DE bath?

if one has them then likely they all do.  i just picked up a pair that were loaded with lice/mites and they're in quarantine in the house right now. both had a good bath last night, have been treated for worms and a spot-on (ivermectin) for mites/lice. the next step is to treat their scaly leg mites and get them both back into shape. the hen is very anemic and has a pink (not red) comb and wattles, and practically white facial skin.

in addition to treating the bird(s) you also need to treat the coop and pen becausethe bugs will hide in all the cracks and crannies.  sevin dust is handy to use in and around the coop, and you can even dust affected birds with it (only the 5% sevin). 

i have used sevin for years, even on canaries with air sac mites (they clicked when they breathed) by putting the canary in a paper bag with a few sprinkles of sevin in the bottom, close the bag and 'shake' enough to make the canary flap. it caused the dust to go into the air and get breathed in.  NOT recommended treatment, but effective. if it was a mild case, they usually got better. a severe case, the mites would die and cause an airway blockage and the bird would die. but birds that bad off would likely have died without treatment too. that treatment also worked for feather mites/lice.

but for chickens i'd google it, i've never used it on anything but the coop/bedding. i prefer the ivermectin pour on for treating the birds themselves.

DE can help prevent lice and mites but it takes more to treat them.  Check out this link about half way down the page after the worming info:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bairos-member-page

But I have also heard that Sevin dust can be used and was recommended by a vet.

You can get Sevin at Walmart or any place with garden supplies.  It is the same stuff the would be used on the vegetable garden to control bugs, but the bottle won't have directions for dusting your chickens lol.

make sure it's the 5% dust, it comes in a bunch of strengths, 5,  7 and 10 i think.

I've used Sevin for 50+ years, even on broodies with new chicks. Great stuff. Feed stores, Home Depot, Walmart, anywhere that has a garden center. Dust them all, as well as nests, coop, everywhere.........Pop

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicklover16 

ok, will do. How do you give the bird a bath though? do you just hold it and shake the dust over it?

I use a cheese shaker, like from an Italian restaraunt. Hold the bird by the legs and shake under wings, tail, everywhere you can and then fluff it in with your hand. Pick them off the roost at night for an easy stress free job.......Pop