Tiny black bugs??

[Anonymous Chicken]

The Northern Fowl Mite DOES live on the host, they will leave (or fall off?) and can survive off the host for a number of weeks (3-4?). Red mites (perhaps others?) live in cracks/crevices/etc. and come out at night to feed as you have described. I am currently going through an infestation and have done considerable research, can provide authoritative sources if anyone is interested.

I brought one of my birds inside to a brooder box while I was treating her; there was a cage inside the box and the bird preferred to sit on top. When we lifted her for treatment we saw a number of "tiny black bugs" on the box, captured a few (clear plastic tape), used a professional camera/lens then used Photoshop to enlarge in order to identify what they were (see https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/microscopic-bugs.1425540/).

The NFM will transfer easily to a human if the bird is picked up and can be transported into a home if one is not careful. I have no experience with Red mites so cannot speak about them.

I recommend you examine your birds carefully to verify that they do not have mites. If they do then you have your source and need to take steps to get rid of them (this is a process of weeks with repeated treatments).

Thank you! Does the NFM type feed off of humans? How do you get them out of your house if so? And are there any specific types of treatments you have to use? Are you having success with your treatments? One thing that I didn't mention is, a while after we first noticed the bugs, we had to bring an injured chicken into our house. Today we noticed TONS of the bugs on her. YUCK!

Edit: Can they infest other/pet birds as well? We have parrots and finches, and that might be a problem...

 

[Anonymous Chicken]

Thanks! We Googled it, and this is what they look like:
View attachment 2454558

(They're not all over our hands, though)

 

[aart]

Thanks! We Googled it, and this is what they look like:
View attachment 2454558

So what are those?
Did you get a real close look at the ones in your house?
Insects are very hard to positively ID.....best not to jump to conclusions.

 

[Anonymous Chicken]

So what are those?
Did you get a real close look at the ones in your house?
Insects are very hard to positively ID.....best not to jump to conclusions.

We're still not sure exactly what kind they are (you're very right about them being hard to ID); the picture that I found didn't say what bug was in it. I still need to download my picture to post on the forum, but I should be able to post it soon!

 

[Anonymous Chicken]

We now think that they are mites for sure, but just trying to figure out which kind... and how to get rid of them. The confirmation coming from the fact that we've also been having really itchy red bumps, like described in this website:
https://www.healthline.com/health/bird-mites

Not sure if its that kind of mite, though, because they seem to be black, not grayish or white. There are no truly "infested" areas in our house, but we've seen a few on some surfaces and occasionally on us, and a lot on our chicken (but none on the ones outside, although I know that they might be infested but we can't see the mites on them). Kind of worried about our parrots and finches, though. Are there any mites that can infest both chickens and pet birds?

 

[Ted Brown]

Thank you! Does the NFM type feed off of humans? How do you get them out of your house if so? And are there any specific types of treatments you have to use? Are you having success with your treatments? One thing that I didn't mention is, a while after we first noticed the bugs, we had to bring an injured chicken into our house. Today we noticed TONS of the bugs on her. YUCK!

Edit: Can they infest other/pet birds as well? We have parrots and finches, and that might be a problem...

From what I understand NFM will bite humans and can cause irritation but do not live and propagate while on a human host. I believe this is the case with other mites but am not certain as my issue is NFM. As I and others have said Red mites live off the host and can survive for many months without feeding so definitely more of a concern if they end up in your home.

I cannot offer any advice on how to get rid of them once they are in the house but do recall reading something that suggested it can be a major undertaking. Use Google BUT you need to identify specifically what mite you have as your course of action will change (NFM you can just wait and within a few weeks they will die; Red mites are much more difficult to get rid of both in a coop or in the home).

I have used two treatments - Permethrin (purchased from Tractor Supply, cheap) and 99.5% sulfur powder (also cheap I got it from my local feed store), There are a number of other treatments but can be expensive and/or can mean that there is period of time during which eggs cannot be eaten. You need to do your research, lots of information available online.

This is my first encounter with mites so I am far from an expert. What I can tell you is it a serious undertaking to get rid of them. Nothing is a "once and done" as most treatments will only kill adult mites and you need to repeat treatments in order to deal with new mites that are in larvae form when you start the treatments. I started with Permethrin spray on a Day 1, 5, 14 cycle. This cycle did NOT work in my case so I switched to sulfur powder on a weekly basis and will continue that for the next weeks until I am certain that I have cleared them out. In general terms you need to apply these two to the vent area, under wings, on the back, neck and on the chest at a minimum; care to ensure that you avoid the head area as chickens have delicate respiratory systems. In retrospect I cannot say that Permethrin does not work as I may not have been persistent enough with it.

