My hens have stopped laying a week ago which I assumed may be due to the heat. The heat has since died down and still no eggs.We live in upstate NY. I noticed this morning that three girls out of eight have very small grayish white clumps which I assume are lice on the tops of their throats. I use DE in their coops which I though was preventive. How and with what do I treat my birds and clean the coop. Is this the cause of their loss of production of eggs? Thanks in advance for any help or advice
The clumps are most likely eggs (lice eggs). Lice can lay several hundred eggs, resulting in the clumps. The clumps are almost nastier than the lice themselves... We picked up a little rooster who had lice. I saw the lice (actually only saw one, but I'm sure its buddies were hanging around somewhere) first...started scratching my head a lot. Not until the next day did I find the nest clumps...YUCK!!! And they were on there like concrete!! Here's what I did (do a search...you'll find lots of ways to treat): I'm not good with powders. I can sprinkled DE around (many use 7Dust) the coop, but have a horrible time dousing a chicken while protecting its face area, and end up with more on me than on the bird. So I used Adams Flea/Tick spray (which also treats lice, etc.). It was so much easier to spray under the wings and around the butt while covering the face. I also spray a bunch into the hands and worked that around the neck area (be sure to get it on the skin, not just the feathers). You will have to repeat in 10 days, in case eggs hatch and survive. We ended up cutting the egg sacks out (used tiny, sharp sewing scissors), because nothing else was working for me. I think the nit nests were dead, but hated to see them hanging there. Although I didn't see any more lice on the roo, we still treated him again at the 10 day mark, just to be sure. I would replace bedding, and liberally mix in DE or 7 dust. Good luck! Oh...and unless they are just COVERED in lice, I doubt that is why egg production has dropped off. I would think the heat or molting would more likely be the cause...
get lice powder from a local feed store. Put it under shavings every time you clean and directly onto them. Works great for us.
Thanks for the replies! I have cleaned and scoured the coop, sprayed it with Adams Flea and Tick and put down DE. Also sprayed my flock with Adams. I tried to cut off some of the eggs near their heads but realized after further inspection that I would really need to shave the whole bird as the nits are everywhere! I can't stop scratching, this is just so GROSS! After a few weeks of treatment, do the very disgusting eggs disappear?? I have layers, are there any concerns with eating the eggs after the treatments? Thanks so much again
Those clumps of lice eggs will stay on there until the bird loses those particular feathers. Yeah...our little rooster looks strange because we basically ended up cutting off his entire beard... I think since the treatment is not ingested, that the eggs (chickens' lol) would be fine to eat. I don't know that for a fact, but I would eat them myself. Remember to spray your birds again 10 days later, just in case nits hatch!!
We went through this too, and ugh! It started in a d'Uccle roo's muff and spread to three polish hens muffs as well. They only had it there, around their chin, so that was good -- but hard to work chemicals around and still protect their face. I spot checked the rest of the flock - but no one else had it, and these four hang out together, but not so much with the others. So I'm glad it wasn't as bad as it could have been!
There's a product out called Poultry Protector, it's made by the same folks that make the barley bags, they use natural enzymes to spray the birds and their coops/runs. I'll try to find the company name amd post it for u. I like the idea that they aren't using harsh chemicals. they have a whole line of natural enzyme products.
I would be interested in the product you mention as well. My chickens are not laying as much, but it could be the awful heat (90's every day), and I know my Welsummer just finished moulting. But when I was working out in the hen house today, I found a tiny little gray thing on my arm that bit. It looked like one of those little no-see-ums that sometimes get on you on a summer evening out in the yard. Twice this week I've gotten one of these little biting specks on me when out at the hen house. Does anybody know what this is?
