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

[shannybell]

I don't think it's rodents, although anything's possible. These feathers came directly off of the birds lol. Like I said earlier, I know there is the presence of some type of lice, the light brown bug that will get on me sometimes. But it's not what you would call an infestation like what some other folks have talked about, and certainly not to the point of losing birds. But the little pests are on some of my birds and eating their feathers, they get on me, may be affecting egg production, and I need to do something about it.

I wonder if the permethrin 10 could be put on their skin in drops like the ivomec. I've been spraying them and the roost, but I think I diluted it too much because it's not working!!

I also read somewhere about coating the roost with NuStock. I have a big roost. (see below) It might be worth a try though. I'm willing to try just about anything at this point. I just don't want to hurt my chickens.

 

[Irishhenman]

A few years ago I was lucky to find a powder distributer and I bought a big bucket of mite and lice powder and I was able to treat a flock of almost 40 in a couple of minutes. the best way I can describe it is a bucket with a very fine sieve on the bottom that sieved the powder out over the flock. I just walked around their house sprinkling the powder over all of them. I think It could work for you.

On another note, selling eggs as chemical free is false advertising. Everything on the planet is a chemical. The eggs themselves are made from chemicals, the feed that your hens eat is made of chemicals. The boxes that the eggs are put in are chemicals. I understand where you are coming from by saying they are chemical free, but I would say it is more like harsh chemical free or even organic

 

[shannybell]

I think you have me confused with someone else in this thread concerning the chemical free egg selling. I don't advertise like that and I'm certainly not above using a chemical to get rid of these irritating pests that are bothering me and my chickens lol. I advertise my eggs as "laid by cage-free happy, pampered hens" which pretty much says it all .

Thanks for the info on the powder. I will keep an eye out for that too!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I don't think it's rodents, although anything's possible. These feathers came directly off of the birds lol. Like I said earlier, I know there is the presence of some type of lice, the light brown bug that will get on me sometimes. But it's not what you would call an infestation like what some other folks have talked about, and certainly not to the point of losing birds. But the little pests are on some of my birds and eating their feathers, they get on me, may be affecting egg production, and I need to do something about it.

I wonder if the permethrin 10 could be put on their skin in drops like the ivomec. I've been spraying them and the roost, but I think I diluted it too much because it's not working!!

I also read somewhere about coating the roost with NuStock. I have a big roost. (see below) It might be worth a try though. I'm willing to try just about anything at this point. I just don't want to hurt my chickens.

The liquid permethrin label folds out if you try to remove it from the bottle and gives dilution recommendations for spraying the birds.

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/PAT/recs/livestk/recpou/poulic.htm
Here is a link in case you can't find it.

Oh and I love love love your roosts and girls! They look so happy!

 

[shannybell]

Thanks! I hope they are happy! My sweet hubby built me that pulley system you see there because the roost is quite heavy. I wanted a big roost to accommodate as many as could be comfortable there at night because they have a large yard to play in during the day. That's also why I chose the sand floor for easy cleaning. I knew I could scoop poop every day without having to let it sit and wait for it to compost as with other methods. With the pulley, I just raise it up to the ceiling and scoop scoop scoop. Takes about 5 minutes if I'm in a hurry.
Now if I can just teach them not to poop on the wall........

 

[familypendragon]

Its only been a week and already the birds are digging and scratching them selves silly I mixed up more of the promethrin 10 and sprayed most of the chickens, some of the guineas and most of the run. I am about half way through. I was going to wait and do it again in 2 weeks, but honestly they were scratching again within 2 days. I am guessing more had hatched??? So frustrated and done with the bugs! I have chicks arriving in 2 days and hatching eggs going into lockdown on Thursday. I need the coop safe by the time they are ready for transfer. I have seen lice worst of all, mites and fleas.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Its only been a week and already the birds are digging and scratching them selves silly

I mixed up more of the promethrin 10 and sprayed most of the chickens, some of the guineas and most of the run. I am about half way through. I was going to wait and do it again in 2 weeks, but honestly they were scratching again within 2 days. I am guessing more had hatched??? So frustrated and done with the bugs! I have chicks arriving in 2 days and hatching eggs going into lockdown on Thursday. I need the coop safe by the time they are ready for transfer. I have seen lice worst of all, mites and fleas.

I have read that the life cycle of mites can be as little as 4 days (a lot of websites say more like 7 days), but most of the websites I read say to retreat in 7-10 days. Naturally I always tell people now to treat every 7 days until they are gone. Lice have a longer life cycle and thus retreating at 2 weeks is what I usually read is recommended, although one edu website I saw stated that if you treat at the 7 day mark as well, the lice will lay fewer eggs and thus that is good. In other words, you can't go wrong treating every 7 days until they are gone, regardless of whether you are dealing with lice or mites.

But if they are finding a nice hiding place such as nestbox shavings (this is what happened to me) that don't get thrown away with the treatments, then they come RIGHT back. My experience. Tears shed many times. Once they come back then they have to be treated again, and start all over, with retreatments later.

 

[ericmcginn5]

if you do use a marker like someone says dont use red. the other chickens will peck at it thinking its blood

 

[crazy farmer]

I've used "Pyganic" with good success at immediately killing off lice on the bird, in nest boxes, on roosts and where ever I can get the spray. I buy it in the concentrated form and mix it with oil to use it. I spray it around the vent and then get some up on their back nearer the neck just like you would apply drops to a cat or dog for fleas. Pyganic is completely organic, and even OMRI listed. No egg tossing needed. I have added DE and wood ashes and just plain lime to their deep pack bedding as well as the next boxes and roosts. It used to be common to paint boiled linseed oil on roost to prevent and even kill roost mites. I just spray the oil on with the Pyganic in it. It kills immediately and the oil stays their for longer work. I use a spray bottle and also one of those garden type sprayers that holds 2 gallons or so. Pyganic is not cheap but one small bottle of the concentrate will last a long long time. We are certified organic here and can use it on our animals, and it works like a charm. It is derived from chrysantemums I think, or maybe it's marigolds, but anyways it's a modern miracle if you ask me. It is not very persist so you will have to spray again, and again, as long as necessary to get you through the winter. Once you can let them out more in the spring the problem will subside, but keep on top of the roosts and next boxes and change out the bedding then.

 

[Tumbleweed33]

What kind of oil do you mix with the pyganic? I'm interested in trying some on my flock. What is the ratio? How often do you use?