Chicken lice.. I'm over it!!!

[Pharm Girl]

Found lice on my chickens this spring. I was advised to use Eprinex, which I did *twice* to no avail. Then switched to the poultry powder (Permetherin). Cleaned out the coop and sprinkled poultry powder and DE over the roosts and under nesting material. Switched to sand in the bottom, followed up with treatment 10 day later. They went away for a few weeks, but now I see those buggers back on their bottom fluff. I'm so over this! Anyone else have other ideas? I hate dumping eggs in the summer when they are laying so good, but I have two other groups of younglings that I'm going to have to treat now too. Ugh.

 

[Mahonri]

How did you use the Eprinex? I had a friend use it on a roo with tons of lice and it ended up killing the roo.... a VERY expensive roo I'll add.

I've used sevin, I've sprayed... I suppose if I killed all the doves and sparrows that come into the yard I'd finally rid myself of the little buggars.

 

[NanaLantana]

I asked a man whose family had poultry for generations - all kinds, from quaill to pheasants - and he said to not use anything except Sevin dust. Everything else is more expensive, and not as efficient. And he said they still sold the eggs, no drop in production, no poison found in the eggs or meat. I know it's fashionable to try and use 'natural' products, like DE - but it's not much more than sand. Made up of 'diatoms', skeletons of tiny sea creatures. Dries up the bugs - but 'sevin in the nest boxes, under the hay, on the roost bars, in the dust bath areas - all will be well. Try it -- - -

 

[melloladies]

I've used the sevin- I also have DE and Sevin in my shavings EVERY time I clean out the coop (once a week) and I STILL have problems with them that seem to keep me dusting the girls left right and center. About every other month it seems, I'll dust- redust after 10, think they are gone, and then see them all over again in another few months... frustrating buggers. I have wild morning doves that seem to keep company with the chooks, and i wonder if they keep re-infesting my flock.

 

[Judy]

Some people seem to be plagued by them much worse than others. We have wild birds in the yard, but I have actually never seen a critter on the chickens. I know they have to be there sometimes, though. I use Sevin routinely, as someone else mentioned doing.

I wonder if you have a type that is hiding in the cracks in the coop, or on the bottoms of the roosts or other flat surfaces. Just a thought, from reading here.

 

[mystang89]

I had feather lice on my chickens and used Sevin Dust on mine as well. Some people here said that the sevin dust had to actually get to the skin and suggested using the "Shake and Bake" method. Take the chicken, preferably at night as its easier, put the chicken in a pillow case with the sevin dust making sure the head is above the the top of the bag, shake the chicken up, take a bit of sevin dust, rub it on the head, say good girl, put her back then repeat in 10 days. P.S Don't put that pillow case back on your pillow. It doesn't smell right.

 

[Pharm Girl]

I bought sevin, but returned it for the Poultry dust, which is permethrin (SP?). Shouldn't that work just as good as sevin? I watched this youtube video and copied the technique. I may try a salt water bath, but for 9 chickens? Ugh.

As far as the Eprinex question, I used a .5cc dropper to administer the Eprinex to the backs of the necks, but it didn't work. I thought it worked kind of like the cat/dog flea medicine (advantage), but I guess it won't kill feather lice.

It seems there has to be a better way. I hate dusting them. Guess I'll have to though.

 

[melloladies]

I thought mites were the type that live in and around the coop- "feeding" on the birds at night, while the lice spead their whole life on the bird...am I mistaken?
Lice are the small whitish bugs...leaving clumps of eggs at the base of the feathers. I believe I inherited them when I adopted some birds a few months back- they infested my silkie (what kind of lice WOULDN'T want to live on a silkie???) and that's when I noticed them...been battling them ever since.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Sevin dust contains carbaryl, a different chemical than permethrin. Sevin dust will kill lice quickly. You'll need to redust in 10 days to kill nits hatched from eggs...the same with the inside their house and nests after the initial dusting.
The reason eprinex didnt work is because eprinex will only kill mites, not lice. Eprinex's primary purpose along with ivermectin pour on is a wormer. It's secondary benefit is that both will kill mites. Both products are absorbed into the bloodstream and circulated throughout the chickens system; paralyzing or killing worms and killing mites, mites suck blood and lice dont. Adams flea and tick products will kill lice as well. I prefer the sevin dust, it kills both lice and mites.

 

[DvanderSlik]

Ugg. I've been there! Luckly they didn't come back for me. I bought my three hens from a farmer on Craigslist. I was a first time chicken owner, so I really didn't know what to look for while picking my chickens. The feathers looked good, little did I know what lingered under the feathers... til the next day.

We'll i also used the Permetherin dust. I know it's not the most healthy... but it killed the line DOA and they didn't come back. I also spread DE all in the run, and mixed it in with the sand. I do this every month or two.

Be sure to get Food Grade DE!

Good luck. those buggers are a pain.