I FOUND BUGS ON MY CHICKENS CAN MY RABBIT CATCH THEM!?!?!

[homesteader13]

I AM FREAKING OUT - I got three new hens this week who seemed very healthy and well taken care of - but to my dismay while hanging out in the chicken run I noticed the new hens have both scaly leg mites AND chicken lice! EWW! Thankfully the new hens are not in the same run as our old hens but they share a wall of chicken wire so I am very afraid the bugs will spread - neither parasite is life threatening to the chickens and they are undergoing treatment right now.

What really freaks me out is my beloved (and pregnant) doe lives in a run that is about 20 or 30 feet away from the chicken runs. CAN either of these chicken bugs transfer to my doe!?!!


Any and all advise on this would be very appreciated! This is the first time one of my "farm animals" has had an ailment so I'm a bit shaken.

Thanks!!!!!

 

[dayna]

Be careful, we just got rid of a chicken mite infestation and I've got the scabs all over my body to prove it. Itchy painful bites. YUCK.

I used sevin dust on my chickens and they cleared right up.

 

[homesteader13]

Be careful, we just got rid of a chicken mite infestation and I've got the scabs all over my body to prove it. Itchy painful bites. YUCK.

I used sevin dust on my chickens and they cleared right up.

Oh my if those mites could bite you they would certainly live on a rabbit - do you know what kind of mites they were? I have heard that red mites can transfer between birds and mammals - does anyone know specifically about "scaly leg mites" and "chicken lice"??! these are the bugs they have.... thanks will look up seven dust!

 

[MaggieJ]

That's sevin dust you want, not seven like the number.

Why not remove the doe and her cage until you get the situation under control?

Edited to add: I've never used sevin dust on any critters and Akane raises valid concerns below about its possible toxicity, particularly to rabbits.

 

[akane]

Aside from fleas and ticks most external parasites are species specific. Chicken mites and lice cannot live on rabbits. That doesn't mean though that they won't bite any nearby warm body before dying. We had mites in our hay once that caused the death of a guinea pig from skin infection under the bites even though the mites can't live on the guinea pig.

Sevin dust is often sold for gardens and household pests. I looked all over the feedstores for the stuff and it is not sold there for animals. It was at a gardening store. It is rather toxic though which is typical of a pesticide so it wouldn't be my first choice for treating a rabbit. For the chickens I just dumped it in their dust bathing area and then we used a poultry mite killing solution on all the wood before sealing it better. DE is a safer first line of defense for small mammals who are getting parasites from another source instead of living on them. If it's a parasite that can live on them I prefer something like ivermectin or advantage.

 

[MaggieJ]

Good advice from Akane on this.

I realized in retrospect that my correction of the name of sevin sounds like an endorsement. I've never actually used it and I agree with Akane that DE (Diatomaceous Earth) is a safer choice for rabbits. Buy the food grade DE, not the pool grade.

 

[Marinea]

The affected hens would probably LOVE to have a nice dust bath. Dig them a shallow hole and fill it with food grade DE. Let them go to it.

I would also sprinkle the DE around their coop and the area the other hens are in.

I have seen Vaseline used on the legs of chickens with leg mites.

 

[homesteader13]

That's sevin dust you want, not seven like the number.

Why not remove the doe and her cage until you get the situation under control?

Edited to add: I've never used sevin dust on any critters and Akane raises valid concerns below about its possible toxicity, particularly to rabbits.

Thank you! No I would not use anything toxic like "sevin" on the rabbit! Just the chickens. I do have DE to use on the rabbit if need be. I would move her but her big run is all attached to the ground and surrounding structures (and is like 15 feet by 10 feet) plus can't stress her out while pregnant. I want to hear that scaly leg and feather lice cannot transfer to mammals, but I'm not sure...

 

[dayna]

I wanted to add that no I would not use sevin on the rabbits, but she stated that the mites were on the chickens. Also I used sevin because by the time I realized what was going on it was too late to use almost any other method! We were covered in bites, as were the dogs, etc etc. I could see tons of them running around on the chickens. EWWWWW within 24 hours no more mites to be seen. I used a sock to "puff" under the wings and the butt area. I also changed out all the nestbox bedding and put a sprinkle of sevin dust in the bottom of the boxes before putting in the clean straw.

Anytime you use a pesticide it must be used with caution. Also sevin dust is not rated for use on livestock, therefore technically it's illegal to use it on animals or for anything not listed on the use label...

 

[Diamond]

Just go to the feed store and get lice duster for poultry, horses, or cattle. Sevin is made for plants and gardens, not animals.

Rabbits are extremely sensitive to pyretherin/ premetherin products.

I agree that lice are species specific, the little feet of chicken mites are made to hold on to feathers and leg scales, not ultrafine rabbit fur, but as mentioned you can still get bites from the bugs, they just can't live on and reproduce on other species.

Diatomaceous earth is excellent for chickens, as they love dust.

For rabbits, if you see symptoms of mites or mange developing, ivermectin is the safest pharmaceutical treatment. Don't use cat, dog, or livestock lice treatments due to the premethrin content.

 

[Schipperkesue]

Any viscous, sticky oil on the legs of the chicken will smother the leg mites. Keep it up daily for a couple weeks. As the scales heal they will flatten and look normal again.


I am not sure where you live, but you can buy a product called Eprinex that is death to lice and extremely safe. No egg or meat withdrawl. Unfortunately it may also be off-label for chickens depending on where you live. It is expensive, comes in large containers, and well worth the price, but for a small number of chickens you may want to borrow some. It is a drop on and must be dropped on to bare skin.

 

[jeannie]

TSC has a dust for chicken lice:
Y-Tex® GardStar® Garden & Poultry Dust Shaker Can, 2 lb about $7 a can.

I just held all my chickies upside down by their feet and dusted their bottoms and under the wings. Used my fingers to "swoosh" the dust around. Killed the lice that day. Chicken lice does not transfer to people, I mean they will get on you, but they are not like the lice you need to use "rid" on.

I sprinkle it in the coop when I add fresh straw too. Have not had another incidence of lice

 

[Schipperkesue]

I like the dust too and find it effective for both lice and mites. However, there is a recommended egg and meat withdrawal when you use the dust. I am not sure but i make sure i don't use it if I am eating the eggs. If I am collecting them for incubation then no worries.

Parasite free chickens are much more robust overall. It is amazing how a little creature can affect general chicken health.

Most external parasites are species specific. They do not have the body structure or feeding mechanism to exist on an animal that they have not evolved to live on.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I prefer to use food grade diatomaceous earth for external parasites. It is non toxic and will kill the little buggers by dehydration within a couple of days.

It is also a good soil amendment so is great to use in your chicken run or under your rabbit cages if you rake up their waste to be composted or added to planting areas. As an added bonus it also neutralizes odor when used in sufficient quantity.

 

[homesteader13]

Thank you so much everyone! I know a lot about rabbits but am a newbie with chickens lol I got a big bag of DE and lightly dusted the bunnies and wooden parts of there hutches/runs to be safe although there is no sign that the bad bugs are trying to spread. I treated the chickens with DE and veggie oil on their legs, as well as a dose of ivermectin cattle pour on, and added a big dust bath area in their run with DE and ash from our fire pit. Hopefully everything will be back to normal soon!

 

[Schipperkesue]

I have found DE does little to control an outbreak of body parasites. Though it may help to prevent the chickens from catching them, once they have them more drastic measures need to be taken.

I have just bought some powdered sulfur. I have recently read a scientific study that showed a dust bath of DE with sulfur WILL kill lice and mites, whereas a dust bath of DE alone will not.