Emily30102 Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Recently I’ve noticed at least two of my six chickens are regularly standing looking very depressed and sad. They still run for food, go to bed etc. One especially has a slightly pale cone and face. I’ve checked her crop etc it’s all fine. I know for a fact my chickens have lice which I am currently treating them for, we think that the lice was braught by a chicken we rescued from a road as we had never had problems before. I’m starting to wonder if they may have mites as well? I’ve checked each one but I can only see long pale coloured creatures which are the lice am I right? I check the vent area and under the wings and I don’t think there are any mites there. I have also checked inside the coop but I can’t see anything there either(I’ve already treated the coop with poultry protect and Desi dust) None of the girls are reluctant to go to bed. My girls are ex battery hens and haven’t laid for over a year now. We’ve had them 3 years so I was thinking they are probably too old. although a couple of them look sad the others are very healthy! They’re a good weight and seem much happier. Their cones are vibrant red. Does this mean the mites only affect a couple of my weak chickens or is there something else wrong with my sad hen? Also how can I tell the difference between lice and mites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 OK, so we are looking at 3 different things here, and they're not necessarily exclusive of each other: Red mites: live in the housing, come out at night to feed off the birds. You won't see them on the birds, but might spot them if you look into the coop at night. They leave a fag ash-type deposit in the coop. Chicken Lice: live on the birds, small pale brown creatures (shown in photo on a silkie, hence the black skin) and lay clusters of white eggs around the base of the feathers. You will see these on the skin in the vent area Northern Fowl Mites: live on the birds, small black creatures which cluster around the base of the feathers, their debris and eggs can be seen on the feathers. This then collects poo and looks like the bird has a dirty bum. ***All of these can kill if left to accumulate** In all cases you will need to treat the housing as well as the bird; scrub the coop with hot soapy water, when dry spray with Total Mite Kill ready to use (pink) spray, then powder with Nettex Buz Busters. Repeat every 3 days until you have knocked the infestation back and then revert to a weekly regime with these products. Treat all your birds with a preventative spot-on product. These are not licensed yet for use on poultry in the UK, but most chicken-savvy vets prescribe one containing Ivermectin; mine suggests a cattle pour-on called Ivomec Eprinex. Dosing is here. This will prevent your hens from getting any sort of ecto-parasite and will also prevent red mites in the coop, much as a flea spot-on works on cats and dogs. If they have a very bad infestation, then the vet may recommend use of a spray containing permethrin (see photo) this is also not yet licensed for use on poultry in the UK. Spray this on the skin where you see lice, repeat after 3 days, and then once again if you still see any lice/mites. You will be told to use the Spot-on quarterly. Your birds will be pretty poorly, so you should also treat them with a good poultry tonic - Vit Boost works well Hope that this helps 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily30102 Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Thank you really good advice! Silly question but could the possible mites only be affecting one or two of my hens? The others look very healthy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 I would treat them all as they will probably all have critters to a lesser or greater extent. Inspect them all carefully, treat them all and repeat if necessary. The main thing is to get the infestation down, and then keep up your regular regime. Burn all bedding or bag and bin it... don't put it on the compost until you've got rid of the bugs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily30102 Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Great thank you, I dust the coop with mite/lice dust every week when I clean them out. They do seem to be itching a lot less, just a little worried about the quiet one also another question. Can mites spread from chicken to chicken or do they just infest coops? I’m thinking of getting another coop as mine is battered and won’t keep them as warm this winter. Would this stop mites all together? Also are plastic coops better to prevent mites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Which lice/mite powder are you using? Some are almost ineffective, others work really well Red mites will infest coops and spread by using a host, so chickens, wild birds, or you! Lice and northern fowl mites live on the birds and can spread from one bird to another, or via the coop (think of children with headlice). Plastic housing is much easier to keep mite-free, and old wooden housing is the worst (sorry). I don't know your set-up, but if you have old housing, I would be inclined to get something new, burn the old one and start again. Follow the regime I specified above, using the products I recommended and keep up a regular cleaning programme. Vigilance, and the right products, used properly are all key. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily30102 Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 I am using the poultry protect cleaner and Desi Dust from my local farm shop. It seems to be working well for the lice. I am yet to see any mites but your advice will definitely help prevent them! I’ll definitely look into getting a plastic coop. We used to have an omlet but someone actually stole it from our garden! Thank you for your advice it’s been really helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
