What kind of bugs are these???

[betty70]

Please help me identify these bugs. I've searched and I'm really not sure, although they look like fleas...

I discovered these after removing a broody hen and finding what looked like blood spots on the eggs. As I dug around in the nesting box I saw movement from these tiny things that originally looked like worms (I'm guessing those were some kind of larvae). They would immediately burrow themselves deeper down when they were "exposed" which made it really hard to tell what they were. I scooped up some of the shavings from the nesting box and did my best to take good pics. There are no eggs or any other visible sign of them on the birds, but the 2 broody hens I have (just started last night, yay -_-) are pretty bald on their undersides and have had red spots there about the size of nickels. When I went to take pics of them just now there were no red spots anymore so I don't have that to show you, but I do have pics of the hens if you need to see.



This is kind of a far away pic, but you can see how big they are in relation to my hand...yuck!





Here's one with a penny so you can get an idea of their size. Also some of the long, dark, thin-looking things are those little wormy things I mentioned. The other dark spots are those spots that look like blood (seen on the eggs as well as the shavings).





These are the spots that I found on my eggs after removing the broody.

I appreciate any help you can give, and thanks for taking the time!

 

[ange92040]

yikes .... no idea I went looking thru photos and the closest were bedbugs but I didn't think they affected chickens but found this :

http://msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is1945.pdf

hope they don't look anything like this

 

[Wishing4Wings]

How terrible. That sure looks like blood on the eggs. Poor chickens. Based on the info in the article, they might be bedbugs. Hope not. What ever they are, you'll have to get rid of them. You certainly wouldn't want baby chicks exposed. Be careful not to let them loose in your house!

 

[nurse_turtle]

I love a challenge! I'm on the search now. I believe them to be too small for bed bugs.

 

[betty70]

Thanks so much for your help! I checked out the bed bugs and it's not them. These guys don't have a flat body. I'm thinking more and more that they may be fleas. Most things I've found when I look up poultry and fleas say it's not common and always lead back to mites or lice. Since these aren't either of those I'm digging a little deeper and have come up with something called the hen flea, or Ceratophyllus gallinae. The things I've found about them seem as if this is what it could be. Apparently they're most commonly found on wild birds, and not poultry, but we have a big yard with MANY wild birds that live in the trees. Every so often I see one flying out of the chicken coop...

 

[ange92040]

I looked at a lot of the photos and they go thru many stages as they grow

 

[nurse_turtle]

Not fleas....
Still looking...

 

[Island Roo]

Bedbugs don't have grub-like larvae. They develop thru several immature stages that are similar to the adult and leave behind empty translucent shells as they molt. Look at your sample up close - are they little versions of the adult or more like a squirmy beetle larvae?

Do they jump like fleas?

Edited: Ahh - not fleas, didn't see that last post.

 

[betty70]

The larvae are squirmy (thought they were some kind of worm at first).

I didn't think about the jumping part till you said something so I decided to go watch em (even though I had not seen ANY jumping whatsoever so far). After watching them in the jar for a while, without disturbing them, one of em jumped!

Just like a flea! Is there another kind of bug that will do that? I know spiders jump but these ain't spiders!

 

[nurse_turtle]

Hmmm...
They favor grain beetles. There are several kinds of grain beetles. Having those 3 sets of legs on the thorax identifies them as beetles. I have sent the description and your photos to an entomologist and should receive an email response later today. Love a challenge and a learning experience.