Extremely small black bugs?

[Heartlandrabbitry]

I went to go and pick up my injured chicken who is currently in the house, while holding him I felt really itchy. So I put him back in his cage and looked at my hands, that's where I saw these little black bugs crawling on me. Does anyone know what these are? I just feel itchy all over now!!

Are these mites?

 

[Zoey]

Yep, Mites

There are 2 kinds, more or less..

The red roost mite lives off the birds in the cracks of the henhouse, and during the night they swarm all over the birds and feed on them for 2 hours or so like tics, then drop off into the bedding / nest boxes and lay eggs. there is a 6 day life cycle, meaning they can hatch eat lay eggs and hatch again in this time .. They can live away from the host for up to 6 months with no blood meal.

The kind you are describing, live primarly ON the bird , near the vent , and in the feathers under the vent, sometimes on the back of the chicken nearest the tail fluff, they have a life cycle of 4 days ... there can litrally be millions of them on the bird, and can make them extremely anemic and cause death. they can live away from the bird for no more than 3 weeks without a blood meal... These are probably the 'Northern Fowl Mite ' I just had the 'Tropical fowl Mite', and the difference between them is the temperature where they live, and the tropical fowl mite will also lay their eggs in the hen house , and near the roosts as well as ON the birs as the other ones do also......

If one chicken has them they probably all do..

Treatment : usually a good dusting with an approved poultry dust. I use Sevin 5% dust. there is also Permethrin, which is also approved for poultry.

1 pound of powder treats 100 birds, I usually use about a half shot glass sized amount on each bird. wear a good dust mask, and don't allow the powder to drift into their food or water .

I put some up under their vent area , and underbelly, some down the back, and a little under each wing, then rub it all down to the skin. There is no egg withholding time if you use it once , but I use the sevin 5% dust, then 1 week later use the permethrin, as they are 2 different types of pesticide , They shouldn't build up in their system. you kill off the first bunch, then the eggs hatch in and on the feathers and in a few days you have them all over again. this is why they need to be treated twice. I used Sevin, then used D.E. and then Permethrin, then more D,E...

Some people drip a few drops of Ivomec on their bare skin, and repeat in 10 days, however there is an egg withholding time of 2 weeks after each treatment .

I had such a problem, 7 birds had them out of 50, but the nestboxes kept reinfecting the birds, every time you treat the birds, you must also treat the house and nests / spraying the cracks, and replacing bedding ... , allow the hen house to dry before allowing the birds to return to the hen house ..

You could add a little sevin powder or D.E. to the nest boxes and floor shavings. Not heaps of powder, but enough to kill any mites that drop off into the bedding ...

 

[Heartlandrabbitry]

Thank you so much! We'll get them some dust bath stuff and treat everyone! Other animals can't get them, correct? (Dogs, cats, rabbits?)

 

[Miss Lydia]

you can also use ivermectin pour-on but you'll have an egg withdrawl, but it's not quite as dusty as the powder, but you'll still have to treat all the coop and nest boxes. I also had them on me, very disgusting. I'm not sure about the other animals, because some things are species specific.

 

[ryanhodapp]

where do you get the liquid Ivomec?

I have used dog Heartguard too, 25lb dose, broken into crumbles for 6 chickens.

My RIR had them, although I wasnt sure she had them. So I was soaking her feet in my kitchen sink (going to rethink that next time.) About a week later,
I had mostly dead small black bugs in my sink, couter, dishwasher. Yuck.

Where do you get the liquie Ivomec?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I got mine a the feed store not to far from me, most should carry it. never thought about heart guard where did you hear about that?

 

[ryanhodapp]

I made that up all by myself. I figured if I had 25 lb dog dose and divided it by 6 chicks, I should do ok. I have done it twice and so far, they have done well. First time they were pullets, 2nd time some were laying, some werent.
All laying now.

It is a whole lot faster and easier than all that dusting. (my girls dont like to be picked up.)

