Stick tight Fleas... HELP!!!!!!

[Newchickiemamma]

I know! Could it be dirt that is just really stuck on her? Maybe I will try washing her face with a q-tip and some warm water to see if any come off.

 

[Tesumph]

I know! Could it be dirt that is just really stuck on her? Maybe I will try washing her face with a q-tip and some warm water to see if any come off.

Maybe it’s dead fleas..?

 

[Newchickiemamma]

Update: I cleaned out the entire coop top to bottom using a vinegar solution and water. I shoveled the top of the soil in the run out and sprayed the nematodes. I sprayed most of the coop down with permethrin (inside and outside) and the nesting boxes down with pro manna poultry spray. Once everything dried I sprinkled a generous amount of DE everywhere and replaced the bedding with pine shavings and put herbs in the nesting boxes. Yesterday when President Lincoln came out to range she wasn’t itching at all! I think she may have had mites! I am going to reclean after a week and hopefully this problem is solved! Thanks everyone for your input! Also, I still haven’t gotten the fleas off of her face, when I went up after the cleaning to remove the fleas the chickens seemed to be out of sorts and were all wide awake even after the sun went down. I will try again in a few days. My only problem now is I was bitten by something (maybe a tick?) while cleaning the coop. It has become very swollen and irritated since yesterday and a sore throat, irritation of my ear is starting to develop. I will be posting on another thread with more detail for identification.

 

[PouleChick]

Those up close photos dont' look like fleas - in fact they look like gravel, if you look closely they have quite angular sides which doesn't look like a living thing to me! If they have been rubbing thier faces on the ground as you said they could easily have got bits stuck to thier faces. Did you check under the perches for red mites? Seems an option if they were standing up when you went to check.

 

[Newchickiemamma]

I’m hoping it’s gravel! I can’t get the pieces off of them! They seem to be stuck in her skin and since she’s broody she is very moody so I have to wait till she’s sleeping to try to get them off with tweezers. I know it’s bothering her because she actually let me rub them the other day with my bare hands and nothing would come off!!! I did notice some type of mite when I was cleaning the coop. I have no idea what they were. Very very small black specs that moved very fast. I did apply a generous amount of DE to her as well and she started dust bathing in the spots where I put the DE so that’s a plus. I also noticed when I moved their waterer that there were tiny black bugs “jumping” around on the ground. I now hang their water and food, they didn’t like it at first but they’re acclimating. I plan to go up on Tuesday or Wednesday to investigate further and try to pick these things off her face with tweezers. What would be an indication that they are sticktight fleas? How will I know the difference between a flea and dirt?

 

[PouleChick]

How will I know the difference between a flea and dirt?

Dirt doesn't jump

 

[Newchickiemamma]

Do stick tight fleas jump once they’ve been removed? And I think they’re dead...

 

[Kiki]

DE isn't going to do anything but irritate your birds. Use the permethrin in thier nest boxes and spray it on the birds to.
Repeat in 7-10 days.

 

[casportpony]

Do stick tight fleas jump once they’ve been removed? And I think they’re dead...

They do jump if you don't kill them.

 

[Newchickiemamma]

Thank you for the input! The one I pulled off my chicken flossy magically disappeared out of the tweezers before I had a chance to inspect it. Perhaps it jumped? She had a blood spot where I pulled it out the next day...