Unsure about mites, severity, and treatment

[Ballerina Bird]

A couple of weeks ago, I found a tiny, faint streak of blood on an egg from an adult hen and was told that this is a sign of mites. I held off on treating chemically because I am very reluctant to introduce pesticides into the hens' environment. There were no other eggs with blood on them after that, and I did three health checks during the night and did not see any mites on the birds or in the coop.

In the last couple of days, though, I have been noticing what looks like a little feather loss on their tummies (have to flip them over and ruffle them around to see it, which is why I don't have a pic). This morning, I believe I saw one live mite on the roosting bar while the inside of the coop was still dark.

I am too inexperienced to tell if the feather loss could be molting, but they are not yet losing feathers around their necks, which I believe is the usual pattern?

I have only two hens, and my coop is immaculately clean and bone dry always.

So my questions are:

1. Does this sound like mites?

2. Does this sound like a severe infestation and if not, what would tell me that the infestation is severe? Does possibly seeing one mite mean that I have a serious problem? I read these things about mites literally sucking the life out of birds, but I don't understand if that happens over days, weeks, months? I've read posts that suggest that people have mites for several months, and to some extent it seems to me like there will always be some mites, but I don't know what is a dangerous level and how to tell.

3. If it is severe, or if it gets severe, I would be grateful for advice about treatment. I am queasy about Frontline, etc, but if the majority thinks this is the appropriate option I will do it. I am also confused about the issue of treating the coop -- I don't know what to use, I don't understand how it works if you are treating with a liquid solution (do you let it all dry before adding more bedding? How much do you soak?), and I am also confused about amounts/concentrations. I have read a couple of things about soap and oil solutions but don't know if these are even worth bothering with and again, how you use the liquid.

Any advice appreciated; I am feeling a little confused and overwhelmed, especially about the treatment. Thanks.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

There are mites which are difficult (impossible) to see called Feather Mites. And "some" parasites, inside and out, aren't necessarily a big problem for the birds.

That said, there are what people call "super mites" that I've read will kill a large adult bird in hours. These mites are not hard to see, but might be living somewhere unexpected on the bird. This is not something I've experienced.

I've read up on mites (and lice) and treatments run a full spectrum from "put a little DE on it" to "herbs in the coop" to "garlic" to full chemical warfare on both birds and coop, including stuff specifically prohibited for use on poultry.

One thing that helps with external parasites that doesn't get mentioned very much is feed-grade Sulfur Powder. This is not a poultry dust mixture, it is pure pure powder that you can use to dust your birds, your coop, and to put in your dust baths. You can find this on the internet. It is "safe" and "natural" and more effective than DE. It is even used (in very small portions) as a feed additive ... it's in Feather Fixer poultry feed formulas ... with the theory that it makes the birds taste foul to the pests (very old remedy).

You do have a dust bath, right? I find my birds most enjoy a mixture of sand, peat moss, and sulfur powder. They dust bathe all over the property, but when I refresh the dust baths, they get pretty excited. I've also read that a base layer of cedar shavings in the corners of the poultry area helps deter mites ... yes, I know, "you're not supposed to use cedar in your coops," but with proper ventilation and some common sense, it's a useful tool.

Most of our coops are mostly wire & plastic, but we do have a wooden coop, and I'm pretty sure pests are more problematic in that one coop. I'd love to get rid of that thing.

If you want to go chemical, and use something that's NOT bee friendly, there is a product that has been approved for use on poultry with NO egg or meat withdrawal (made from something also used in some dog flea meds, in human lice treatment, as a pesticide for use on orchards, etc.). The poultry version of this is called Elector PSP. It is expensive, but you dilute it then spray it on the birds' bottoms, so it is easy to apply and goes a long way. We found it was effective on both mites and lice.

If you do choose to use the stronger insecticide chemicals, I keep reading you need to alternate between different things to avoid creating a resistance ... that's where things get tricky as it isn't easy to find products that are approved for use on poultry and don't taint the eggs/meat.

It is molting season, and some birds didn't get the memo about how to do that in an orderly way, so they can fool you.

