First experience with lice and I have a few questions

[Crs1]

I have a flock of 40 hens and I found lice on two of them today. I know that I need to treat all hens and the coops. I have the permethein to use.
so questions are:
what do I do with all the bedding I’m going to dispose of? Can I put it in the compost or should I burn it or just put it in the holler?
applying th liquid to the chickens in cold weather? We are supposed to have a hard freeze tonight in Kansas City and I’m afraid to get the hens to wet. if it were going to be warm I read that you could dip them in the solution which seems easier but I think it will be to cold for the next few days. any suggestions?
do the chickens need to stay a out of the coops for a period of time before they can go back in After I spray the coop?
and when i do the next dose in 7 days do I need to clean the coops completelay out and respray it too or just the hens?
and is there a preventative way to deal with lice and mites?
I’m waiting on my husband to get home to start the process

Thank you
freaking out in KC

 

[Eggcessive]

I would wait until next week to treat them if you are uaing the spray. Maretins or Gordins Permethrin 10 mixed with water makes many gallons of solution to add to a spray bottle or garden sprayer. They also make a permethrin garden dust, available at TSC. The used bedding should be removed as far away as possible, so the chickens won’t get into it later. It can be composted or deposed of, just far away. Lice reproduce every 10 days, as opposed to mites, so treat at least twice 10 days apart to make sure that all eggs that hatch do not reproduce. A third treatment would not hurt. Permethrin has a residual effect on the coop walls and nestboxes for 30 days. It is hard to change bedding every 10 days, but I would remove it once the chickens are treated. Don’t forget nest boxes, roosts, floor, and walls.

 

[Crs1]

Do I need to saturate the chickens or put it in three or four places on them like the neck and vent and shoulders?
and do you mean remove all bedding and replace every 10 days when you treat them or just remove all bedding at the end of the third application?
thank you

 

[Crs1]

I know I asked but I treated them anyway
We sprayed the back of the neck, right in front of tail, under both wings, and then around the vent. I hope I hit all the spots
There were no red smears on th bottom of th roosts and I’ll check tomorrow too.
So from what I’ve read we should see improvement pretty soon. I know that we have to treat again in 10 days and then 10 days after that.
I have also read that of there isn't any sign of the mites that come out at night and feed then I don’t have to remove all the bedding and put in new?
Thanks
Connie

 

[Crs1]

Checked the chickens that I had lice Crawling on yesterday and there were none!
so I will continue checking and keep my fingers crossed
So now to wait 10 days to do again

I checked the roosts for blood smears and there was none.
I’m not sure if checking them after I let them out in the morning is the right time or going down after they roost so please let me know what’s correct. Although I did check last night when were spraying them and no red smears