Chicken lice!!!! Please help!!

[PennyM16]

Update- the lice appear to be gone, the peppermint oil killed them instantly. My pullet is eating now so that’s a good sign, but she’s still just sort of sitting in one spot and chirping incessantly

 

[aart]

Update- the lice appear to be gone, the peppermint oil killed them instantly. My pullet is eating now so that’s a good sign, but she’s still just sort of sitting in one spot and chirping incessantly

You might want to bathe her again in dish soap to get the peppermint oil off...
...the peppermint fumes may distress her respiratory system.
Get some permethrin and treat all your birds.
Did you hatch this chick or just buy it?

 

[PennyM16]

You might want to bathe her again in dish soap to get the peppermint oil off...
...the peppermint fumes may distress her respiratory system.
Get some permethrin and treat all your birds.
Did you hatch this chick or just buy it?

Ok I’ll do that. I bought her

 

[aart]

I bought her

How long have you had her?

 

[Ms Clucky]

I have a problem with very tiny black bugs in my coop. I have to go in there with a plastic bag on my head and them wash up and put my clothes in the washer or those pests start biting me. Are they lice too or something else?

 

[PennyM16]

How long have you had her?

A few days

 

[PennyM16]

I have a problem with very tiny black bugs in my coop. I have to go in there with a plastic bag on my head and them wash up and put my clothes in the washer or those pests start biting me. Are they lice too or something else?

Those sound like poultry mites to me

 

[LeggyLeghorn]

essential oils are fairly intense/strong. perhaps i should have recommended that the oil needs to be diluted with water? if you used pure peppermint oil, that is really strong. that would certainly kill off lice instantly.

keep posted on how she is doing.

 

[aart]

A few days

So hopefully she hasn't been around your other birds yet?
You'll have to keep an eye on her, get some permethrin and treat every 7 days for a few weeks to make sure you got them all.

Bug Blurb from my notes:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Great post about mites:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[PennyM16]

So hopefully she hasn't been around your other birds yet?
You'll have to keep an eye on her, get some permethrin and treat every 7 days for a few weeks to make sure you got them all.

Bug Blurb from my notes:
Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Great post about mites:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

Thanks, I’ll do that