Do my chickens have lice?

[WillowMoonWyandottes]

Noticed my birds were losing a lot of feathers and pruning a lot recently and now they have bald patches on their neck. I’ve looked them over many times to see if I see anything but I never do, while I was looking their feathers were literally coming out or breaking as I was parting the feathers, they are also losing a lot of feathers on their back now and I have no rooster in that pen so it’s not from breeding. They have a dust bathing area which they use frequently. My birds usually molt in the fall but it’s the middle of summer so I wasn’t sure if it could be that or not. I’ve never had a problem with lice before so I wanted to make sure that’s what it is, I have Permethrin 10 concentrate but I was also wondering if there is a treatment I can put on their skin, like a dog/cat flea treatment, that would take care of the lice or mites?

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

Put a couple drops of ivermectin sheep drench on their back and down their throat.

Give them a neem oil bath.

Bathe them in diatomaceous earth if you want to.

Spray their feathers with pemethrin water mix.

Spray their coop too. Get nesting boxes/enclosed areas good.

Do something to get rid of bedding.

Looking at pics they probably have lice or mites.

Hope you get rid of them and best wishes to you.

 

[WillowMoonWyandottes]

Put a couple drops of ivermectin sheep drench on their back and down their throat.

Give them a neem oil bath.

Bathe them in diatomaceous earth if you want to.

Spray their feathers with pemethrin water mix.

Spray their coop too. Get nesting boxes/enclosed areas good.

Do something to get rid of bedding.

Looking at pics they probably have lice or mites.

Hope you get rid of them and best wishes to you.

Thanks! Do you happen to know how many ml of the permethrin 10 concentrate I will need for a 28 ounce spray bottle? I’m not very good at figuring out that stuff lol

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

I do like 8 ml per quart but looked it up and said 5. Forgot to add you can mix oyster shell in with their feed, which is great for calcium, (eggs) which in turn should also help their feathers. Good luck!

 

[cmom]

I also use poultry dust in the nest boxes.

 

[cmom]

I do like 8 ml per quart but looked it up and said 5. Forgot to add you can mix oyster shell in with their feed, which is great for calcium, (eggs) which in turn should also help their feathers. Good luck!

Feathers are mostly made of protein so a higher percent protein feed is good.

 

[Painted Calls]

I would check and confirm there are external parasites before treating. Check around vent, below vent to belly, and under wings. If they have lice or mites, you will find egg clusters - most likely right below the vent.

Are you sure they aren't molting? What are you feeding?

 

[cmom]

I still put poultry dust in the nest boxes. I haven't had a mite or lice issue in quite awhile. Good luck...

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

I do ivermectin with mine every 30 days and only have problems if I turn them out like 2 or 3 weeks after I do it, when its not in their systems any more. It helps with worms to.

 

[WillowMoonWyandottes]

I would check and confirm there are external parasites before treating. Check around vent, below vent to belly, and under wings. If they have lice or mites, you will find egg clusters - most likely right below the vent.

Are you sure they aren't molting? What are you feeding?

They might be molting but all of my birds ranging from 1 year to 2 months are having lots of feather loss, the 1 year old birds feather loss is more noticeable like the hen in the pictures. Today after doing a permethrin spray treatment I found 2 lice I assume on me because they were bitting me, that’s the only reason I was able to find them, otherwise they were hard to see because they are skin colored. I still haven’t seen any egg clusters on them.
They are on layer pellets and the younger birds are on start and grow chick food.