You also need to clear out your coop (best to burn the bedding) and spray Permethrin over all surfaces, cracks, etc. again on a repeated cycle to deal with the various life stages.

As far as other birds: mites are spread a number of ways but very commonly from wild birds either eating your chicken's feed or otherwise in and around the coop/run. I am building an expanded covered run to avoid droppings hitting the run area, will cease allowing free range and concentrate on prevention in a closed space. I am not certain but think that you must assume that your parrots and finches are susceptible and should be isolated from your chickens asap if they are not already. As you know mites can be transferred by humans so change your clothes and have a shower before you come in contact.

Again best of luck.

 

[aart]

Did you ever capture any for magnifying glass inspection?

Not sure if its that kind of mite, though, because they seem to be black, not grayish or white.

Did they leave a red smear when you squish them?

Kind of worried about our parrots and finches, though. Are there any mites that can infest both chickens and pet birds?

If in fact the little black specs are poultry mites, yes I would be concerned with any bird they come into contact with.

and a lot on our chicken (but none on the ones outside, although I know that they might be infested but we can't see the mites on them)

You have a chicken living in your house?


Check all your birds, inside and out, over real well for mites and/or lice.

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[Anonymous Chicken]

From what I understand NFM will bite humans and can cause irritation but do not live and propagate while on a human host. I believe this is the case with other mites but am not certain as my issue is NFM. As I and others have said Red mites live off the host and can survive for many months without feeding so definitely more of a concern if they end up in your home.

I cannot offer any advice on how to get rid of them once they are in the house but do recall reading something that suggested it can be a major undertaking. Use Google BUT you need to identify specifically what mite you have as your course of action will change (NFM you can just wait and within a few weeks they will die; Red mites are much more difficult to get rid of both in a coop or in the home).

I have used two treatments - Permethrin (purchased from Tractor Supply, cheap) and 99.5% sulfur powder (also cheap I got it from my local feed store), There are a number of other treatments but can be expensive and/or can mean that there is period of time during which eggs cannot be eaten. You need to do your research, lots of information available online.

This is my first encounter with mites so I am far from an expert. What I can tell you is it a serious undertaking to get rid of them. Nothing is a "once and done" as most treatments will only kill adult mites and you need to repeat treatments in order to deal with new mites that are in larvae form when you start the treatments. I started with Permethrin spray on a Day 1, 5, 14 cycle. This cycle did NOT work in my case so I switched to sulfur powder on a weekly basis and will continue that for the next weeks until I am certain that I have cleared them out. In general terms you need to apply these two to the vent area, under wings, on the back, neck and on the chest at a minimum; care to ensure that you avoid the head area as chickens have delicate respiratory systems. In retrospect I cannot say that Permethrin does not work as I may not have been persistent enough with it.

You also need to clear out your coop (best to burn the bedding) and spray Permethrin over all surfaces, cracks, etc. again on a repeated cycle to deal with the various life stages.

As far as other birds: mites are spread a number of ways but very commonly from wild birds either eating your chicken's feed or otherwise in and around the coop/run. I am building an expanded covered run to avoid droppings from them hitting the run area, will cease allowing free range and concentrate on prevention in a closed space. I am not certain but think that you must assume that your parrots and finches are susceptible and should be isolated from your chickens asap if they are not already. As you know mites can be transferred by humans so change your clothes and have a shower before you come in contact.

Again best of luck.

Thank you SO much for all your time and information! We'll definitely research and consider those treatments, and prepare for a huge task ahead of us! I do think that our problem is the NFM, after doing some more research this morning.

 

[cmom]

I agree I use permethrin. If you found some on your birds then most likely they are also in your coop. I have posted this before, the best product to get rid of the mites and lice in my opinion is permethrin which is very cost effective. I have used poultry dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. Wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. I did a weekly spraying for awhile and put permethrin dust in the nest boxes, originally I sprayed the birds getting under the wings and worked it through their feathers with gloves which you can also do with the dust especially in colder climates. I think if I hadn't treated my birds with the permethrin when I did I probably would have lost some birds to the mites. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC and Amazon carries the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the pests eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. There are other products available but much more expensive and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...

 

[Anonymous Chicken]

Thank you for all your help!

Did you ever capture any for magnifying glass inspection?

Yes, we captured some to observe; we think that they are northern fowl mites, not red mites thankfully, although we're still not 100% sure.

Did they leave a red smear when you squish them?

When we squished ours, they left more like a black/gray(?) smear, but they might not have been full yet.

You have a chicken living in your house?

Yes, we do; we had to monitor one of our hens that got injured, but we'd been seeing the bugs before we brought her in, so they didn't just come from her. When we first saw the bugs, it was shortly before we brought her inside, and we thought it was kind of a "freak accident", but when we started seeing more, we started to suspect mites.

*I apologize for the late response.