Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[aoxa]

This is the first time any of my birds have had mites or lice.  Is it possible that they got it from a flock of wild Turkeys that have been hanging around the coops looking for food?  They were back again today.
I want to continue breeding throughout the winter, so I am not sure that the frontline would work for me.  I do like the sound of the Permethrin spot-on and premise treatment though, I'll get some tomorrow.  They are back in the coops while the barn was getting the royal treatment, it was just too much for me to do EVERYTHING. 





Can the birds OD on the chemicals?

Instead of using chemicals try wood ash. SO many swear by it, and it's completely harmless.

My bantam Ameraucanas came back from show with mites. I've had lice before, but never mites. I dusted EVERYONE with wood ash and it cleared up. Thank God! Only the bantam Ameraucanas had it. They are kept separate from the general population anyway. They must have picked it up from the birds beside them at the show, as I dusted BEFORE the show. I checked over after the show, and everyone seemed fine. Guess I missed something.

 

[thedragonlady]

Ok guys, I need some major help. As much as I hate to admit it and I am quite embarrassed to even ask....my flock has mites, what now? I am over asking myself how this could have happened, I am so careful, but now we gotta get rid of them. They were all in the barn for Hurricane Sandy, so now basically they all have them, some less severe than others. I completely stripped out the barn, bleached the slab along with all of the fencing, carriers, and anything that they may have come into contact with, including my coop boots. They were all powdered on Friday. They are in the crests as well, how do I treat the crest. I am ok with an aggressive method of treatment, what is the fastest and most effective way to kill em dead? Is it possible to have mites and lice?

If I am treating them with the powder, how long until it kills them? I looked them over today, and the little red critters, were still alive and well.

I am so frustrated, I have been sick for the past few weeks, and now this. It took every bit of energy I had to strip the barn. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated, and I know I am not alone because I have my "silkies peeps".

Permethrin liquid spray will get into all the cracks and crevices in your coops.The powder will not. You can find permethrin at garden centers. I've even used it on canaries.Have you been dusting your birds before leaving a show for home? I always used 1% CORAL powder before cooping out. It is available from Jeffers, or Omaha Vaccine. Are these red mites, or lice? Crest mites are the worst. You have to completely wet the crest and beard with the diluted Permethrin. Repeat in 7 days.

Permethrin spray used once a month with a spray at the vent, and one under each wing, will keep your birds bug free IF you powder them at shows before coming home.

 

[Adoravachick]

Permethrin liquid spray will get into all the cracks and crevices in your coops.The powder will not. You can find permethrin at garden centers. I've even used it on canaries.Have you been dusting your birds before leaving a show for home? I always used 1% CORAL powder before cooping out. It is available from Jeffers, or Omaha Vaccine. Are these red mites, or lice? Crest mites are the worst. You have to completely wet the crest and beard with the diluted Permethrin. Repeat in 7 days.

Permethrin spray used once a month with a spray at the vent, and one under each wing, will keep your birds bug free IF you powder them at shows before coming home.

I did dust them before coming him from the show. Now that you ask, the base of the feathers in the crest has those white looking eggs, so I thought lice at first, but the little creepy crawlies are red. I have no experience with lice or mites, so they may very be lice. It very well may be both.....now I am not really sure...

 

[aoxa]

I did dust them before coming him from the show.  Now that you ask, the base of the feathers in the crest has those white looking eggs, so I thought lice at first, but the little creepy crawlies are red.  I have no experience with lice or mites, so they may very be lice.  It very well may be both.....now I am not really sure... 

Mites are round and very very small. Lice are quite large in comparison. They can look a reddish colour as well.

 

[Adoravachick]

Mites are round and very very small. Lice are quite large in comparison. They can look a reddish colour as well.

I just looked online, they are mites.....crest mites.....yuck.

 

[aoxa]

I just looked online, they are mites.....crest mites.....yuck.

How many do you have? Can you bathe them all with flea and tick shampoo and then dust them?

Mites leave a lot of dirt and bathing them could really help. Never had mites on silkies, but I have had lice.

 

[thedragonlady]

I did dust them before coming him from the show. Now that you ask, the base of the feathers in the crest has those white looking eggs, so I thought lice at first, but the little creepy crawlies are red. I have no experience with lice or mites, so they may very be lice. It very well may be both.....now I am not really sure...

WHAT did you dust them with?? Immature lice are much bigger than mites, and are sometimes reddish. Mites look like little dots of red pepper. The white eggs are telling me you have lice or maybe a combination of the two.

 

[aoxa]

WHAT did you dust them with?? Immature lice are much bigger than mites, and are sometimes reddish. Mites look like little dots of red pepper. The white eggs are telling me you have lice or maybe a combination of the two.

When I had mites - there was no question. When I had lice, I was like.. Hmm.. are those lice or mites?

Mites do look like pepper. Very tiny grains of sand even. But dark red (or brownish red).

Lice are flat and probably 2-3 times the size of mites. They leave those egg sacks usually around the beard. Haven't seen them in the crest, but I'm sure it can happen.

Mites leave their dirt mostly around the vent.

 

[Adoravachick]

WHAT did you dust them with?? Immature lice are much bigger than mites, and are sometimes reddish. Mites look like little dots of red pepper. The white eggs are telling me you have lice or maybe a combination of the two.

Garden and poultry dust with Permethrin. They are mites, but that's not to say that there aren't a few lice...because of the feather base.
I have 20 or so birds, so bathing them isn't completely out of the question. I may just bathe them BEFORE they go back into the barn. I am so disgusted.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: I have to say that I disagree, or at least partially disagree. Saying that the birds ARE such-and-so's lines should indicate that they were actually bred by such-an-so. Not just have such-and-so ancestry. Saying that the birds lineage came from such-and-so is a subtle but important difference. I have birds from George Mihalik, Fawkes Feather, Judy Lee. I would say those birds ARE their lines; their offspring I might say carry that lineage, but 1) they are crossed to birds from other lines and 2) I made the breeding choices that resulted in the offspring, for good or for bad. Even if I crossed two birds from the same breeder, I would still not say they ARE their line; once again, they did not make the breeding choice. I might say that both parents were that line, but not more than that.