Lice!

Hi guys

Recently I got two new cochins.

I am new to chickens, but do know that all animals should be quarantined 2-3 weeks prior to introducing them.

I did not mix the new cochin we got. The other I gave to a friend who unfortunately did not listen to me and added the chicken into his flock.

I did look up on parasites for pullets; I was able to identify poultry lice on the cochins. So I took them a dust bath first with just regular dirt. Then I took them a shower with flea and lice shampoo.

They started to literary jump out from the chicken. It was so gross. I feel so bad for the cochins.

I have been doing more reasrch and will get seven dust for the chickens; I think this is better than taking them a shower with water. I would rather just take them a shower with powder.

This is what I have read please correct any of the information bellow.
Treatment should last 3 weeks applying it once a week in intervals of 7 days.

My family members don't know how to introduce new chickens. They did not listen to me and did what they wanted. This morning they mixed the cochins with our other flock. The cochin was badly beat up. I have no idea why they did what they did when obviously one is infested with lice.

So now the problem just got a lot bigger. I need to treat all the girls.
How often do I change the bedding during these 3 next weeks of treatment?

I am going to go to my friend and take their chickens a bath too and change out the chickens bedding.

This has turned into a nightmare for me lol

Please guide me. Things have just taken a turn for the worst. Hopefully I can get all of them lice free!
Cynthia
Ps: Should I also treat the chicks? Is it safe to use Seven Dust on chicks?

Hi there! Lice are no fun to deal with. Although, it's been experience that they can pretty easily be dealt with if you use dust. Now mites have been another story for us......

I would simply get the Sevin dust or poultry dust and dust them all. We do this when they're going to bed at night for simplicity. I would change out the bedding at the same time I dusted all the chickens. Then repeat a dusting in about 7 days. You could change bedding again at that point. Good luck!

As for the chicks.....are they in with the big chickens? How old are they?

Thanks sounds good!

I was afraid it would be harder to do than that. I can easily do that for my friends chickens and ours.

Once Chick is two months and the other is like 3-4 months I think.

Sorry I missed your other question.

No the chicks are inside not outside yet. They are far too small.

However, we take them outside from time to time and I thought the lice might jump to them too.

The lice jumped like 3ft I think? They are like grasshoppers.

Cynthia 085 said:

Sorry I missed your other question.

No the chicks are inside not outside yet. They are far too small.

However, we take them outside from time to time and I thought the lice might jump to them too.

The lice jumped like 3ft I think? They are like grasshoppers.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about the chicks then. It's a good idea to spot check your flock every few weeks, so if you see lice on the chicks then you can dust them, but no need to if they're not around the others yet. Just because some of your chickens have lice doesn't necessarily mean they all do or will, although it's a good idea to dust them all anyway.

Hi

Well I dusted all of the chickens.

I will go tomorrow to dust all of my friends chickens too.

I have one more question for you.

My neighbor has chickens too. I already told them about the issue. I offered to help them dust their chickens for them too in case they find lice. I told them how to check their chickens for lice.

I feel so bad for both my neighbors and my friends chickens.
Poor things...how do you not know that your chickens have an infistation of lice? She did have @30 of them, but I have gone to other breeders who have 100+ chickens and have names for each one of them.

I dunno. I did contact the person who gave them to me. I told the person the chickens had lice.

Thanks
Cynthia

I didn't start checking my chickens for parasites until I lost a chicken one cold, winter day. It was so sudden that I examined her and we found lice (although I don't think those killed her). Then, of course, we checked the rest and found a few others with lice. I had recently given someone a chicken and was so embarrassed to have to call and tell them that my chicken may have introduced lice into their flock.

Now I check periodically and always thoroughly check and dust any chicken I'm going to sell. We struggle with mites, but I think we've finally gotten it under control. It just doesn't take long for them to get the things and have them reproduce. I know it happens and you did good to tell the breeder you found mites.

Sorry my question was,

Can my neighbors chickens catch the lice? They usually do not have any contact with each other. Sometimes they just see each other through the wired fence.

I would hate to have their chickens catch the lice.

Yea I learned about parasites too. I had to because of this issue. I feel so embarrassed too; to give a chicken as a gift and then it being infested with lice possibly infecting all of the flock.

Well tomorrow I go and dust my friends chickens. I hope they do OK.

Thanks again for all your support and help. It really has helped me to learn how to take care of my chickens and how to properly care for them.

How did you realize you had mites?

I want to check my chicken coop.

Also how did you battle them? I have not checked for mites in the night. Should I?

Cynthia 085 said:

Sorry my question was,

Can my neighbors chickens catch the lice? They usually do not have any contact with each other. Sometimes they just see each other through the wired fence.

I would hate to have their chickens catch the lice.

Yea I learned about parasites too. I had to because of this issue. I feel so embarrassed too; to give a chicken as a gift and then it being infested with lice possibly infecting all of the flock.

Well tomorrow I go and dust my friends chickens. I hope they do OK.

Thanks again for all your support and help. It really has helped me to learn how to take care of my chickens and how to properly care for them.

Click to expand...

Oops, sorry! Lice are spread through wild birds and critters (from my understanding). I suppose they could be spread to your neighbor's chickens from yours, but they could just as easily get them from wandering around.

I found the mites because one of my hens was acting strange and just sitting on the roost. We examined her and found her crawling with little dark bugs. That has since happened 2 others times....I find a hen acting very odd and sitting around and discover that she's just covered in mites. Mites are more dangerous and can kill them. The mites we seem to have are Northern Fowl Mites and they live on the chicken.

Good luck with your friend's chickens! I think they'll all be fine. You're doing everything you can to take care of the lice.