Udate!...still need a bit of direction please..

[hen-at-home]

Sigh.. I'm tired and overwhelmed with information because I've been reading threads for hours very late last night and all morning now. I found "bugs" on one of my BR's face last night using a flashlight. I haven't done the full body check on the flock yet. I'm assuming it's mites but maybe lice. I'm kinda afraid to pick her up for fear of infesting myself! How possible is that?

My BR has a pale comb... another reason I'm leaning toward mites. She, and my BO have diarrhea too.

The temps around here will be below freezing (like mid 20's) for a high for the next few days. I want to treat these bugs today - the hens and the coop- but I can't use anything that requires water in the coop with temps getting so cold. Is it possible that I could hold off on scrubbing coop walls with wet solutions and just use dusting methods in the coop in the shavings and expect success?

I've read about using Ivomec and was thinking that was the way to go until I read one post that stated they didn't have success with it.

To all of you who have responded regarding this topic on other's threads, (that I've just spent hours of my life reading!), I thank you very much as your time and knowledge is sooo helpful!!

 

[hen-at-home]

Ok, one more thing... I read about all this dusting with mite killer going on inside the coop... dusting the bedding and nest boxes and I assume leaving it there.. doesn't this cause a hazard for the hens? I mean, doesn't this stuff get stirred up with all the daily activity inside a coop and get into the air and the hens then breathe it in??

 

[dawg53]

Mites suck blood, cause anemia and will kill a chicken in no time. Your BR is well on her way to death's doorstep as evidenced by her pale comb. I strongly urge you to get some sevin dust and dust her as well as your other birds. Dust the coop, nests roosts as well. Repeat dusting everything in 10 days including all your birds. Chicken lice do not suck blood.
Here's a couple of links for you to read:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

 

[hen-at-home]

Thank you for your time Dawg53! I've read a lot of your posts which have been extremely helpful and I have previously studied those links you listed.

I just came in from a thorough check of each bird. I looked all around vent and at feather shafts, I looked under wings and behind neck. I stared at the feathers/skin hoping to see something move. I saw no evidence of the typical "Q-tip" looking blob on base of feather shafts around vent hole. I had a headlamp on and a very sunny glass door to utilize the sunlight for visibility. I didn't find ANYTHING! What am I dealing with? I read that chicken mites (as opposed to northern fowl mites) are only visible at night via this chart at this link:

www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-5/EXTERNAL_PARASITE_chart-LEJohn.pdf


Ok, so say it's chicken mites... I DID see several small bugs crawling on her head late last night so I know there was something.... how do I handle this? Do I still have to dust the hens or do I just need to kill mites in the coop? I just changed all the pine shavings yesterday.... I know DE is only a preventative, but I regularly sprinkle it everywhere. They are in a coop with a cement floor - just as an aside.

What do y'all think as to what I should do?

 

[hen-at-home]

I'm must be tired, forgot to add this to my last post..

I think she is finishing up her molt because her head has a lot of pin feathers on it. I read somewhere that a pale comb can accompany moulting. OR.... could she have pin feathers on her head because of the mites??? Is that a symptom??

Today her comb didn't look as pale... just lighter......

Uggh, round and round with more questions...

 

[littleoak]

Use Sevin dust. Hold the chicken upside down by the legs. All the feathers will spread. Dust liberally with the Sevin. Dust the coop floor and roosts with sevin. Put vasaline on the legs, feet, comb and wattles. This should cure the mite problem in a couple of days. I do this every time I see mites on a chicken. I then also do the same to all chickens in that house.

 

[hen-at-home]

But none of them had mites visibly ON them when I inspected? Do I still dust them? What about the coop? Does dusting the coop/nest boxes cause Sevin dust to get into there lungs eventually??

I guess I can't believe there are mites since when I looked for them in the daylight I didn't see any! Denial maybe??

But dust anyway, huh?

 

[hen-at-home]

By the way, thank you littleoak for your input. I appreciate it very much. Off to TSC to find Sevin.

 

[Capvin]

Dusting your chickens with Sevin is a good idea, even if you do not see any visible evidence of infestation. In addition (and I believe this is most important) I mix food grade diatomaceous earth with Sevin and sprinkle it liberally inside the coop and in their run. The floor of my coop is pine shavings and the floor of the run is sand. The mixture of DE and Sevin does well in both the pine shavings and the sand and is effective in not only killing what you may now how but also prevents future infestations. To also avoid problems do not mix other birds into your flock without first quarantine and try to keep the wild birds out of the coop and run.

 

[nwfl]

i mix DE and sevin too. use it mainly on the birds at night. and, everytime i clean out nest boxes i sprinkle it all over the surfaces before putting new straw in. ive been thinking about ivermectin seriously for internal worms.