Best lice treatment

[LyndsayJade]

Hi all! What are you using to treat lice on your chickens. I notice my girls and been preening a lot, so I was checking and found lice on them. Ewww. I read that you can use Ivermectin lotion 0.5% by putting a drip on the back of their neck. Has anyone done this or do you have a better recommendation? I also read elector psp is good, but man, they are proud of that stuff!

 

[DobieLover]

In the 7 years I've had chickens they've gotten lice just once and it was caught very early. I just dusted mine with permethrin based poultry dust and that did the trick. I have never used spot on treatments like Ivermectin so I cannot comment on the efficacy.

Do your birds have good dust bathing options?

 

[LyndsayJade]

They did not. They are new to me, so I have been keeping them in the coop for a couple weeks before I allowed them to free range. I have made a dust bath container for them and sprinkled diatomaceous earth in it. This is my first flock, so it never dawned on me to have one in the coop, till I googled how to get rid of lice.

 

[nuthatched]

They did not. They are new to me, so I have been keeping them in the coop for a couple weeks before I allowed them to free range. I have made a dust bath container for them and sprinkled diatomaceous earth in it. This is my first flock, so it never dawned on me to have one in the coop, till I googled how to get rid of lice.

Diotomaeceous Earth will not do anything for mites or lice, unfortunately. You'll have to use permethrine.

 

[LyndsayJade]

Diotomaeceous Earth will not do anything for mites or lice, unfortunately. You'll have to use permethrine.

Ok, I will pick some up. Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What are you using to treat lice on your chickens.

I'd get the Permethrin based poultry dust to treat Lice as suggested in Post#2.
Put the dust in a sock, then use that like a powder puff to dust the birds all over, work the dust all the way through the feathers down to the skin.

Eh, Ivermectin is best used to treat Mites, but if you stay on top of getting the external parasites under control and treat housing every once in a while, with a Permethrin Based Poultry Spray, then hopefully you'll never need Ivermectin.

I read that you can use Ivermectin lotion 0.5% by putting a drip on the back of their neck.

 

[LyndsayJade]

I'd get the Permethrin based poultry dust to treat Lice as suggested in Post#2.
Put the dust in a sock, then use that like a powder puff to dust the birds all over, work the dust all the way through the feathers down to the skin.

Eh, Ivermectin is best used to treat Mites, but if you stay on top of getting the external parasites under control and treat housing every once in a while, with a Permethrin Based Poultry Spray, then hopefully you'll never need Ivermectin.

Do I need to repeat application after certain amount of days/weeks or is it a one time application? The directions really didn't say

 

[Eggcessive]

Since lice eggs can hatch at 10 day intervals, I would check then to see if a second or third treatment is needed to break the cycle. Permethrin kill live lice, but does not get the eggs. Inside the coop, you will probably want to empty the bedding and use some Gordons or Martins Permethrin 10 concentrate mixed with water, 5 ml per quart in a garden sprayer or spray bottle to treat the coop, roosts, and nest boxes. You can get small quantities in feed stores and online.

 

[LyndsayJade]

Since lice eggs can hatch at 10 day intervals, I would check then to see if a second or third treatment is needed to break the cycle. Permethrin kill live lice, but does not get the eggs. Inside the coop, you will probably want to empty the bedding and use some Gordons or Martins Permethrin 10 concentrate mixed with water, 5 ml per quart in a garden sprayer or spray bottle to treat the coop, roosts, and nest boxes. You can get small quantities in feed stores and online.

Can you not use the dust in the coop?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do I need to repeat application after certain amount of days/weeks or is it a one time application? The directions really didn't say

Can you not use the dust in the coop?

You can use a Permethrin based poultry spray in the coop. Look for Permethrin10 which is a concentrate.

if you stay on top of getting the external parasites under control and treat housing every once in a while, with a Permethrin Based Poultry Spray,