Tiny, tiny, red bugs on my chicks!

[Love my Critters!]

What are these little bitty reddish bugs? Are they mites or lice? How do I get rid of them? My hen has 6 chicks that are a week and a half old. They just started going outside 2 days ago with mom. What can I put on them to kill these bugs? Also how do I treat all the bedding?
Please help, I'm brand new to all of this.

 

[pips&peeps]

They are mites.

I would use permetherin spray, but others use a more natural approach like DE.

Please someone else join in.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Yup, they are Chicken Mites

DE works great, you can also use Sevin (which I think is permetherin), but be careful with Sevin as it is poison. I start from the back and rub the dust forward, so it goes under the feathers. Be careful of their face. Check for eggs as well. Usually you find them under their chin, they lay them in clusters on the shaft of the feather. I pull out of many of the infected feathers as possible, but don't hurt your bird.

Treat their bedding, by adding powder to it, there is no set amount, I would use about 2 cups of DE in my 8'x8' coop and less for my others. Dust roosts and nest boxes, as well.

They are nasty little critters, but not transferable to you or your other pets.

 

[Love my Critters!]

Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!!
When you say seven, are you talking about 7 dust? If I treat well, will they go away or do I need to repeat treatment several times? What does DE stand for? Will the feed store know what I'm talking about?

 

[Frozen Feathers]

DE=Diatomaceous Earth. I have never found the food quality DE at my feed store, that doesn't mean that yours doesn't carry it. Make sure it's food grade though and not the kind used for pool filters.

Sevin, yes it is called 7 dust sometimes. Your feed should at least know what Sevin dust is. I would repeat treatment once a week for 3 weeks. That should kill any new ones that hatch and prevent them from laying more eggs. Of course make sure you check your birds, but as long as you are treating their bedding, roosts and nest boxes, they should go away.

 

[FlightsofFancy]

I just went through this withy my flock...of two. LOL! I used topical Eprinex. It cleared the bugs off by the next morning. I found the thread on BYC. Then I also really deep cleaned the coop with bleach and then sprinkled pyretherine powder all over their vent area and in every crack of the coop. Then covered with shavings, like normal. I put the DE out in the run and covered with shavings, too. Now let me say I am a BIG supporter of DE and use natural products whenever possible. (Got mine from Mypetchicken.com) But these were BUGS on my babies and I was not playing around!!
I also bathed them, in two weeks from Eprinex treatment, with an Herbal flea shampoo to get rid of the egg sacks on the base of the feathers around the vent. As of today no more bugs!!
Check the links below for egg contamination. I think we didn't eat our eggs for 2 weeks, but hey we're done!
GOOD LUCK!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-mites.html

http://shilala.homestead.com/ivomec.html

 

[gumpsgirl]

The perma-guard DE can be purchase off of Ebay for less expensive than I have found it anyplace else. I paid $25 for a 10# bag of it with the shipping. I would use something else (sevin dust?) to go ahead and get them cleared up, but start using the DE in the coop to stay clear of them. Good luck with the mites!

 

[Landon1117]

Thanks so much all of you! My local tractor supply co has DE so I'm going to use that to see what results I get. As for the chick, I'm just going to hope that she survives the night and see where she stands tomorrow morning. Thanks again!

 

[21hens-incharge]

DE is best as a preventative. Once the bugs are on the birds permitherin is really effective in getting rid of them.

If you make a fluffy dusting space for them with peat moss sprinkled with sevin dust they will help treat themselves.