Acting 'hot' on the roost?

[MrsBrooke]

Adding some regularly to their dustbowl is a great way to get them to treat themselves as a preventative measure. However, in addition to doing that, I would be inclined to treat each bird individually as well, since you know that you have definitely got a problem with lice at the moment.

It's not that difficult to do - get an old stocking, and dump a load of the dusting powder into the toe part, then tie a knot in it. Take each bird off the roost in the night, and 'powder puff' them all over with it - under the wings, rubbing the feathers up the wrong way on the breast, belly, back and back of the neck, and getting inbetween the feathers around the vent. Finish with a light sprinkle over the top of the head, to get any lice running about on the comb or face. I keep the 'powder puff' in a bowl on a shelf in the coop, and any time I spot something on one of my girls I grab it and give them all a quick dusting. I won't say that they enjoy it, but they don't make too much of a fuss, especially if I do it once they're 'in bed' for the night, and are feeling a bit drowsy.

This may be one of the best pieces of chicken advice and hacks I've EVER seen.

A Sevin dust "powder puff."

KayTee, YOU ARE MY SPIRIT ANIMAL.

MrsB

 

[KayTee]

Thank you MrsB, I'm a great believer in sharing information and experiences

The 'powder puff' was developed out of necessity and the fact that I'm not made of money. You can't buy Sevin dust in France, and the 'Rhodeo' powder I get from the vet costs around 25€ a tub ($27). It has a lid with large holes in and advises you to 'sprinkle' it over the chickens. When I tried I found that I had used half the tub on two girls, and they had great lumps of dust in some places, and nothing in others! I had to find a solution, and that was the first idea that came to mind. I've been using it for a few years now with great success - it is cheap and easy to make, and saves me a fortune on dusting powder.

 

[justplainbatty]

Well, not only did she make it through the night, but she had a lovely empty crop this morning along with the others! On the paper below her I found the largest poop I have EVER seen from any of my girls, with some stringy grass in it. I guess she must have been having a little trouble passing it, but she managed! That's my girl.

No free ranging for them today, though they love it- they clearly aren't sensible enough to avoid giving themselves crop troubles... I give them grit, but this is the second time in three days that they've gotten into digestive trouble, and grit only works in the gizzard, right? Could it be with their trimmed beaks they can't snip the grass up?

I did notice some tiny white insect things around Parmazina's face, though there weren't clusters of eggs around her vent, and they didn't look like mites- they were fast moving and not much bigger than a pinhead - but not round, they were long and thin. I've got some insect control spray for the chickens, so I'll give her a quick mist just to be on the safe side. I didn't see any on the others, should they get a spray too?

Well that is wonderful! I bet they slept a little easier with ice in the house! Can you mow or weed whack or trim the long grasses? That's usually what gets them in trouble, (especially with trimmed beaks). they can't really spit things out so they just keep swallowing. Grit is also helpful in the crop. After you take care of the lice and get a fan, they should be much more comfortable. You're doing fine learning to take care of your girls!

 

[MrsBrooke]

Mites are red and look like cayenne pepper bits... Lice are white/clear and love chicken ears.

Time to find an old stocking and some Sevin!

MrsB

 

[kurui]

You guys are all so wonderful! Thank you for your expertise and support. I wasn't able to get the dust stuff today (I guess my Spanish just isn't good enough!), but I did get a little fan for the coop. Hopefully that'll tide my ladies over until we can move! The man at the chicken shop insisted the spray I have should be more than enough to kill off lice- but it's a pretty heavy insecticide, I think. I worry that it could harm my birds.

http://www.aviantecnic.es/antiparasitarios/32-diptron-insecticida.html

Maybe I can buy some Sevin online? I don't know how long that would take to arrive. How urgent is it I get rid of the lice? I imagine it's not pleasant for my girls but I don't know how dangerous they actually are. What does having lice do to a chicken? I only saw very small ones, and not many at all, but I'm sure there must be more hiding where I can't see them. I wouldn't say it looks like a full-blown infestation, though...?

