Dang it..LICE!

[Yardbirds286]

I am so bummed out right now. I did my monthly bug check and found lice, and nits on one of my girls. SO here is what I did, cleaned out the coop, sprayed everything down with poultry protector, waited for it to dry then dusted the coop/grounds with DE and garden/poultry dust containing permethrin. Next I sprayed my girls bottom, and wing pits with poultry protector. After they where dry, I dusted their bottoms with DE and Poultry dust. Did I miss anything? They are all doing well, and look good. I try to keep them so clean, and use DE all the time in their nest boxes, coop, and dust bath areas. What went wrong? She just started laying Sunday, and now this. I am SO upset. I will dust them again in 7-10 days. How long until the eggs are gone around the vent feathers? I think it bothers me more than them at this point. They are for sure lice, and not mites. Can they die from them? Ugggg.....I feel like a bad chicken keeper.

Sorry so long winded, just had to tell people who understand.

 

[TrystInn]

You can add food-safe DE to their food to take care of any worms they may have, sprinkle it in their coop and around their pens and in their poultry dust. You'll need to directly deal with the lice egg pods, though. You'll need to cut those feathers out, tuck them in a plastic bag, seal it and throw them away!

Otherwise, it sounds like you got it covered.

 

[redhen]

Ugh.. i hear ya! Recently i found white mites on my girls...

Totally creeped out!!
What we did was... bought ivermectin 5% pour-on for cattle and swine..(from TSC)..
And we did 1/2 cc on each bird.. Drops on the back of the neck... and under the wings... (on the skin..like frontline...)
It worked RIGHT away...
then we dusted the coop with sevins dust...
and re-treated everyone in 10 days...
That ivomectin stuff works good!

Honestly.. i've found that DE dosent work well at all..

 

[Yardbirds286]

How much DE should I put in their feed? Say for every 2 cups of feed. I have Wazine on hand but have not used it yet. Not sure about giving it to layers.

 

[Yardbirds286]

Quote:
Hi Redhen!



How long until the eggs are safe to eat? I bet I know which TSC you got that at!

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Hi Redhen!



How long until the eggs are safe to eat? I bet I know whick TSC you got that at!

I waited like 2-3 weeks to eat the eggs... just to be safe.
even though ivermectin is safe for humans....

 

[dawg53]

Redhen is absolutely correct regarding ivermectin pour on, it'll take care of lice/mites for sure. Sevin dust will take care of them too, where DE didnt. It wont work as a wormer neither, that's what the wazine is for. It'll get rid of large roundworms, a very effective wormer as is ivermectin pour on. For some reason it seems this year has been really bad year for lice/mites. Edited; Yes 2 weeks is the withdrawal time for wazine and 2 weeks for ivermectin.

 

[Yardbirds286]

Fantastic!!! I will be buying some tomorrow! Next questions. How long does the treatment last? How often do you need to reapply to kill the eggs, and young that are going to be hatching? Should I place a drop above the vent area, or will the back of the neck, and wings be enough?

 

[redhen]

The wings and back of the neck worked for me...
I suppose doing the vent wouldnt hurt though...
Not sure how long the treatment lasts... mine havent come back yet...

Good question though...

 

[dawg53]

I've looked just about everywhere for that answer, cant find it. Since it's an off label wormer for chickens and used on cattle; there's a 48 day withdrawal period for cattle slaughter. So I'm guessing it could be effective for 48 days, dont take that to the bank though lol.