Tiny tiny black bugs in the chicken coop, help!

[bantam94]

We where cleaning out the chicken coops last week and as i lifted up the front of the pen i found LOADS of tiny black bugs all over my hands...

Ive tried the internet but cant find exactly what they are.

Theyre extremely small (probably les than a millimeter long) and all black. I cant distinguish how many legs they have.

We have already treated them with a weeks course of Flubenvet and have drenched the coops in Dyna-mite Liquid (diluted 10ml to 1litre of water) twice but they are still every where!

Does anyone know what they are and how to treat them?

Thanks

 

[FrancesR]

I clean out my coops about every five to six months and I treat for mites when I do. After all the shavings are removed and the nesting boxes are emptied out I treat the entire coop and the birds. I use Adams flea and tick spray for dogs and cats. It has pyrethrins and is a quick-acting, short-lived product. It is safe enough for kittens, so adult chickens are not harmed either. I pour the stuff into a pump sprayer and treat the nesting boxes and all the places where bugs can hide, such as where the walls meet the floors, any crevices, etc. Then all new bedding is placed. Last of all, that night when the birds are roosting and asleep, I do a quick spray of their backs.....they don't even notice. Here in Hawaii, parasites are a major problem because we have no winter freezes to knock down bug populations. This routine has worked really well for me, much better than using DE did. Plus, I don't irritate the birds by trying to individually dust them. Pyrethrin is a potent insecticide made from a type of chrysanthemum extract and it really works. You really don't want to tolerate mites for very long. They are annoying to the birds and in time can cause anemia.

 

[cmom]

to our new members. DE doesn't work. I have tried a lot of different things. I use permethrin. It works. If you have a TSC they carry the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. No egg withdrawal period.

 

[HiddenChicken]

DE is diatomaceous earth. It is very fine like talc powder & it literally desicates (drys out) the bugs, killing them. No harm to the chickens unless they breathe a lot of it in. MAKE SURE to get food grade DE...available in my feed store right next to the chicken feed. I sprinkle it in their pine shavings in the coop & mix it in & also in the dirt in the run, so when the chickens dust bathe, they are bathing w part DE... Good luck!

 

[mickey328]

Hi Pipling...welcome to BYC! No such thing as a moronic question...except those you don't ask!

There isn't (to my knowledge) a specific brand name for DE. Check with your feed store...ask for food grade DE and they should know exactly what you mean. It's not terribly expensive and a little goes a long way.

Clean out the whole coop, then when you put the bedding back in, sprinkle some DE on it and sort of stir it up enough that it's not all sitting right on top...the chooks will take care of the "real" stirring as they scratch. Also put some DE in their dust bath and mix it just a little bit.

DE is perfectly harmless on the skin or even eaten...the only danger is inhaling it. So, make sure you wear a mask when working with it and take care that the chickens aren't downwind where they can breathe it in.

I found mites on mine as well, and did just this. You can actually dust the chickens, but I found that just having it where they get it on them was sufficient.

HTH
Mickey

 

[jedclampit]

u can also buy wd40 by the gallon get u a pump up sprayer and spray the coop from one end to the other this will take care of the bugs and any eggs they have layed but u have to spray every little spot u can also spray the birds but u don't want to spray but just a little on them at there vent and under the wings i've used it and is the best thing that i have found because it kills eggs and mites

 

[Devonshirehippy]

Hi, I have them too in my chicken coop, I bought some lice and mite powder by Johnsons from the pet shop a while ago and I squirted it in all the corners and on the floor of the coop, then just piled the straw on top and it killed them all off, I have no idea what they are but they look like fruit flies, I don't imagine that they are fruit flies but they look just the same and as annoying, once they had appeared, my hens looked less well, so they were doing something to upset their health, so they had to go!
Sophie.

 

[casportpony]

I have the same problem too! I only have 2 chickens, but there are tons of these bugs and lice/mite powder doesn't touch them. The chickens seem to be really bothered by something, although haven't seen any actually on the chickens.I have tried to find them on Google, but no look. I have attached a pic to see if anyone here knows what they may be. Thanks

[/URL]

@elliechooks , if you squish them on a white paper towel, can you see blood?

Welcome to BYC!

-Kathy

 

[mobius]

well if the bugs are on the chickens, and i don['t know what the bugs are, consider permethrin dust or spray for your babies. i feel the same, they are precious to me.

I am not a big fan of sand but it works in certain climates.e

Also make sure your chickens have access to a dustbath: in a pinch a rubbermaid tote with equal parts builders sand, peat moss and wood ash. Helps them stay healthy.

 

[TinyBirds]

I forgot to mention though, most chicken bugs are gone after using a drop of pure neem oil at the vent and under arm pits of birds with lice, etc. It works within a day. It was just that one time I had with tiny black bugs (assume mites) and things like diatomaceous earth and neem oil did absolutely nothing to them after many attempts. I tried all sorts of essential oils, then went to chemicals which I dont remember names of (things other people were sure would work, like ivermectin i think) and I think it was an ameraucana breeder that mentioned the frontline and it was the only thing that worked for them too. Not that I recommend it as a first choice, but after exhausting other options it actually does work.