Really need advice

[longranger]

My 3 broody hens are 14 days into sitting on turkey eggs and are doing a great job with at least 9 of 12 eggs having embryos with movement. Started with 16. 4 did not develop. Current problem is that the nest areas are now teaming with tiny creepy crawlies. Mostly barely visible little guys that are very active and not at all shy of the light. Also a few ants. They are not red mites, or lice. I recognize those. Never have seen northern mites but that would seem unlikely in the heat of the summer in southern California They do not appear to be bothering the hens but I would like to change the bedding greatly reduce the bug burden for the rest of the incubation.

What if anything should I put on the hens and new bedding? I have DE and poultry dust and could pick up injectable ivermectin. The last idea I am not keen on at all.My greatest fear is that whatever they are will stress the newly hatched poults. Interesting observation is that 2 birds I culled from that coop today have zero evidence of any kind of infestation or skin irritation. Don't want to just change the bedding to see them back in the same numbers in a day or 2 and don't want to do something stupid. Do not have bator space available either.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This site mentions Tropical mites. It could easily be the tropical mites if not the northern.

I would treat them as if it were northern or tropical mites, using the poultry dust and change the bedding. They may be sucking the blood and weakening the hens. As long as you don't coat the surface of the eggs to where the developing chick cannot breath (the egg shells are porous so the developing chick can breath) the eggs will be fine. That's why I prefer dust to a spray for broody hens.

A University of Arkansas Ag professor once said that red roost mites kill more broody hens than anything else. That's probably because people don't realize they have the roost mites since they only come out at night, but that is my guess, not known knowledge. I know you said they are not red roost mites (which are not necessarily red, by the way) but I'd consider northern or tropical mites also dangerous. Many people, before they give a broody hen eggs, change the bedding and treat the nest and hen as if she had mites as a precaution.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

Good luck!