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thats is interesting. I don't use heart wormer on my dogs so I guess I'll stick with the pour on stuff. But next time I will get the Epernix since there's no egg withdrawl with it.....I hate the dust too, I always have more on me than they do.

 

[Heartlandrabbitry]

How does the pour on Ivermec. work? I'll look into that as well! I also have two young pullets, they live in the same run but not in the same coop. Should I treat them as well?

 

[Miss Lydia]

If they are close which it sounds like they are, I would treat everyone. 3 drops on the back of the neck on the skin[very important] for small chickens, and 4 drops for larger ones. then you will need to treat their coop and run, If it was warm I say sevin spray it really gets into cracks better but since we're into winter sevin dust or poultry dust, take all bedding out and replace with new, not too much though because you'll need to retreat in 10 days. The ivermectin poiur-on will also kill any internal worms too so your actually helping your chickens in 2 ways, just remember to give them some from of probiotics for at least 3 days after the first and last treatment for getting the gut in good working order, egg withdrawl is 2 weeks. just found this and I like it better no withdrawl period.Ivomec and Your Birds

What kind of Ivomec do I choose?

As far as I am concerned, there is only ONE type of Ivomec for birds.

That is Ivomec Eprinex. All other types of Ivomec wormers have withdrawal periods, some as great as 146 days. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!! They have been proven less effective and the negatives outweigh the positives.

Ivomec Eprinex has been shown to be is the strongest, most potent parasite control product available.

It kills 39 stages of internal and external parasites.

When can I eat my eggs after I use Eprinex?

Here's a quote from the Ivomec website...

"Its broad-spectrum efficacy in a weatherproof formulation, margin of safety, zero slaughter withdrawal and zero milk discard, make it a convenient product for parasite control in beef and dairy cattle, including lactating dairy cattle".

Make sure you realize that we are talking CATTLE here and not chickens.

I should also point out that birds and cattle are not the same thing, and that birds differ greatly in external and internal construction. What's good for a cow may not be good for a bird, and vice versa.

Take the zero milk discard and zero slaughter withdrawal with a grain of salt!!!

When we worm our birds, we try to coincide the worming with periods of low egg production. We wait 6 to 8 weeks before using the birds or eggs for the table.

Regardless of whether the "zero stuff" indicates to me that it's safe to eat eggs immediately (and it does), I'd much rather be safe than sorry. I get enough Eprinex on me when I'm worming my birds that I should be parasite free for the rest of my life. That's despite using precautions.

If you want to be completely safe from any effects Ivomec may have on you, the common sense approach would be to stay away from it, period!

What dosage rate do you use???

One cc is equal to one ml.

Eprinex's suggested dose rate for cattle is 1 ml per 22 pounds of body weight.

I have seen dosage rates recommended for birds that go from 2cc per bantam to 5cc per bantam, and everything in between. That is completely wrong.

If you use a ratio, pound for pound, The proper dosage is

.5 cc (ml) per 11 pound bird - Large Fowl

.25 cc (ml) per 5.5 lb bird - Bantam

How safe is Ivermectin???

That's a tough one. I trust Eprinex about as much as I trust any drug. I use Eprinex on my birds with extreme caution. I've been using it for a number of years now and have found it safe and effective.

I've read stories that it can be bad when used on certain breeds of dogs. I've read stories that it's been used on people in third world countries to control internal parasites. I've also heard that it is or will be used in Great Britain as a control for scabies, in one form or another.

You have to read and be educated on this chemical if you are to use it as safely as you can. Read the ads, read the label, ask questions.

You can read about Eprinex at Ivomec's Website.

There are studies, writings, stats, anything you need to know to form your own decision on whether to use it or not.

How do I apply Ivomec to my birds???

On Skin - It's as simple as measuring the proper dosage and squirting it behind the bird's neck, between the shoulder blades. You want to make sure it reaches the skin because Eprinex is absorbed through the skin into a bird's system.

