Lice eggs

[Rose Quartz]

I was given my sisters birds after her neighbor complained about them...

Of her birds there are 2, 3 year old (langshan)hens, and 2, 2 year old (brahma) hens, as well as some less than one year old bantams and marans hens.

The langshan hens are just finishing a very hard molt and seem to be doing well. I was hoping the brahmas would too because they have a decent amount of lice with lots of egg sacks on their feathers.

It's getting cold here supplsed to snow later this week. I was thinking about bathing them but i'm not sure how to go about it, what to use, and how to dry them off before setting them back out side.

Is there a good way to remove the eggs other than maybe cutting off their feathers, they havent molted i thought they should have with this being their second winter.

 

[CarpCharacin]

I read that coconut oil can be used for removing lice eggs. Have you treated the birds for lice with permethrin?

 

[Rose Quartz]

I read that coconut oil can be used for removing lice eggs. Have you treated the birds for lice with permethrin?

Nope not yet i dont have any. pay day is this thursday. I do have coconut oil. The kids let them out this morning, so i'll have to wait to catch them. With freezing temps outside will it be ok to bath them as long as they're fully dry before they're back out? I do have a non-insulated room in my house i could put them too if they're not quite dry but need to stay aclimatized to the colder air.

 

[CarpCharacin]

Nope not yet i dont have any. pay day is this thursday. I do have coconut oil. The kids let them out this morning, so i'll have to wait to catch them. With freezing temps outside will it be ok to bath them as long as they're fully dry before they're back out? I do have a non-insulated room in my house i could put them too if they're not quite dry but need to stay aclimatized to the colder air.

I wouldn't let them get too cold before they're fully dry.

 

[Rose Quartz]

I wouldn't let them get too cold before they're fully dry.

Would a hair drier work, maybe off the heat setting?

 

[CarpCharacin]

Would a hair drier work, maybe off the heat setting?

Yeah, or you could just dust them with permethrin powder instead of bathing them.

 

[Rose Quartz]

Yeah, or you could just dust them with permethrin powder instead of bathing them.

Ok, good to know, thought I had to do both.

 

[CarpCharacin]

Ok, good to know, thought I had to do both.

You don't, but the dusting should be repeated every 10 days, until there are no more lice or eggs.

 

[Rose Quartz]

You don't, but the dusting should be repeated every 10 days, until there are no more lice or eggs.

Ok, do I need to treat the entire flock or just the birds that have visible bugs and or eggs?

 

[CarpCharacin]

Ok, do I need to treat the entire flock or just the birds that have visible bugs and or eggs?

I think it'd probably be best to treat the entire flock.