EWWWWW- Lice or Mites :(

[bragabit]

Ew, I never thought my birds would get something like this. My baby chicks have some type of little bug. It was kind of brown and more long than short. Very small and reminded me of what lice would look like. My kids have been handling the chicks....do I need to check us all for lice now?? Ewwwww I am so creeped out.

Exactly how do I treat my chicks, hens and roosters for this??

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Sounds like lice. Dog or cat flea/tick spray or bath; use one with an insect growth regulator. The ones that like the taste of birds may sample a mammal, but will not like the taste, and will not infest you or your family. However, fleas or mosquitoes or chiggers will find y'all equally tasty.

 

[bragabit]

Quote:
I have some food grade Sevin powder (that I use for squash bugs)

 

[colada584]

The chicken lice won't spread to humans, they are species specific. You can dust the chickens with sevin dust 5% powder which you can get at home depot or other places like that. It is for gardens and such but works well for the chickens. I just used it and my birds have no more lice. You have to dust twice, do it once then a week or two later because it doesn't kill the lice eggs and you have to get the ones that hatch after. You could also use Diatomaceous Earth which is natural, but it MUST be food grade (not the DE that you get for pools). You can get DE at most local feed stores. You also have to clean and dust with whatever product you get in and around the coop.

Another way that I used once and then decided I was just going to dust was to bathe the chickens in a mixture of salt water, vinegar and dawn dish detergent. I did that and it really worked to kill the lice, but I had to blow dry the birds afterwards because it was cold and that took FOREVER!

Good luck!

 

[bragabit]

Quote:
Is it best to muck out the nest boxes and roosts too??

 

[dawg53]

Use sevin dust, redust everything in 10 days, that'll kill them.