Can lice/mites kill a Chicken?? Will DE kill the bugs??

[Bleenie]

All the chicks in our brooder somehow have gotten a TERRIBLE infestation of lice/mites. some of them are extremely skinny & we actually lost 2 tonight.

Its so bad that when you touch them for 1 second you have AT LEAST 10 bugs on your hand.

I dusted with DE because it's all i have right now. I am dusting the big birds & ducks tomorrow but need to go buy some actual lice/mite dust.


My question is, can they kill a bird? the babies were around 3months old. I think they were also getting picked on by the bigger chicks too.

I am totally PI55ED right now. I haven't been taking care of the brooder because it's full of my sisters chicks. I know they're not mine but its ridiculous that 2 died tonight & that she doesnt pay enough attention to notice the bugs!!

I mean, WHY EVEN HAVE CHICKENS!?!?

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Yes lice and mites can kill chickens, alone or together. DE is best given to them to dust bath in at all times for prevention. It will kill the adult bugs so good that you used it if that's all you had on hand but it will not prevent new bugs from hatching out, the birds will be covered in eggs as well. With DE you would ahve to dust them every day, some of the lice powders are good for a few days.

Please don't bold your entire post, like typing in all caps it's like yelling as the reader. I fixed it for you this time.

 

[Bleenie]

Okay, thank you for fixing it. I'll try to remember not to do that again.

a friend of mine has some ivermectin, will that work right away on the babies? Everyone else will be getting it too.

 

[Terri O]

You should dust them with an insecticide that is safe for them. It kills the bugs right away and will give them some relief from the itching. You will also have to clean their environment thoughoughly. Terri O

 

[HeatherFeather]

You should dust them with an insecticide that is safe for them.

You SHOULD do what you feel is a good choice for you after doing a good deal of reading and making an informed choice.

You mentioned that they are your sister's chicks- I can't help to wonder if you are a teen? If you are, and you feel that insecticide is the way you choose to go, please have an adult apply it. Even domestic grade insecticides you can buy at the store are not intended to be used by teens, and the implications of teens (who's brains and organs are still developing), especially girls (who have ovaries, and eggs, and may be mothers one day) exposed to them are a lot different than adults.

So good for you, for wondering whether or not you can use DE, and posing questions vs. blindly following advice.

Good luck with your chickies!​

 

[purpletree23]

How old are the chicks? I don't think I would use Ivermectin on them.

Go to the feed store and get poultry and lice dust. Start dusting the chicks at the head and work your way down making sure you get the tummy and vent area very good. Ruffle the feathers with your fingers to get the powder down to the skin. This will kill the adults but not the eggs. Reapply in 10 days and AGAIN 10 days from that.

Put the chicks in a different container I guess you could say and clean whatever they are in now really well with lots of hot water.

Make sure the chicks are eating well. They are probably anemic.

Again let me know how old they are.

 

[Country4ever]

I've found that wood ashes work well too, for dusting mites.

 

[Bleenie]

I'm not a teen (22) but I have read that some insecticides have the risk of causing cancer if inhaled. I've had cancer twice now so i would probably have someone else do it or help me anyway.

we just live on a large farm with a couple different homes. the grown birds are kept in a seperate coop with the muscovies, the geese in another & the babies are kept in a brooder house outside in another pen. they've all been seperated until we recently moved a few of the large babies to the adult coop. The chicks are around 3 & 4 months old.

i think the biggest ones are still healthy enough to use the ivermectin i think. they're good weight & still very active.

we have to go pick up hay today so i will get lice dust for the chicks.


ok, so i had nasty amounts of bugs on me last night when i touched one of the babies, they do come off in the shower right?
i showered twice last night just because i could not stop itching (i think i psyched myself out). but it stopped after the second shower.

they can't live on people, right?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Ivermectin will be fine on the babies, although I would suggest diluting it. If you have the pour-on, dilute by adding an equal amount of a light oil like bath or baby oil or even olive oil. For each chick give them 2 to 3 drops on the skin in each wingpit. For adults use .25 -.75 ml undiluted.

If you have injectible, mix it in the water and give it to them all. I don't use injectible, so you;ll have to do a search for the correct strength.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Yes, the mites will bite people, but we don't taste good, so they will not stay on you.