What are these critters all over our coop???

[vlselz]

Remember *Northern Fowl Mites and Red Roost Mites are clear/off-white/white UNTIL they feed, and then they become brownish red. On the outside of the coop only probably a wood mite. If you haven't done so already, I would definitely check in the coop and on the chickens in the dark to see if they have anything on them then. Whatever type of mite it is, I would use Elector PSP or Permectrin 2, both of those are Insecticides /larvicide or a once and done type spray.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Remember *Northern Fowl Mites and Red Roost Mites are clear/off-white/white UNTIL they feed, and then they become brownish red. On the outside of the coop only probably a wood mite. If you haven't done so already, I would definitely check in the coop and on the chickens in the dark to see if they have anything on them then. Whatever type of mite it is, I would use Elector PSP or Permectrin 2, both of those are Insecticides /larvicide or a once and done type spray.

Worth noting that fowl mites are really easy to tell apart from the grain/mold mites I mentioned when they are on a chicken. Unfortunately I recently had the opportunity to compare the two side by side. I had a rooster wander in an area where my chickens don't normally go and he brought surprises back with him (which I a still dealing with even though the Ibelieve I stopped the problem from spreading...awful little things).

These are the differences I saw.

Grain/mold mites:

• Congregate in corner areas while being fully visible during daylight, exactly like in OPs photo. They will also form dust-bunny-like piles any place where there's chicken feed particles and moisture, such as if a feeder and waterer are near each other.
• End up on chickens by accident quite a lot when in large numbers, but they don't want to be there and will escape onto a hand given the opportunity. They get stuck in under-floof feathers and don't seem able to easily free themselves if they get in the finer bits of the feather. I've seen many dead ones caught in feathers.
• When on chickens they are almost always on the feathers not the skin.
• I've never been bitten by them.

My recent experience with northern fowl mites:

• Nowhere to be seen in the environment.
• Only on the affected chicken.
• Bigger adult size and darker color.
• When on chickens, they can move very quickly and nimbly through feathers.
• They go on the skin quite a lot.
• Nasty things bit me too when I was examining them.

If OP has checked chickens it should be easy to tell which one is causing this infestation but my guess is still grain/mold mites due to the exterior clumping behavior and color.

Not saying the treatment should be anything other than the pesticides others have already recommended - it's same for both, but if it's grain mites there's virtually no use in dusting chickens and it's the environment that needs treating, and probably some alteration to control moisture and feed storage - otherwise they will continue to populate out of control and it can get really gross and detroy a lot of feed before their populations are naturally reduced by seasonal weather changes. On the other hand, if it's fowl mites or some other chicken parasitic type then it's of course very important to dust the chckens themselves and has probably has nothing to do with how the chickens are fed.

EDIT: I am no expert on dealing with northern fowl mites and I guess I have seen a couple of photos of them congregating in cracks in wood like roost bars, but not forming the humongous, out-in-the-open piles that the grain/mold mites do and the color is different too.

 

[vlselz]

Thanks for the info/differences you've seen @DonyaQuick . I'm no expert, I was just wanting to mention the issue with colors (mites change colors due to blood supply) because someone had said not to worry chicken mites are red. I wish them luck eradicating whateber it is. ALL mites make me itch just by thinking about or looking at them....eeek.

 

[DonyaQuick]

because someone had said not to worry chicken mites are red

Oh I missed that - indeed, the color told me very little when I first saw my annoying fowl mites. They could've been a different species of mold mite if it wasn't for the behavior difference and skin irritation.