The other reason for this placement is that the bird can't reach this spot with his head. If the dose is placed under the wing or on the breast (as I've heard it suggested) the bird can easily rub away the Eprinex with it's head feathers making it less than effective. Put the dose where it will give you the best results.

In Water - You can also deliver the bird's dose in their drinking water, although it may or may not be very effective. Here's how we do it...

First off, you have to realize that ivomec isn't water soluble. It's oil that will float on top of water. That's good for this instance.

Day 1 - I take waterers away from my birds early in the day. I make sure to do it when there's no standing puddles, or any other source of water for them.

Day 2 - Around Noon, I take a 2 quart bowl, put about 1 quart of water in it, and float about 1/4 of an inch of eprinex on top.

I call the birds and sit with them while they all drink. I remove the water bowl and put it in the basement refrigerator.

Day 2 - In the evening I remove the regular waterers again.

Day 3 - I replenish the water bowl with Eprinex and give it to the birds again. Once they get their fill, I remove it and replace the bowl with their regular waterer.

I'll give the excess to our free ranging birds to finish up. The ducks and goose get their dose this way while they are slopping in the bowl.

I used to use this method across the flocks, but I've cut down to a third of the birds we used to keep, so it's not as necessary anymore. It has worked very well for us in the past, and still does.

With either dosing method, you may want to dose again in 10 days, especially if this is the first time you've used Eprinex.

Why would I even think of using Eprinex???

Parasites can cause a bird's death directly or indirectly. The stress they are put under by internal and external parasites makes birds more likely to get sick. Parasites slow a bird's growth. Parasites lower a bird's feed efficiency. Parasites lower a bird's productivity. Parasites make a bird look listless and sickly.

By removing mites, lice and worms from your bird's body they will do as well as nature allows. They will have the opportunity to thrive and the opportunity to have a long, healthy life. They will also have the opportunity to be as productive as they can.

Removing parasites alone will not insure your bird's health, but combined with a proper diet, a clean environment, and lots of love, it'll go a LONG way!!!

Is Eprinex effective against tapeworms???

No. Eprinex is not effective against tapeworms.

Used in a regular program Eprinex can be effective in breaking a tapeworms' life cycle, but it will not remove existing tapes in your bird's system.

How often do I use it?

I always dose my birds in the late Fall. It does wonders on the mites, lice and other unmentionables that come running for cover when it gets cold. When I use it, I do all the birds on the property. I also do a super-thorough cleaning of their surroundings when I dose. The reason I do the cleaning is to make sure I get the bugs that are in the coop out of the coop. It also gives me the best picture of just how bad the infestation was. It also gets the coops ready for the nasty weather that's coming, and I'm happy in knowing I won't be scrubbing coops in the snow.

I sometimes re dose the birds in the Spring right before breeding season. I only do that if it's necessary or if I think the Spring is going to drone on sloppily.

When I dosed my birds for the very first time, I did them all and followed up in about three weeks. I don't know why I felt that it was necessary, but I felt good about doing it, knowing that I'd covered all the birds and that they were all properly dosed.

I think part of the reason was that I didn't notice immediate results and was worried about Eprinex's effectiveness. What I didn't consider was that the bugs all have to get a drink of chicken before it kills them, plus all the bugs that are still around have to climb on and get a drink before they're dead, too.

A little patience may have saved me some extra work, but like I said, the peace of mind was worth the extra work.
STANDARD: BC Marens, White & Wheaten Ameraucanas, Muffed OE, SQ White, Splash, Partridge Silkies, Salmon & Mahogany Faverolles, Ga Noi
BANTAM: Mille Fleur & Mottled d'Uccles, Serama, Gold Neck & Butterscotch Booted, White Wyandotte, Silkie Barred & Mille Fleur Cochin, Silver Duckwing Aracuna
Winnebago Co Poultry Superintendent, WI Pullorum Tester
Offline
Report | Quote
#14 Today 10:34 am