what is on my chickens????

[fordmommy]

I just picked up my roo and was petting him and found little, skinny, brown bugs crawling in his neck feathers. What could this be? I pick him up a lot and have never found any thing like this. I resently started free ranging them so I figure that's were he got them. It doesn't really look like fleas. They are flat and soft and skinny. I am going to go out right now and springle down more DE. But I'd like some answers and any advice you can offer. I also figure that if one has them they all have them. Any body know??? Thanks.



Added....They are about this big...... ! ...minus the dot at the bottom and a little fatter.

 

[DWH]

Probably MOST LIKELY 99% a parasite. You know that though..... Did they have wings?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

They are mostly lice or mites. Dust them with DE, or Sevin dust, and it will get rid of them.

 

[fordmommy]

Quote:
No wings that I could see. They are about this big...... ! ...minus the dot at the bottom and a little fatter.

 

[Kittymomma]

Sounds like lice. Treat them all and the coop with seven dust. Take out all the bedding and nesting material and replace it with new stuff too.

 

[theFox]

Don't forget to retreat in 7 to 10 days.

Those lice eggs hatch.

 

[fordmommy]

Quote:
I just cleaned out the coop yesterday. So we're good there. Not lice. I looked at a pic of that. Not white. Bigger. Looks almost like human lice maybe.

Gross. We live in the country and no one comes over to give my chickens their lice.

WE don't have them. I just want them gone.

again. (Shutter) They didn't bite me either.

 

[pips&peeps]

I've heard of a wood lice thing that is supposed to look like that. Do you have shavings in your coop? I'd sift through them and check.

 

[fordmommy]

pips&peeps :

I've heard of a wood lice thing that is supposed to look like that. Do you have shavings in your coop? I'd sift through them and check.

Humm??? Maybe. And we live in the woods. And they were out in the woods.....Humm...you may be on to something.​

 

[Guinea Goonie]

WOW, I have been looking at my flock. I did not know that these critters would only stay in the head area. So far, so good.

I do have a question though. Does your roo shake his head and how far down the poor guys neck do you see these

critters ?

I have had my share of problems this year, but lice, OH NO !!

Of course it is almost a given that some time during the flock's life that they will get some kind of critter.

Good Luck, let us all know what you did and how it turned out.