Epic Battle against Lice

[Phospho]

I have 7 chickens, and they all have varying degrees of lice. I've been battling them since August. Here's what I've been doing, and what I'm planning on doing:

When I first noticed them, I started doing what I did last time this happened: I switch them from one pen to another every week, spraying them with Scalyx mite and lice spray every three days and checking them every week. If I saw any eggs while checking, I daubed them with Crisco to suffocate them.

I got down to pretty low numbers, but they just weren't going away. I found that I don't see adults anymore (I only saw two at the very beginning), which led me to believe that they're laying their eggs and immediately dying, spending most of their life cycle as an egg. Therefore, I thought, the Scalyx must not be doing a lot, since it only kills adults.

So I started checking them every other day, Crisco in hand. I had to be careful, though, because putting Crisco on their feathers flattens out the fluffy part, rendering them useless against the cold (I'm in northern MN, by the way). Then one of my friends jokingly suggested that I use Dawn dish soap to get it off once the eggs are dead.

I tried it on one feather, and it worked like a charm! I also got a feather with visible eggs and put Crisco on some of them, hoping to see how long it took for them to turn black, signifying their death. While I was waiting, I took one un-Crisco'd egg and one Crisco'd egg and put them on a microscope slide... it's hard to tell, but they may or may not have already hatched.

Makes me wonder if all the nits I'm seeing have already hatched and they don't have lice anymore after all. However, one of my birds recently molted and she already has nits on her new feathers, so I know they're still around.

So here's my plan moving forward: I need to get a feather with living eggs and see how long it takes for Crisco to kill them. Then I'm going to take one bird at a time inside and cover all her feathers in Crisco, keep her inside away from the cold until the eggs are dead, wash her off and blowdry her, and then quarantine her from the others.

My question is whether I should just use Elector PSP instead. I've heard it leaves a residue; will it hinder my birds' ability to stay warm?

 

[Debbie292d]

I've heard of vaseline for scaly leg mites, but never heard of it or Crisco used to try eradicate lice. I'd be afraid if you had to keep this routine up, you'll be giving your birds dandruff next.

We've never had lice but I hear most people use Permethrin powder, like what you get for your garden works. You'd get your birds completely covered with it and sprinkle it completely all over the coop(s) as well.

I've heard good things of Elector PSP too and don't know anything about a residue though, just that it's extremely expensive.

 

[Tookie]

It would be much easier to use permethrin poultry dust, all you have to do is dust the birds down (be careful with the dust and them breathing it in) once, and repeat in 7-10 days and that should solve your problem.

 

[SpeckySussex]

We've tried so many things for one of our chickens and for lice (y'all are going to hate me....) but the only thing that has worked EVER was "Garden Sevin," thankfully we haven't had many cases so we don't have a lot of experience with parasites.
Take my advice with a grain of salt!!!!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'd get some Permethrin poultry dust and dust all the birds. Get some permethrin spray and treat their housing, making sure to get into nooks/crannies, roosting bars, nesting boxes, etc. Clean out the bedding before you treat the housing.
Repeat in 5-7 day intervals.

Scalex can be used, but I think it's a weaker concentration than the dust and spray.

Crisco or coconut oil can help dissolve the glue nits that are on the base of the feathers so you can pull them off. I'm not sure about either one smothering the nits when they emerge. It doesn't sound like it's doing a good job of that. Try removing the nits after you've applied your oils and see if that helps reduce the numbers. Be sure to dispose of the nits, don't compost them or just toss them on the ground, place them in a sealed jar or ziplock, then dispose of them.

 

[Phospho]

I'd get some Permethrin poultry dust and dust all the birds. Get some permethrin spray and treat their housing, making sure to get into nooks/crannies, roosting bars, nesting boxes, etc. Clean out the bedding before you treat the housing.
Repeat in 5-7 day intervals.

Scalex can be used, but I think it's a weaker concentration than the dust and spray.

Crisco or coconut oil can help dissolve the glue nits that are on the base of the feathers so you can pull them off. I'm not sure about either one smothering the nits when they emerge. It doesn't sound like it's doing a good job of that. Try removing the nits after you've applied your oils and see if that helps reduce the numbers. Be sure to dispose of the nits, don't compost them or just toss them on the ground, place them in a sealed jar or ziplock, then dispose of them.

Does permethrin kill nits too? That's the most important thing for this case, I think.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does permethrin kill nits too? That's the most important thing for this case, I think.

No, not the eggs.
Use your crisco or coconut oil, to help work loose the nits (egg casing) from the base of the feathers.
Use the Permethrin to kill any that hatch.

 

[Phospho]

No, not the eggs.
Use your crisco or coconut oil, to help work loose the nits (egg casing) from the base of the feathers.
Use the Permethrin to kill any that hatch.

Hmm... I think the Scalyx has already been going a pretty good job of that. That's the one nice thing about Elector PSP. I'll have to look into the residue aspect, but that's starting to look like a much better solution than Crisco.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hmm... I think the Scalyx has already been going a pretty good job of that. That's the one nice thing about Elector PSP. I'll have to look into the residue aspect, but that's starting to look like a much better solution than Crisco.

Yes, Scalex is a Pyrethrin based product, so pretty much like Permethrin based poultry dusts, the concentrate of Scalex is a bit less than the others, but it *should* be fairly effective in killing the active lice.

I've never used Elector PSP, but do hear good things about it, it may kill the eggs, but you'll have to research that. I'd look at their website and see what they claim, that will give you a pretty good idea.

 

[ChickyMudder]

I’ve had good results with sulfer and diamatacious earth in the coop and dust them.
This year has been bad for them so I resorted to the ivermectine drench. I went back a week later and everyone was clear of mites or visable eggs except one guy. He was completely infested with nits. I must have missed him the first time around.