crippled hen can't dustbathe and has lice!!

[MD]

I have a pullet that has been crippled since hatching so she can't move her neck very well, and seems to lack many chicken instincts. Because of this she only grooms her chest and leaves everything else, and she doesn't dustbathe. I don't know why I wouldn't have thought to check earlier, but I realized she likely would have parasites and when I checked she was infested with lice! Very disgusting. Immediately I very thoroughly checked all my other girls (much to their annoyance) and none have a single louse. Very clean, if I do say so myself. They have a nice sand and dirt and DE dustbath which they use regularly, excepting the cripple Dot. I didn't really know what to do, so I put on some gloves and liberally sprinkled DE under all her feathers (probably a little too much). I was wondering what I should use to get rid of the lice and how I should prevent Dot from getting lice or anything else in the future? Should I try to give her dustbaths? Thanks!

 

[willowbranchfarm]

Yeah giving her dust baths it whhat you can do. Also bathing her might help and then drying her and dusting her again. If you find any nits (lice eggs) put vaseline on them and it will cause them to fall off.

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

You could try using the lice sprays they make for birds at the pet shop. If it works on caged birds, I don't see why it wouldn't work on chickens.

 

[MD]

Thanks!

 

[Sweetly Silkies]

DE (diamascus earth, Sp?) can be a natural delicer. Get healthy handfuls and fluff it into her feathers! If you dont have that, wood ash also works.
Dust bath for her.

 

[sjshaw1980]

You can get louse and mite powders at your local feed store and give her a good dust bath, or you can also get Eprinex or Ivomec pour on for cattle. Put a few drops on the back of her neck every couple of months (it's like Frontline for chickens) - its not approved for poultry use by the FDA, but its very effective when used properly. Also there is a withdrawal period so don't eat her eggs for a bit after you treat her.

 

[LilyLovesBugs]

Our flock had lice, and we tried DE to but it didn't work. Manna Pro makes a spray called Poultry Protector that works great! Good luck! We also tried bathing and that also didn't work.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

DE (diamascus earth, Sp?) can be a natural delicer. Get healthy handfuls and fluff it into her feathers! If you dont have that, wood ash also works.
Dust bath for her.

I've been combining the two (hardwood ashes and diatomaceous earth), along w/ some fine sifted clay ... works quite well ~'-)

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I have a pullet that has been crippled since hatching so she can't move her neck very well, and seems to lack many chicken instincts. Because of this she only grooms her chest and leaves everything else, and she doesn't dustbathe. I don't know why I wouldn't have thought to check earlier, but I realized she likely would have parasites and when I checked she was infested with lice! Very disgusting. Immediately I very thoroughly checked all my other girls (much to their annoyance) and none have a single louse. Very clean, if I do say so myself. They have a nice sand and dirt and DE dustbath which they use regularly, excepting the cripple Dot. I didn't really know what to do, so I put on some gloves and liberally sprinkled DE under all her feathers (probably a little too much). I was wondering what I should use to get rid of the lice and how I should prevent Dot from getting lice or anything else in the future? Should I try to give her dustbaths? Thanks!

If one's got 'em, then (basically) they all do (even if you can't see 'em).

I'm a big fan of helpin' birds bathe by workin' some into most esp. their undersides, under their wings, and around the vent area. I do use hardwood ashes and diatomaceous earth, but also include the poultry dust w/ permethrin when I give 'em a dust bath. Those commercially available contain 0.25% permethrin, and nothing to synergistically extend it's effectiveness, so it's about the safest way to treat external parasites. You should also oil down the roosts, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to hit their legs w/ somethin' as well, since you'll be handling each anyhow ~'-)

 

[KootenaiRiverChick]

Our flock had lice, and we tried DE to but it didn't work. Manna Pro makes a spray called Poultry Protector that works great! Good luck! We also tried bathing and that also didn't work.

^^^THIS^^^

DE works for us for mites but not lice, but we had great success with Poultry Protector! We bought the type you have to dilute and I ended up making a fairly strong batch of it since the lice wouldn't abate, and after a couple of treatments the lice were gone! I think you are supposed to only spray once a week, but just read the directions and you'll be fine. The best part is that you can treat your layers and not have to skip eating their eggs since it's non-toxic. We were going to resort to Ivomec but tried the Poultry Protector instead and it did work, it just might take a few weeks.