Chicken Lice Eggs - When do they go away?

[eml711]

Hi there. A little while back we discovered that our backyard flock was infested with chicken lice. We very promptly raced to the store and immediately treated the flock with the permethrin dust and then repeated treatment a week later. It seems to have done the job in killing the infestation of live lice, but prior to the second treatment I had noticed the presence of the eggs at the base of the feather shafts. Which is why I was sure to follow through with that second treatment. I've checked since that second treatment and I don't see any live lice, so I am fairly confident that the dust killed the eggs, however they are still there/visible.

So my question is, do those egg sacks never go away/fall off? It's a bit unsettling to me!

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Those eggs will hatch, not just go away. I think the best plan is to check for more lice every day, and when you see any, dust the chickens right away. That way, in theory, the lice won't have any time to lay more eggs. I'm dealing with lice in my own chickens, and they are super tough to get rid of.

 

[Kiki]

Those eggs will hatch, not just go away. I think the best plan is to check for more lice every day, and when you see any, dust the chickens right away. That way, in theory, the lice won't have any time to lay more eggs. I'm dealing with lice in my own chickens, and they are super tough to get rid of.

I agree....The eggs are not just going to go away They are going to hatch.
Once they do hatch you've got to kill them before they get to the egg laying stage. So continue to treat your birds every five days with the permethrin for a while.

 

[eml711]

Ok thank you- so two treatments of the dust isn't enough to truly kill those eggs? Persistent little buggers! I have been checking pretty regularly but not every day. I haven't seen any live ones in quite a while thankfully. I was just wondering if i'd ever see those egg clumps fall off and disappear? As in, how do you ever truly know you have eradicated the problem completely?

 

[eml711]

But also, is it potentially bad to keep dusting the chickens? I mean the dust in and of itself is sort of a poison, right? So isn't a bit of a delicate balance between trying to make sure the lice are gone but you don't poison your birds?

 

[Kiki]

Lice will kill birds.
Permethrin is safe for use on them.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Ok thank you- so two treatments of the dust isn't enough to truly kill those eggs? Persistent little buggers! I have been checking pretty regularly but not every day. I haven't seen any live ones in quite a while thankfully. I was just wondering if i'd ever see those egg clumps fall off and disappear? As in, how do you ever truly know you have eradicated the problem completely?

Unfortunately, the permethrin only kills lice, not the eggs. The only way to get rid of lice fully is to wait until the eggs hatch, and dust the hens that very day. The lice will die before they can lay any more eggs. If they lay even a few, though, you'll have to go through the same process again. Otherwise, those few eggs will hatch, and multiply until the problem is a lot worse. Also, lice tend to congregate around the vent of the chicken, as I'm sure you noticed, but there can also be some on their heads, where they can't groom themselves.

 

[Playfulroost]

I have not tried it yet, but I am ordering Elector PSP off eBay for $17. It is a soil bacteria, so completely safe to use. It is very concentrated, so a little goes a long way. It is a one time treatment for lice and mites. It is the only product that will kill lice and eggs. I do organic gardening and I am too sensitive to insecticide to use the pyrethrum. I look forward to seeing my lice infestation gone with one treatment! I might retreat once just to be sure I don't miss a spot.