And yes, I can hack at the grass a bit. They have a home-built tractor thing so I can control what they eat by wheeling them onto short grass only- it's a shame, though, as the shady areas are where the long grass grows, and that's definitely where they want to be.

My birds are all absolutely fine today- I got two eggs, one from Parmazina and the other from Celestine, who hasn't had any crop problems. Cordelia's still holding out on me, but she was on a restricted diet until today. I'll check their crops tomorrow just to be sure everything's under control. What would you recommend I feed them while they're kind of recovering?

 

[MrsBrooke]

You can also use Frontline drops or spray. Dab it between their shoulder blades or mist them.

Luce and mites can cause a bird to go anemic if there are enough of them. They can also stress a bird's immune system making them more susceptible to disease and illness.

Hope you can track down something sooni-ish.

MrsB

 

[justplainbatty]

You guys are all so wonderful! Thank you for your expertise and support. I wasn't able to get the dust stuff today (I guess my Spanish just isn't good enough!), but I did get a little fan for the coop. Hopefully that'll tide my ladies over until we can move! The man at the chicken shop insisted the spray I have should be more than enough to kill off lice- but it's a pretty heavy insecticide, I think. I worry that it could harm my birds.

http://www.aviantecnic.es/antiparasitarios/32-diptron-insecticida.html

Maybe I can buy some Sevin online? I don't know how long that would take to arrive. How urgent is it I get rid of the lice? I imagine it's not pleasant for my girls but I don't know how dangerous they actually are. What does having lice do to a chicken? I only saw very small ones, and not many at all, but I'm sure there must be more hiding where I can't see them. I wouldn't say it looks like a full-blown infestation, though...?

And yes, I can hack at the grass a bit. They have a home-built tractor thing so I can control what they eat by wheeling them onto short grass only- it's a shame, though, as the shady areas are where the long grass grows, and that's definitely where they want to be.

My birds are all absolutely fine today- I got two eggs, one from Parmazina and the other from Celestine, who hasn't had any crop problems. Cordelia's still holding out on me, but she was on a restricted diet until today. I'll check their crops tomorrow just to be sure everything's under control. What would you recommend I feed them while they're kind of recovering?

If you can't get frontline, you can get flea, tick, lice type shampoo for dogs at the pet store maybe. Give each girl a bath, blow dry them a little and put them out in the sun to finish drying. Clean out the coop, do the best you can.

 

[kurui]

We have frontline spray for the dogs. I gave all the girls (and boy!) a misting a few hours ago, and when I went down to check on them just now I saw a couple of dying lice squirming around miserably on top of Parmazina's back! Good. More than they deserve, lol! I guess I'll give them another misting in a couple of weeks to make sure anything that hatches dies too.

Crops all nice and empty this morning. What a relief! You guys have been an absolute godsend, thank you!

 

[MrsBrooke]

We have frontline spray for the dogs. I gave all the girls (and boy!) a misting a few hours ago, and when I went down to check on them just now I saw a couple of dying lice squirming around miserably on top of Parmazina's back! Good. More than they deserve, lol! I guess I'll give them another misting in a couple of weeks to make sure anything that hatches dies too.

Crops all nice and empty this morning. What a relief! You guys have been an absolute godsend, thank you!

GREAT news! Wonderful job with your girls.

It is our pleasure. <3

MrsB

 

[justplainbatty]

We have frontline spray for the dogs. I gave all the girls (and boy!) a misting a few hours ago, and when I went down to check on them just now I saw a couple of dying lice squirming around miserably on top of Parmazina's back! Good. More than they deserve, lol! I guess I'll give them another misting in a couple of weeks to make sure anything that hatches dies too.

Crops all nice and empty this morning. What a relief! You guys have been an absolute godsend, thank you!

Great job!

I'm sure your girls and boy will be tip top in a couple days!

We are always happy to help!