Good luck.

 

[Eggcessive]

A streak of blood on an egg of a new layer is very common. I would make sure that what you saw on your roost bar is really a mite, not another insect. It's best not to treat unless there is a real problem, but definitely treat for those if you have an infestation. Here are some great links with good pictures to read about lice and mites in poultry:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/laura_e_john/
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[Ballerina Bird]

There are mites which are difficult (impossible) to see called Feather Mites. And "some" parasites, inside and out, aren't necessarily a big problem for the birds.

That said, there are what people call "super mites" that I've read will kill a large adult bird in hours. These mites are not hard to see, but might be living somewhere unexpected on the bird. This is not something I've experienced.

I've read up on mites (and lice) and treatments run a full spectrum from "put a little DE on it" to "herbs in the coop" to "garlic" to full chemical warfare on both birds and coop, including stuff specifically prohibited for use on poultry.

One thing that helps with external parasites that doesn't get mentioned very much is feed-grade Sulfur Powder. This is not a poultry dust mixture, it is pure pure powder that you can use to dust your birds, your coop, and to put in your dust baths. You can find this on the internet. It is "safe" and "natural" and more effective than DE. It is even used (in very small portions) as a feed additive ... it's in Feather Fixer poultry feed formulas ... with the theory that it makes the birds taste foul to the pests (very old remedy).

You do have a dust bath, right? I find my birds most enjoy a mixture of sand, peat moss, and sulfur powder. They dust bathe all over the property, but when I refresh the dust baths, they get pretty excited. I've also read that a base layer of cedar shavings in the corners of the poultry area helps deter mites ... yes, I know, "you're not supposed to use cedar in your coops," but with proper ventilation and some common sense, it's a useful tool.

Most of our coops are mostly wire & plastic, but we do have a wooden coop, and I'm pretty sure pests are more problematic in that one coop. I'd love to get rid of that thing.

If you want to go chemical, and use something that's NOT bee friendly, there is a product that has been approved for use on poultry with NO egg or meat withdrawal (made from something also used in some dog flea meds, in human lice treatment, as a pesticide for use on orchards, etc.). The poultry version of this is called Elector PSP. It is expensive, but you dilute it then spray it on the birds' bottoms, so it is easy to apply and goes a long way. We found it was effective on both mites and lice.

If you do choose to use the stronger insecticide chemicals, I keep reading you need to alternate between different things to avoid creating a resistance ... that's where things get tricky as it isn't easy to find products that are approved for use on poultry and don't taint the eggs/meat.

It is molting season, and some birds didn't get the memo about how to do that in an orderly way, so they can fool you.

Good luck.

Thank you! I appreciate this. I will look for the sulfur powder. I had the same experience as you researching remedies, which I think is why I feel so confused -- different things work for different people, so it feels hard to come up with a "game plan" that I am comfortable with. Since it sounds (knock wood) like I am not dealing with the "super mites," since this has been going on for a couple of weeks, maybe I'll start with the garlic and soap stuff and then move up to Elector if necessary. On the one hand, I feel happier about the natural remedies, but on the other, I worry that I am just kidding myself and more experienced people would not bother. Anyway, I appreciate the prompt response and the info.

ETA -- they do have a nice dust bathing area in their run, which is dirt with DE mixed in. I see them use it daily.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

A streak of blood on an egg of a new layer is very common. I would make sure that what you saw on your roost bar is really a mite, not another insect. It's best not to treat unless there is a real problem, but definitely treat for those if you have an infestation. Here are some great links with good pictures to read about lice and mites in poultry:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/laura_e_john/
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

Thank you, Eggcessive. My hen is over a year old, so I am not sure she would still have blood on an egg from being a new layer? Looking at the pictures, I am pretty sure I saw a mite. Do you think that seeing one constitutes a situation for treatment? I have not seen any on the birds, and certainly nothing that looks remotely like any of the pictures in those links. I agree with you about not throwing a heavy-duty treatment at something that might not be a severe problem, so I am trying to figure out if what I have is severe. Thanks.