A single bird with lice?

[Mrs. K]

Ok, I have a flock of layers, two roos and 6 week old chicks, all living together.

Yesterday, I found a chick dead 12 feet from the coop, and upon closer inspection, had little gold rods all along underneath his feathers. So I am thinking lice?

So tonight, I went down and caught the broody hen, and the rest of the chicks, examined all of them one at a time, darn closely, not another sign of lice or any other bug. The chicks look a little scroungy, but they are growing in there big chicken feathers. (As a side note, I have a board for my broody hen and chicks to roost on, and she is still very defensive of her chicks, They all roost next to her and even under her if they can get her to stand)

Is it possible that only one bird had lice? I did not check the rest of the layers or the roosters, but they all look healthy, I can go catch them, but I don't handle them much, and it really stirs things up.

I live in very sandy country, and my birds dust bath all year long. I have never had a problem.

Mrs K

 

[Kelsie2290]

I wonder if what you saw on the dead chick were fly eggs? Blow Flies tend to show up really fast this time of year.

 

[Mrs. K]

I wonder now too if they were blow flies, I did not look when I first found the bird. But I did go through all of the chicks, and the broody hen, and they are fine! whew

 

[aart]

Depending on how long the chick was dead, it could have attracted other insects after it's death.

 

[Aronia]

give it a bath in sugar water

 

[aart]

Was curious so googled and learned that blowflys are any fly( I always thought that blow flies were a specific species) that quickly lay eggs on dead animals or meat products.

Here's a pic of green bottle fly eggs on some cat food that was left out for a few hours...is this what they looked like Mrs. K?

 

[Mrs. K]

yep, exactly!

I have been VERY lucky. I am not sure if it is all the sand I live in, but (knock on wood) I have never had any parasites on my birds! I have had a flock for more that 7 years.

Mrs K