Can’t get rid of lice!!!

[LemonyCatapult]

I have a 1 year old Silkie rooster who came to us with scaly leg mites and lice. He is absolutely INFESTED! I’ve put out diatomaceous earth for him and the others, I’ve also bathed him in my sink countless time with flea shampoo to no avail.

None of my other chickens have lice (or at least not enough that I can notice when I search for them) except for him. He doesn’t perch with the others and instead he curls up on top of our nesting boxes so I’m not sure if maybe that’s why they haven’t spread although I’m surprised either way that it’s only him.

Does anyone have any other remedies? I will take him to the vet next week if I must, although we only have one chicken vet in my county and it’s outrageous so I’d like to try some more home remedies if possible!

 

[Shadrach]

Forget about DE. It doesn't work. Get some Permethrin spray, or powder.
Use Vaseline and Batadine mix 75% to 25% for the scaly leg mite. You need to smother the legs and feet in the mixture and do it again a couple of weeks later.
There is absolutely no point in bathing chickens in water.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/why-chickens-bath-in-dust-and-not-in-water.74441/

 

[MagpieDucks]

The DE isn’t doing anything, obviously, so you can go ahead and quit that.

I would go ahead and get a permethrin spray and treat her with that. I’m not too experienced with the stuff, but I’ll tag a member that can tell you more about it. @oldhenlikesdogs

I use Elector PSP to treat mites/lice. It is very effective but a bit on the expensive side. Here is a good article about poultry pests:https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have used a pyrethrin or a permethrin based poultry dust. I personally prefer the dust. You will need to treat weekly for 3-4 weeks to break the life cycle.

When I had silkies they were the only breed I ever saw lice on. I had to go in and try to remove the nit clusters as they will linger after the lice are gone.

I catch the bird, than hold it by it's feet with it's chest on a table or the ground. I apply the dust like I was salting my dinner, than I rub it in a bit before letting the bird go. You can wear a dust mask or hold your breathe.

You can also dust the living quarters, making sure to dust cracks.

When keeping silkies you need to check them occasionally because some don't dust bath or preen as much as other breeds.

I have never dealt with scaly legs thankfully, so I can't comment on treatment of that.