How to treat poultry lice in a flock of 200 chickens plus turkeys?

[kuntrygirl]

Sorry to hear about your problem. I have always used Sevin dust and have never had a problem. I usually wait until all of them get on the roost and I begin by taking them down 1 by 1 and dusting them and placing them back on the roost. I put the Sevin dust in a knee high stocking, tie a knot in the end and tap the dust filled stocking all over their body until they are completely covered. Works like a charm.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Sevin dust food grade is what you want. I never tossed any eggs.

 

[familypendragon]

I spent the day shoveling the runs and coops down to bare dirt and removing all the bedding. Its all in the front where they can't get to it. Then I treated with permethrin - 10 mixed in a pump sprayer. Then I dipped all 49 birds including the guineas. Ugh! Chasing down all the guineas was back breaking! They would run back in forth in the 4 ft covered run and I'd have to run all hunched over - fell several times. Now bartering with a masseuse friend to trade massage for fresh eggs, LOL! Its been 2 days now and I see no signs of infestation anymore - but I have to do it all again in 2 weeks. I am building a new pallet coop that will make accessing them while they are in bed much easier. I am going to spray the whole pile of removed bedding etc with permethrin as well so I can compost it hopefully.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I spent the day shoveling the runs and coops down to bare dirt and removing all the bedding. Its all in the front where they can't get to it. Then I treated with permethrin - 10 mixed in a pump sprayer. Then I dipped all 49 birds including the guineas. Ugh! Chasing down all the guineas was back breaking! They would run back in forth in the 4 ft covered run and I'd have to run all hunched over - fell several times. Now bartering with a masseuse friend to trade massage for fresh eggs, LOL! Its been 2 days now and I see no signs of infestation anymore - but I have to do it all again in 2 weeks. I am building a new pallet coop that will make accessing them while they are in bed much easier. I am going to spray the whole pile of removed bedding etc with permethrin as well so I can compost it hopefully.

In order to treat each one of my chickens I go out there before the sun is up all the way. That way they are still kind of sleepy. I go in the coop and gather one off the roost, take them outside where I have a table set up with my powder sock, and dust that one. Then I let them go outside (so I can keep up with who I have dusted). This works great!

 

[familypendragon]

In order to treat each one of my chickens I go out there before the sun is up all the way. That way they are still kind of sleepy. I go in the coop and gather one off the roost, take them outside where I have a table set up with my powder sock, and dust that one. Then I let them go outside (so I can keep up with who I have dusted). This works great!

That is a great idea! Once my 2 year old is a little older and doesn't wake up the second I try to leave the bed I will definitely switch to that method.

 

[shannybell]

I have also seen a few lice on my chickens (or on me after I've been in the coop). It drives me nuts thinking that those little bugs are all over my birds. I like to think that I practice good poop and coop management . I have a sand floor in my new coop and I clean it out like a cat littler box every morning. There is also DE mixed in with the sand. My chickens aren't what you would call "infested". In fact, you can pick up some hens and not find one single bug on it. However, something is eating their feathers and its making me crazy. Just chewing them right off in straight lines most of the time. Seems to be more prevalent in the lighter feathered birds. What is this eating the feathers? And more importantly, how can I get rid of them? I have 3 different flocks right now and they all seem to have their feathers being munched on. I will have to add the picture when I get to my laptop. I have a good one showing the feathers up close.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have also seen a few lice on my chickens (or on me after I've been in the coop). It drives me nuts thinking that those little bugs are all over my birds. I like to think that I practice good poop and coop management

. I have a sand floor in my new coop and I clean it out like a cat littler box every morning. There is also DE mixed in with the sand. My chickens aren't what you would call "infested". In fact, you can pick up some hens and not find one single bug on it. However, something is eating their feathers and its making me crazy. Just chewing them right off in straight lines most of the time. Seems to be more prevalent in the lighter feathered birds. What is this eating the feathers? And more importantly, how can I get rid of them? I have 3 different flocks right now and they all seem to have their feathers being munched on. I will have to add the picture when I get to my laptop. I have a good one showing the feathers up close.

Lice eat the feathers.

 

[shannybell]

I had another picture that I can't get to upload for some reason...oh well. But you can see in this picture, the darker feather, the almost straight line of feathers gone. Then below that, if you look close, you can see where there are two more lines where something has gone across but wasn't successful at eating all the way through.

Are there different types of lice? Some types harder to get rid of than others? I thinking of trying the Ivomec sheep drench next because I'm pretty delligent with the Sevin dust, DE and Permethrin already.

 

[familypendragon]

I was told that ivermectin won't work on lice because they eat the feathers and skin and don't usually drink the blood of the chicken.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I had another picture that I can't get to upload for some reason...oh well. But you can see in this picture, the darker feather, the almost straight line of feathers gone. Then below that, if you look close, you can see where there are two more lines where something has gone across but wasn't successful at eating all the way through.

Are there different types of lice? Some types harder to get rid of than others? I thinking of trying the Ivomec sheep drench next because I'm pretty delligent with the Sevin dust, DE and Permethrin already.

Oh my! Do you have the possibility of rodents in the coop at night? Feathers are high in protein. I would think you would be seeing some lice eggs or lice if it were lice. But I have only dealt with mites...just read up a lot on lice. With mites, I have found that even if I cannot find them on the chicken, I find them on me and they bite! I also notice that I am itchy etc.

Only 1/2 inch hardware cloth will keep out rats and mice. They can get through unbelievably small openings.