house, and the linens..and... and... uggggh) before she finally stopped bringing it home. I was SO ready to go to her school and start treating the kids myself. I was convinced that there was that one parent who wasn't treating their kid and that kid was passing it around several times over to everyone.

Sorry, got off topic a little.

 

[willkatdawson]

OK I think I've figured this out. I checked our newly out of quarintene SP roo. He's a cochin and he has both lice and mites in the feathers around his vent. The breeder I bought him from spayed him with Frontline the day I bought him because she said they can harbor both mites and lice easily. I looked at all 7 of my chickens and only he and my broody hen who has just hatched chicks 3 days ago have them. All my other hens take long dust baths with DE and ash everyday and they show no signs of either. We all held the roo for long peroids of time yesterday because he's so sweet. For some reason the Roo never takes a dust bath. The broody I guess got them from sitting on her eggs and not dusting herself often. Have you heard of frontline for lice and mites in poultry. The bottle said it killed lice and mites and she said she used it on all her birds. It was from the same frontline we get from the vet for fleas. She orders it mailorder. She sprayed a few drops under his wings and neck and vent. Obviously I need to retreat. What can I use on my hen that has them and on the coop?

 

[riderbecky]

We had a mite outbreak here this winter and the only thing I used was DE. Dusted both the chickens and the nest boxes. Took a couple of weeks but finally stopped seeing them. Now I need to go shower as I've got a nasty case of the heebie geebies.

 

[3peeps]

I found mites or lice on my girls today...one really bad, after I brought her in to clean up a bloody comb.

I felt itchy afterward, but thought it was just psychological. I took a shower and haven't been itchy until reading this again. So, I'm thinking it's a mental thing!

However, if there is persistent itching, more than one person has it, etc., I'm all for going to the doctor pronto! Scabies can make a person flip out! I'm not kidding.

 

[HennysMom]

I use Food Grade DE and dust the girls, their coop (when its empty; walls, roost, poop boards, everything!) as well as their pine bedding. Then I throw it in their pen as well and mix it in with the dirt.

They are 13 months old and I havent had any issues with lice or mites (

) so far. I've never used anything else on them as I'm afraid to use any type of chemical pesiticide type of thing.

 

[Cackel]

We have not had any nites but we fixed a sand box for out chickens and put the kids play sand in it and filled it good with the dust ,now everytime they take a dust bath they get treated for nites