HELP! Lice problem on Pullets

mamahen amateur

In the Brooder
May 12, 2015
26
0
24
New Zealand
A few days ago I got 4 x 12 week old pullets. One was looking a bit slow with tail down. On inspection I saw what looked like a lot of lice crawling around her vent and breast. I checked another pullet and same thing. I've read books and other forums and there is so much conflicting advice! I've had DE in the new coop for a few weeks now. Yesterday I sprinkled the Pullets with DE. Now I hear DE is not effective and bad for their respiratory system. Pestene is also advised - then advised against. Then others advise Eprinex, Ivermectin and Cydectin - topical drops. Then other's say its not effective. I live in New Zealand and can't find anyone thus far to advise me. Not keen on getting a retailer's advice as they just tell you to buy what they sell - which is how I got DE.

What have you used that has been effective in getting rid of lice? Also, should I be cleaning out the coop and painting it with DE and Citronella Oil or Neem Oil? I am using deep little method with wood shavings and straw dusted with DE. Thanks for any advice!
 
A few days ago I got 4 x 12 week old pullets. One was looking a bit slow with tail down. On inspection I saw what looked like a lot of lice crawling around her vent and breast. I checked another pullet and same thing. I've read books and other forums and there is so much conflicting advice! I've had DE in the new coop for a few weeks now. Yesterday I sprinkled the Pullets with DE. Now I hear DE is not effective and bad for their respiratory system. Pestene is also advised - then advised against. Then others advise Eprinex, Ivermectin and Cydectin - topical drops. Then other's say its not effective. I live in New Zealand and can't find anyone thus far to advise me. Not keen on getting a retailer's advice as they just tell you to buy what they sell - which is how I got DE.

What have you used that has been effective in getting rid of lice? Also, should I be cleaning out the coop and painting it with DE and Citronella Oil or Neem Oil? I am using deep little method with wood shavings and straw dusted with DE. Thanks for any advice!

I had lice and they are awful. Don't know if I did the right thing, but I dusted everyone with a mixture of DE and Sevin Dust. I know both are not good for different reasons, but I freaked. You have to clean out your coop totally and then do it again in ten days, and maybe even again in ten days (I think it's ten days). I did it more frequently and cleaned out the coop every week for at least a month. As for the birds, I got a stocking, cut off the closed end about 4-5 inches, filled it with Sevin and DE, tied a knot and rubbed them with it (be gentle), getting down to the base of their quills. It's important to get the vent area, under their wings and use extreme care around their heads. I also poofed some of the mixture on the coop floor, their sleeping area, etc. before adding new bedding. You definitely don't want to over do it, but you want to get a very light coating on the surfaces. You may not need the DE as it's the Sevin that's actually doing the killing. DE works more slowly by breaking down the insect's exoskeleton and they dehydrate. Anyway, it worked, and they had a lot of buggers on them. Keeping you coop and run really clean will reduce the risk of getting them again. Good luck!
 
You can use carbaryl or permethrin dust, every week to ten days, on the birds, and in the coop after cleaning it out. CAUTION!!! Wear a very good dust mask, as it's very bad to inhale any dusting product. That's also true for DE, which is equally bad to inhale, and much less effective. Ivermectin is an injectable or pour-on product for livestock, and works fine as a topical or oral drug for chickens. It kills mites, lice, and many intestinal worms too. I have no idea what might be legal to use where you live; there might be other products available if you contact your poultry veterinarian. Mary
 

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