Weird crawlers in the coop

[lmks91]

Hi everyone!

This week we noticed these creepy crawlers ALL OVER the coop. It was very sudden and there are thousands of them. I'm worried they are making my chickens sick or uncomfortable (even though they look just fine). They are really tiny, they move like small spiders. There is one on the pictures, on the bottom (they are very small).
Do any of you know what they are? How should we handle this?

Thanks,

Laura

 

[natemoore1986]

Mites maybe?

 

[aart]

Hard to say if they would harm the birds.
Insects can 'bloom' in large numbers then often are gone within days.
Those pics are of no use, you'd need a magnifying glass or microscope to see it well enough to ID.

What time of day did you find them?
Most poultry mites are only on the birds or out at night after dark...
...not swarming all over during the day.



Have you checked the birds 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



Might help knowing.....
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