Best way to rid chickens of lice?

[Mama Rachel]

What is the best way to rid chickens of lice? Saw some crawling on eggs, so I decided to check a hen and she had a lot of clear looking bugs walking around...

 

[DobieLover]

Poultry dust with permethrin.

 

[Brizi]

Poultry dust with permethrin.

Would you say that this is safe to use as a preventative measure in a dust bath?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

That would be off label use of a pesticide.

It wouldn't be effective in a dust bath. If you rid them completely of the pest it could take half a year or years before they had significant mite and lice loads again. The power works but don't believe it is as efficacious as using permethrin in liquid form and spraying the birds and coop.

It's been two years since the last time I treated my flock. I clean out all litter. Have a helper spray while I grab and hold the birds with dish gloves. Hold a wing out then the other wing then bottom of bird, especially around the vent. Set bird down and grab another. Takes less than a minute per bird including the time to grab them. Then spray every crack and corner in the coop. Replace bedding and nest material and retreat birds only in seven days. Plan these treatments in the morning so you can have birds locked in and grab them one at a time.

 

[DobieLover]

Would you say that this is safe to use as a preventative measure in a dust bath?

That is not necessary.
Dust bathing in dirt is the preventative measure. You wouldn't want them wallowing around in it and breathing in the dust every day.