Unsure if Lice or Mites

[slukeplass22]

View attachment 2958561
The red ones look like this. They vary in size.

i have only seen the red & black ones on the birds. The adult lice I have not.

 

[slukeplass22]

@cherrynberry if I click that link, it logs me in as you. I can’t do anything, such as view your profile, or stuff like that. I can’t even click stiff, because it says “security error”. I just wanted to let you know, just In case.

I deleted the photo which may have messed with things. I accidentally uploaded the wrong one and couldn’t change it for some reason. So I reuploaded.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

I deleted the photo which may have messed with things. I accidentally uploaded the wrong one and couldn’t change it for some reason. So I reuploaded.

Ah ok, thanks for telling me!

 

[slukeplass22]

Okay. For both lice and NFMs, permethrin dust works. I dusted the birds with permethrin dust and sprayed the coop with permethrin spray. Spray in all the cracks or the coop. I did this in 7 day intervals. I dusted twice and sprayed the coop once, but sprinkled dust in the coop twice. I would say to keep dusting them until you see no more mites. Dust all the way down to the bottom of the feathers and especially under their wings and vent. The permethrin spray I used (Gordons Permethrin 10 concentrate) uses a mix of 1:200 for poultry. A lot of this I learned from various BYC members and it worked really well.

Maybe one of the experts can jump in to identify the bugs, but I "think" those are mites.

I didn’t purchase permethrins/pyrethrins because of some safety concerns I had while perusing the web. Spinosads i didn’t purchase either because of the upfront cost of Elector PSP. I’m aware they are effective for some people.

I’ve mainly been relying on a garlic spray I’ve been making (homemade garlic juice, rosemary, peppermint, and cinnamon bark essential oils. Rosemary is used in IC3). I’ve added other oils to the mix today (Clove, Lavender, Teatree, Thyme - I had to order all but the teatree).

That has had mixed success - some birds have fewer bugs, others have more.

I’ll look into the pyrethrins/permethrins some more to understand better, since I may have made a mistake.

 

[cherrynberry]

I didn’t purchase permethrins/pyrethrins because of some safety concerns I had while perusing the web. Spinosads i didn’t purchase either because of the upfront cost of Elector PSP. I’m aware they are effective for some people.

I’ve mainly been relying on a garlic spray I’ve been making (homemade garlic juice, rosemary, peppermint, and cinnamon bark essential oils. Rosemary is used in IC3). I’ve added other oils to the mix today (Clove, Lavender, Teatree, Thyme - I had to order all but the teatree).

That has had mixed success - some birds have fewer bugs, others have more.

I’ll look into the pyrethrins/permethrins some more to understand better, since I may have made a mistake.

Permethrin dust isn't as bad as DE, in my honest opinion. But I see why there are safety concerns. I wore a mask while using it. But again, the reward is worth it. Its much easier to sleep knowing they are bug-free.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm not sure what those are, but if you are seeing them on your birds and of course they are in the coop, I would treat both birds and housing with a Permethrin based poultry spray and dust.
I prefer dust for the chickens and using spray for housing.
I see @cherrynberry gave you good instructions on how to treat, I'll leave you to re-read post #8

 

[cmom]

Whatever you have I would treat the coop weekly for 3 or 4 weeks because most insecticides don't kill the pests eggs so weekly repeated applications are necessary. I also use poultry dust in my nest boxes. Here is a chart from another BYC member. Good luck...

 

[slukeplass22]

Update: 13 of my 14 chickens have little to no mites in their vent area where I’ve been spraying, but the mites have moved onto their backs instead (where I have not sprayed). Numbers of mites may be slightly higher or lower than before.

My other chicken, meanwhile, had a much higher number of mites on her and all over her body, especially the back, under wings, and face area (she is an EE). She has a major infestation. I bathed her this morning, and got many of the mites off her. However she still had quite a few left on her, especially on her neck and head where I didn’t get her bathed much. She is a bit less active but in good spirits.

My guess as to why she has been targeted is because of her age (she will be 8 in March) and because her top beak is shorter than her bottom beak, for some reason. She also may have an internal problem I don’t know of besides her bumblefoot (I’ve been treating her with coconut oil and that has shrunk the wound).

We are getting permethrin powder & spray to deal with the situation - I looked into it more and am convinced that it is okay to use on them short-term.

 

[slukeplass22]

Did any of you completely remove bedding when you sprayed your coops with permethrin or did you leave it in?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would remove the bedding.