Giving up and asking for help.

[emmaie892000]

I have a lice problem. And I've had it for a while.
I give advice on how to get rid of lice on here to people all the time, yet it won't work for my hen.
Her name is Kiwi, she's an Easter Egger. She was attacked by a dog about a year ago and her butt has been droopy ever since. She has lice eggs on the base of the feathers near her vent.
I've tried EVERYTHING to get rid of the pests. I'm fairly sure that they're just a poultry body louse. I've tried suffocating the eggs with Vaseline so the nits don't hatch, dusting her with Sevin dust more times than I can count. The bedding is always treated with Sevin dust as well. I don't think they're hurting her (since they don't suck blood) but I'm sure they're irritating and they just creep me out.
So some of you people who've had chickens for years, how do you get rid of the most stubborn of lice?

 

[Folly's place]

I clean out the coop and dust it with permethrin, then add new shavings. The birds get Ivermectin applied to each individually. Repeat in seven to ten days. It's a royal pain, but it works. Dusting each bird works too, but I'm not up to that much dust myself, even wearing a mask. Mary

 

[Folly's place]

You might be having an issue with reinfection from the wild birds too. Mary

 

[emmaie892000]

Thanks for your help. I'll get some Ivermectin from Tractor Supply soon. It looks like they're selling it for horses, it's the right kind though right?
And about wild birds, I've never noticed any hanging around the coop, or getting into the food, so it may just be that I never quite get rid of them all. I'll employ the help of my family tomorrow to hold the birds while I get really up close and personal with them to see where I need to treat the rest of them. Kiwi is the only one with an obvious infestation, but I'm sure the others have a slight problem (isn't that usually how it goes

).
And I always dust the entire coop with Sevin, and the new bedding. I'll dust the birds bodies as well while I have my family on board (I fill a pantyhose with the powder and do it outside in the well ventilated yard lol.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Thanks for your help. I'll get some Ivermectin from Tractor Supply soon. It looks like they're selling it for horses, it's the right kind though right?
And about wild birds, I've never noticed any hanging around the coop, or getting into the food, so it may just be that I never quite get rid of them all. I'll employ the help of my family tomorrow to hold the birds while I get really up close and personal with them to see where I need to treat the rest of them. Kiwi is the only one with an obvious infestation, but I'm sure the others have a slight problem (isn't that usually how it goes

).
And I always dust the entire coop with Sevin, and the new bedding. I'll dust the birds bodies as well while I have my family on board (I fill a pantyhose with the powder and do it outside in the well ventilated yard lol.

Almost but not quite ridding your birds permanently of lice is the best that can be hoped for, its called pest management. Treat all of your birds now, while you have the help available. Then I suggest that you retreat every 6 months. Consider using a different treatment each time so that you don't breed Ivermectin resistant or super lice.

 

[emmaie892000]

Gotcha.
So perhaps I did rid her of them, and they've just come back. That makes me feel better, like I haven't failed and left her to deal with them for forever.

 

[ofeycat123]

GET SOME DUSTING POWDER

 

[emmaie892000]

GET SOME DUSTING POWDER

I've used Sevin multiple times EVERYWHERE, including on the bird, as stated in my post.
I'll be using Ivermectin to kill off the eggs and spot treat, and continue with the Sevin in the coop.