Free Range Chickens and Lice- Can You Prevent It?

[CedarRanch]

Hi everyone, we have a flock of free range chickens. This is the second time we have gotten lice. I treat them and the coop with elector psp. I burned all the bedding and I really soaked the coop in elector and then covered in permithirin powder. The lice were completely gone for months. And now I just saw some again. I’m going to treat with elector again, but is there a way to prevent lice in free range hens? I know it can come from wild animals. I wouldn’t be surprised if they caught it from wild animals, they’ve been exploring the woods more. So is there any prevention I can put on them so the lice will stay away? Is this just something you treat when they get it? Is it common for free range chickens to get lice or am I doing something wrong? I’d also love to hear what you use as a dust bath and how you keep it dry. Right now they just use dirt, mulch, and my raised beds to bathe in.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Following

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

How did you see them, was it really obvious or did you do close feather checks or did they look ill? I'm always curious what to look out for or where to look. My girls just wander around the garden wile I"m home

 

[Jener8or]

I think it's pretty common. They can get it from wild birds, specifically, but not animals (different type of lice.) Since the eggs are in the feathers, keeping feathers cleaned up helps. I dust or dip my chickens once a month, prophylactically, (but that might not be the best method since the louse life cycle is 2 weeks, I don't know if that really does much treating them when they don't need it only once per month, but it makes me feel better.)

 

[Jener8or]

How did you see them, was it really obvious or did you do close feather checks or did they look ill? I'm always curious what to look out for or where to look. My girls just wander around the garden wile I"m home

You can see them especially around the vent area. Usually you have to look closely unless they have a bad infestation (such as on a broody hen, you might see them actually crawling on them, on their face or somewhere.)

 

[skeeeter]

Remember, fowl lice EAT FEATHERS. They don't suck blood. Fowl mites and fleas are much worse pests.
That said, chickens will dust bathe where ever they get the notion and maybe your mulch helps keep lice under control. Tobacco or pine needles in the nests also gets rid of mites and lice. You can use pine needles for your coop floor too.. if you have them. Lastly, sprinkling a bit of pyrethrum dust into their already made dust holes is an easy way to make sure they wallow in it. That way you won't have to get half the dust on yourself in the process.

 

[Perris]

is there a way to prevent lice in free range hens?

No. Free ranging chickens will occasionally pick up various pests and diseases that are endemic to your environment almost inevitably, as they go about their daily business, just like wild animals do.

Is this just something you treat when they get it?

You only need to treat severe infestations. Their immune systems and natural behaviours can cope with most pests, ills and ailments, just like wild animals can.

Is it common for free range chickens to get lice or am I doing something wrong?

Yes, it happens, and no, you're not doing something wrong.

I’d also love to hear what you use as a dust bath and how you keep it dry.

I built them a spa from recycled materials (6 doors, 2 panes of glass, one roofing sheet), and it keeps a patch of ground dry - so dry, in fact, I have to add water sometimes! I throw in cold bonfire ashes after I've had a bonfire (not often), and some sharp sand went in at the beginning (it's a couple of years old now).

I also have a lidded plastic box, which has sharp sand, ashes, and soil, for individual use. And they make their own in the garden, including in pure (cold) bonfire ashes, as here

or in the lawn, as here

So there's lots of options, especially if you just let them get on with it.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi everyone, we have a flock of free range chickens. This is the second time we have gotten lice. I treat them and the coop with elector psp. I burned all the bedding and I really soaked the coop in elector and then covered in permithirin powder. The lice were completely gone for months. And now I just saw some again. I’m going to treat with elector again, but is there a way to prevent lice in free range hens? I know it can come from wild animals. I wouldn’t be surprised if they caught it from wild animals, they’ve been exploring the woods more. So is there any prevention I can put on them so the lice will stay away? Is this just something you treat when they get it? Is it common for free range chickens to get lice or am I doing something wrong? I’d also love to hear what you use as a dust bath and how you keep it dry. Right now they just use dirt, mulch, and my raised beds to bathe in.

We've got free-range silkies, and they are always exposed to lice and mites due to foraging under the wild bird feeders right with the wild birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. We've always used food-grade diatomaceous earth in our coop, nest boxes, and dust baths, so in the 8 years we've had them, they've never gotten lice or mites, albeit SLM (scaley leg mites) thrice. Monthly, I kick the chickens out of the coop, put on a mask, and sprinkle it everywhere. I also go around the coop and the house for ants, and have used it in our parrot cages for over 20 years for fruit flies.

This is a common occurrence.

 

[Perris]

so you are in the 'DE does work', rather than the 'DE does not work' camp @Debbie292d ? In any case, it's good to hear about long term personal experience of using it.

 

[Debbie292d]

so you are in the 'DE does work', rather than the 'DE does not work' camp @Debbie292d ? In any case, it's good to hear about long term personal experience of using it.

I would not use it if we ever got an infestation. I'd turn to permethrin in that case. But, it's never happened. The SLM I learned it can't kill those for some reason, and silkies are prone to them, so after the first two times they got them we used vaseline every other day for a week, and the third time we used Ivermectin on the neck, repeat in 10 days, I opt to stick with the latter so I don't have to grease up those feathered feet/legs. Both ways work though.