Chicks With lice!

[Akyoung4]

Hi! New to raising chickens. Hatched 6 from an incubator but then made the mistake of buying a couple silkies the same age from a local farmer and just found a bunch of lice under ones wings. I’m sure the others also have them bc they have been in the brooder together now for 3 days. What should I do? I’ve already cleaned everything and put some de under the wings but I know that won’t be enough and now I’m worried they will all die I should add they are all 2 weeks old

 

[Abriana]

Use DE. Dust them with it and be careful not to get it in their eyes. Use it on you and your family too, it will spread! You can even dust items with it.

 

[Eggcessive]

DE can be hard on chickens if they breathe it. Permethrin is pretty safe in chickens. It is available in dust, probably better for small chicks, or spray.

 

[Abriana]

DE can be hard on chickens if they breathe it. Permethrin is pretty safe in chickens. It is available in dust, probably better for small chicks, or spray.

Oh ok I didn’t know that, I thought it was just bad for humans to breathe in but I guess that makes sense. Still could use it on ppl

 

[Akyoung4]

I already rubbed some on them but was careful to avoid their faces and knock excess off. It’s all I had on hand. I’m going to go to the store and get something different tomorrow. They are all acting fine, but I’m worried.

 

[Akyoung4]

Use DE. Dust them with it and be careful not to get it in their eyes. Use it on you and your family too, it will spread! You can even dust items with it.

I thought that the lice on chickens can’t live on humans?

 

[Abriana]

I thought that the lice on chickens can’t live on humans?

Oh I thought I heard it could. Maybe not. Hopefully not.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I thought that the lice on chickens can’t live on humans?

It will not live on humans, rest easy.

Gary

 

[ticketism]

I've known people to keep either a kiddie pool (for full grown chickens) or a wide takeaway dish or similar (for small chicks) full of soil with sand and DE mixed through inside the run/brooder; so that the birds can dustbathe in it and prevent any further external parasites. Something like that could be an idea for after you've powder treated them for lice?