What are these BUGs all over my DEAD silkie!! 🤢

[esme13]

I left my silkie in a box to wait for the other members to come home to burry her and say good bye.
I’m horrified! Hundreds of pepper black bugs are crawling all over her and the container !!

I went to pick her up and move her body and my gloves had a ton of tiny little blackish specks moving. Some are smaller than others and some look grayish/black.

Is this what are poultry mites ??? Or mites from the shavings ?? Omg.. they came out of no where and are all over her fluff.
All over the bowl you can see specks cluster top left of the bowl

 

[All4Eggz]

They are so tiny, I'm thinking they're mites. I just don't know what kind of mites.

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[All4Eggz]

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[STACEYH]

Either lice or mites you should do a thorough cleaning and spray for these. Check the rest of your flock. I pick marigold blooms throw those in nest boxes and floor of coop to help repel them.

 

[Eggcessive]

My guess is mites. There are 2 kinds, the common roost mite which comes out at night onto chickens, and hiding inside cracks in the coop during the day. The northern fowl mite is on the chicken 24/7. Permethrin spray or dust is good for treating chickens at least twice at 7 day intervals. The spray is preferred for treating the coop, roosts, and nests, once bedding is removed. Martins or Gordons sells permethrin 10 concentrate in pints, which are mixed with water to make many gallons of spray to be used in spray bottles or garden sprayers. Mix it according to inside label instructions. 15 ml of spray is about right for most chickens. The powder dust is preferable during cool weather. This link has pictures of lice and mites on the skin to show what to look for:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[esme13]

I have all the supplies. I sprayed down the plastic box and the area she was in my porch. There were hundreds of them. I’ve treated them in the summer and never saw them on her all this time. Tomorrow I will go and tackle the coop.

I’m thinking they had to hide in the shaft of the feather ?? I don’t know how I missed this! I mean she had to be gone for them to all appear ??? there are hundreds it’s really bad and unsettling.

 

[coach723]

They likely came out of hiding once she was still, I would treat the coop as instructed above. If you put some sticky tape around the ends of your roosts, sticky side up, overnight, in the morning you may find them stuck to the tape. They come out at night and feed on the chickens while they roost.

 

[esme13]

Thank you all. I will tomorrow go cleaning crazy and also put ivermectin on them. What I saw, was very over whelming and bothersome. If she had them hiding I’m sure everyone has them hiding. I am just preparing for the egg withdrawal

 

[esme13]

If just a few mites can live in a coop for months, than what do I do ? I’m reading that if they are red mites (they might be since some were gray and the others looked black). That they can live for 8months??

I’m concerned if I use the pesticides for long periods of time that resistance can happen. I know right now that the harsh stuff is needed. I don’t know what to do with the chickens that roost on the floor? This coop is so hard for me to get into because it’s short but wide inside. I can’t get in unless I crawl.

ivermectin worked last time, because when we lost our buff polish she was treated and we had to wait until everyone was home to burry her. But I looked over her and never saw a mite and she was light.

is there any other topical that can be used monthly ? I personally will not be using the eggs during this time. I’m just very grossed out.

when we buried the silkie, the mites were all over the place.

 

[esme13]

This was a better photo of the ones on the container. They looked gray and the ones on the bowl looked black. Part of me wants to believe they are just from the shavings. But I doubt it.