Freaking feather lice!

[Wyorp Rock]

alright, I’ve been treating my small flock (9) for about 5 weeks with poultry and garden powder for stupid feather lice.

Is there anything (not ridiculously expensive) that I can buy and bathe them in that will kill all the lice AND the freaking eggs?? I’m so tired of having to do this every week only to find more the next week.

I have a huge fear of bugs and doing this always makes me want to vomit and douse myself in soap and water, so if there’s a different way I can do this, please tell me!

I’ve been using Poultry and Garden Powder which is basically permethrin, but it doesn’t kill the eggs.
My entire run is dirt, but I’m going to be adding a small box of wood ash for dust bathing (supposedly it helps in killing the dang things).


Someone told me Ivermectin is harsh on chickens as it was made for cattle and swine, so I’ve been avoiding it.

Can you post some photos of what you are seeing?
You mention the garden dust is not killing the eggs - how frequently are you treating your flock? Are you cleaning out the bedding and nesting boxes of your housing and treating the housing as well?

For more bang for your buck buy Permethrin concentrate, get a spray bottle and sprayer as well. Treat your chickens, coop/roosting bars/nesting boxes. Clean out all your bedding each time you treat. IF they are lice then treat every 7days. If you are finding what looks like q-tips at the base of the feathers, then that's lice eggs, you may need to repeat treatment/clean out several times.

Ivermectin is effective for treating external parasites, you can also use that.
Ivermectin POUR ON dosage is 0.09ml per pound of weight repeat in 10 days.

 

[June Chick]

Can you post some photos of what you are seeing?
You mention the garden dust is not killing the eggs - how frequently are you treating your flock? Are you cleaning out the bedding and nesting boxes of your housing and treating the housing as well?

For more bang for your buck buy Permethrin concentrate, get a spray bottle and sprayer as well. Treat your chickens, coop/roosting bars/nesting boxes. Clean out all your bedding each time you treat. IF they are lice then treat every 7days. If you are finding what looks like q-tips at the base of the feathers, then that's lice eggs, you may need to repeat treatment/clean out several times.

Ivermectin is effective for treating external parasites, you can also use that.
Ivermectin POUR ON dosage is 0.09ml per pound of weight repeat in 10 days.
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This is what I’m using https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...TI5wM_doIJ25x9iJn8Fn3WQfV8cLAFSAaAv9lEALw_wcB

I’m treating the flock every Thursday, the real problem area is their butt fluff.

I don’t have a picture of the bugs themselves, but here’s how I found one of my roosters - he’s how I discovered my whole flock had them. These pictures are only what I found under his wings, they were EVERYWHERE. The rest of my chickens just had their butt problems, not too bad.

 

[aart]

That should work, but you've got to get it on their skin by lifting feathers or using the 'shake n bake' bag technique.
With that many eggs, they've had them for a long time, so may take longer to get rid of them

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is what I’m using https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...TI5wM_doIJ25x9iJn8Fn3WQfV8cLAFSAaAv9lEALw_wcB

I’m treating the flock every Thursday, the real problem area is their butt fluff.

I don’t have a picture of the bugs themselves, but here’s how I found one of my roosters - he’s how I discovered my whole flock had them. These pictures are only what I found under his wings, they were EVERYWHERE. The rest of my chickens just had their butt problems, not too bad.

That's a lot of nits.
Any way you can trim some of that out? From what I understand they set up like concrete almost.
I have read where other people apply coconut oil on nits, that seems to soften them up so you can remove most of those - it would be a job, but for that many and your not making any headway, it might be worth trying.

 

[June Chick]

That's a lot of nits.
Any way you can trim some of that out? From what I understand they set up like concrete almost.
I have read where other people apply coconut oil on nits, that seems to soften them up so you can remove most of those - it would be a job, but for that many and your not making any headway, it might be worth trying.

Nits have already been cut out of his feathers, he had so freaking many, he looks like this now (I live in Nevada and the weather is warm, I have a sweater for him if it gets cold or too hot to protect him from sunburn).

I’ve been treating them for I think 5-6 weeks now and they still aren’t gone. I make sure to treat them thoroughly and once each weeks (generally on Thursday, but sometimes if I’m busy I do it on Friday)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It's good that you were able to trim some of those out.
If the dust is not working, then you may need to use Ivermectin Pour On and treat the whole flock. Pour On dosage is 0.09ml per pound of weight. Apply at the base of the neck along the spine - it does need to make contact with the skin.
Repeat in 10-14 days.

I would still continue to clean out/treat the coop every 7-10days as well.

 

[casportpony]

Someone told me Ivermectin is harsh on chickens as it was made for cattle and swine, so I’ve been avoiding it.

I use it all of the time! I give mine the 1% injectable orally and the dose I use is 0.05 ml per pound of body weight (0.25 ml per five pounds).

You can use the pour on version too. That dose is 0.1 ml per pound of body weight topically (0.5 ml per five pounds).

 

[casportpony]

I don’t have a picture of the bugs themselves, but here’s how I found one of my roosters - he’s how I discovered my whole flock had them. These pictures are only what I found under his wings, they were EVERYWHERE. The rest of my chickens just had their butt problems, not too bad.

I would pluck those feathers!

 

[June Chick]

I got this stuff, hopefully my problems are solved