How long can chicken lice live on humans

[A05951]

I have a sick hen who has been isolated and unable to take dust baths for a while. She has crop problems,so I've been holding her a lot doing crop massages and today I felt something crawling on my neck but just sort of ignored it. Later, I felt something on the back of my head and when I felt around the bottom of my hairline, I found a dead louse. I brushed through my hair and a couple more dead ones fell out. I don't have kids and I haven't been sharing combs, hats, or other articles of clothing with anyone lately. Therefore, I don't think I have head lice.

I know chicken lice and human lice are two different species and chicken lice cannot survive on humans. However, can they fairly easily crawl off of chickens and onto humans and crawl around for a while on the human?

BTW, I'm washing all the cloths I've been wearing with the chicken and my bedding just to be safe. I've also treated the chicken with poultry dust and will retreat in 10 days to catch the hatched eggs.

 

[boskelli1571]

I have a sick hen who has been isolated and unable to take dust baths for a while. She has crop problems,so I've been holding her a lot doing crop massages and today I felt something crawling on my neck but just sort of ignored it. Later, I felt something on the back of my head and when I felt around the bottom of my hairline, I found a dead louse. I brushed through my hair and a couple more dead ones fell out. I don't have kids and I haven't been sharing combs, hats, or other articles of clothing with anyone lately. Therefore, I don't think I have head lice.

I know chicken lice and human lice are two different species and chicken lice cannot survive on humans. However, can they fairly easily crawl off of chickens and onto humans and crawl around for a while on the human?

BTW, I'm washing all the cloths I've been wearing with the chicken and my bedding just to be safe. I've also treated the chicken with poultry dust and will retreat in 10 days to catch the hatched eggs.

They will climb onto you and your clothing in a heavy infestation, might even take a nibble - but they cannot live on you as you already know. They could hitch a ride to the next hen tho'....

 

[A05951]

Just to report, this morning's inspection of where she sleeps showed tons of dead lice, so the poor thing really misses her dust baths. Good news on the crop front, it went down some from where it was yesterday. I'll be treating her with more duccosate sodium today and massaging in the hopes this blockage moves out and she can start eating again.

 

[QueenMisha]

They can survive for about 10-15 hours on humans, but usually don't even stay that long. We are far to cold for them to enjoy being on.