What are these critters all over our coop???

[Emilykate88]

I’ve been spraying them with water/dish soap/oil every morning and the next day there seem to be even more. The chickens are showing no signs of being bitten. And I have never seen one that is a different color/looks like it’s been feeding. They don’t seem to fit the description of red/northern fowl mites and I can’t find any similar pictures on the internet. I bought permethrin but I’m afraid to use it until I’m sure what they are. They are all over the entire coop.

Help!!

 

[NatJ]

Do they fly or just crawl?

I don't know what they are, but you might try removing them with a piece of tape: take a piece of packing tape or duct tape and stick it to the clump, then when the tape is covered with bugs you can tie it in a plastic bag and throw it away.

That will not help tell what they are, and it will never remove all of them. But it should be a safe way to get rid of some of those big clumps, which will leave less to deal with in any other way.

 

[Emilykate88]

Do they fly or just crawl?

I don't know what they are, but you might try removing them with a piece of tape: take a piece of packing tape or duct tape and stick it to the clump, then when the tape is covered with bugs you can tie it in a plastic bag and throw it away.

That will not help tell what they are, and it will never remove all of them. But it should be a safe way to get rid of some of those big clumps, which will leave less to deal with in any other way.

They just crawl. There are more outside the coop than inside.

The tape is a good idea. I’m going to do that right now.

 

[JedJackson]

They could be wood mites. Those don't fly and some types are white.

 

[Emilykate88]

They could be wood mites. Those don't fly and some types are white.

That would be a much better diagnosis…it has been so wet and humid here. But I know that is the perfect environment for chicken mites too and I’m just not sure!

Most of the ID pics on the internet are close ups and that’s making it harder to figure it out.

 

[Qwerty3159]

The white doesn’t concern me as much as a red or brown colored mite would.

Did it recently rain before you saw those big clumps? They could just be trying to escape the water.

 

[Emilykate88]

The white doesn’t concern me as much as a red or brown colored mite would.

Did it recently rain before you saw those big clumps? They could just be trying to escape the water.

Yeah, no reds or browns at all and it’s been three days since i noticed them.

It’s been raining constantly here. But the coop is under a tarp roof. I feel like maybe they actually LIKE the soap/oil solution? Those spots from the pictures are where I’ve sprayed over and over the most. They’re thriving!

 

[nuthatched]

Try permethrine based spray for them if they don't go away.

 

[Emilykate88]

Try permethrine based spray for them if they don't go away.

I bought the powder, but they seem to live at the top of the coop more than the bottom so I’m sure the spray would make more sense. Thank you!

 

[DonyaQuick]

This is perhaps a late response, but this looks like the grain/mold mites I have dealt with two years in a row now. They are infurating things to deal with even if technically harmless to the chickens; they turn feed into dust and get all over any urfaces that harbor moisture. They love covered port-type feeders that can retain humidity inside and they like wood, although they'll aslo go for metal at certain times of day. They gather in exactly the same places on my coops although they avoid the interior sleeping spaces where it's bone dry. Certain heat/humidity conditions trigger them in my area - they come from the environment and then have a population boom when they get into the chicken litter/feed. Personally I've found permethrin powder deals with them better and over a longer period of time than the spray even though the powder is more awkward to apply to vertical surfaces, but I'm also in a wet area where the spray gets washed away more easily.