Exactly how do you dust a chicken for lice?

[miss_thenorth]

My dd discovered lice on the girls. i have some lice powder--(don't know the name of it) How do I hold the bird? How often do i do it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Love my Critters!]

I also hold them upside down to make sure i get the dust underneath the feather. Be careful because if they have just drank water sometimes will come back out. You don't want them to choke. I hole both leggs in one and and dust with the other. i try to not hang them upside down the whole time, just when I'm trying to get under the wings and on the belly. You'll do just fine, and you will figure out what works best for you.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Thanks, MissPrissy! bunch of firsts here for me. first goats, first broody, first chicks, first bout with lice, and on Monday, first time for meat chicks.

When it rains it pours!

 

[briesberrypatch]

Old topic, but I just discovered lice eggs on one of my hens and found a how-to article that uses a method I haven't seen mentioned so far.

Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet

One treatment method for small flocks or individual birds is the use of a dusting bath with Sevin

. Place the bird into a garbage bag containing the medicated powder with the birds’ head out and rotate/shake the bag to completely cover the bird with powder.

This method sounds good to me because it keeps the Sevin (or other treatment powder) more contained and I think it would make it less likely to be inhaled, AND you won't have to turn the bird upside down to get the vent and under the wings.

So this is the method I'm going to try.​

 

[miss_thenorth]

Well, since then, I have stopped using sevin dust. I figured it is harmful for us to breathe in, so it must be bad for the chickens too. Now, I treat with ivermectin .08% Three drops to the back of the neck. so much easier, and IMO healthier too. And that way you can treat for all parasites.

 

[briesberrypatch]

I tried the trash bag method I mentioned earlier and I really didn't like it. It's too hard to get the bird in the bag, and it's still messy.

I don't like the powders at all because it's so easy to get them on your skin or inhale them. So I looked around, and I found Poultry Protector. I bought it from Jeffers, but it's available at a lot of places. The active ingredient is potassium sorbate - a food preservative, and completely safe for humans. (It's in a lot of stuff we eat!) I bought the concentrate instead of the ready-to-use spray.

The bottle says to spray the birds, but I found that it only kills the lice if the liquid directly contacts them. Spraying just didn't work for my birds' infestation, so I created a bath for them instead. I mixed up the solution as directed in a small Rubbermaid tub and gave each bird a bath, making sure to work the solution into the feathers so it would reach the skin and the lice. It worked great! You do have to repeat it several times over a few weeks to kill any lice that hatch out.

I highly recommend it, and I won't use the powders again.

If you do want to use potassium sorbate (Poultry Protector), I suggest looking around for a source for potassium sorbate. It's available online because it's used so widely as a preservative, and it's a lot cheaper to buy potassium sorbate in bulk instead of under the Poultry Protector brand.

 

[mickey328]

I've found DE works well, but it's not a "quick fix" It's a "mechanical" action...the tiny, ultra sharp granules get into the joints of the bugs and as they move, it cuts holes in the carapace and they eventually die from dehydration. I used it on mites for our girls and it took about a week or so. The infestation wasn't horrible, so we were very pleased not to have to use any sort of chemicals. We continue to use it as a preventive and it works extremely well. When we change the bedding, we sprinkle a little (maybe 1/2 C for a 4 x 5 coop) into the litter and work it in. We also sprinkle a little into their dust bath. Haven't seen a bug since!

 

[MissPrissy]

I use a mix of sevin dust. I take an old panty hose and cut off the foot. Put a good bit of the dust down in the toe and tie it off. Then I use it like a powder puff.

If you will hold them upside down and then puff it all over them you will be sure to get it down in the feathers next to the skin. They will hold out the wings or you can gently pull them out and puff the little dust ball all underneath. If you get someone to help you hold the chickens or you hold the chickens and someone else puff them you can easily do a hen from top to bottom in 30 seconds or less.

It really won't hurt them if you are quick and gentle.

And don't worry. Your kids can't get chicken lice.

 

[miss_thenorth]

thanks, the panty hose trick is a great idea!

Funny, my dd comes in and wants me to check her hair b/c she's itchy. I check her-she's fine. then myds comes in and tells me he squashed a grey bug off his sis. So I was ready to double check, and dd chimes in saying the bugs are on the chickens. Can you say 'wave of relief?' I knew you can'tget chicken lice.

When do I need to repeat this? And also, what about my broody and her three (so far) new chicks?

 

[MissPrissy]

Puff them again in about a week. Also you need to clean and dust the hen house because the lice can be in the bedding.

I would dust the broody. The chicks will get powdered by being under her wings. I think they will be fine. i have never had to dust babies before.