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

[Farmerboy16]

I am at my wits end, for I have been losing chickens due to heavy infestion of Poultry lice.

What is the best way to treat a flock of over 200 chickens, plus 7 bourbon red turkeys. I have used DE, but its use is as a preventive, not for heavy infestion. I would dust or bath them, but dusting, bathing over 200 chickens?!? They are free range. Is there is something that I can put in their food or water? I sell my eggs as chemical free, so I would like to find a treatment that is chemical free, very effective, and not expensive. Thanks for any input!!

 

[miss_thenorth]

GEt a bottle of ivermec .08% sheep drench. When they roost at night, get someone to help you and put three or four drops on thebase of their necks. When you dose them, mark them somehow, wo you know which ones have been dosed already. Make the marking semipermanent, and visible, b/c your probably not going to get them all done the same night-- as they will get all flighty from bieng disrupted. (trust me, I know from having onloy done 20). You should only have to do this once, but check the hens againin about a months time, to see how they are doing. Also, change our their litter, and next box bedding to fresh stuff. You can put your DE in their dusting areas and nest boxes. And that should take care of it. Good luck and have fun!!

 

[Cass]

I'm sure someone is going to say this is "toxic", but you could mark the beaks of the ones you have done with a sharpie marker. Blue, siliver? Something the chickens won't peck at. It will wear off as they stick their beaks in the sand, soil and food, but should last a few days so you can get the whole flock done.

 

[geebs]

I vote for the pour on and drops at base of neck... make sure to get it on the SKIN.... You will need a helper for sure... A dog kennel temporarily set up to put the treated ones... and yep.. DE and SEVEN in the litterbox... It will not be fun but it is very doable... I used to have to do 50... It will be a long night but at the end of it will be treatment for about 6 months... Oh and buy the name brand... it last longer... You will likely have enough to treat for a couple years... So worth it...

 

[Farmerboy16]

Quote:
This sounds easy, and fast to do, however I will need a ladder, for most of my hens like to roost in the rafters 10 ft off the floor. lol Do I only need to put the ivermec .08% sheep drench on their necks? Do I need a syringe( without the needle)? Will I have to toss the eggs away? Will the eggs be okay for incubating? Thanks!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Yes I use a syringe without the needle to apply to the skin. If yo sell the eggs, I would definitely NOT sell during this period(two weeks) but we have been known to eat the eggs after treatment, just our family. I can't see why you couldn't incubate them, that would be alot of eggs.We have also been known to feed the eggs to or dogs. I'm assuming you sell the eggs, so I realize that is a big dip in your profit margins, but it is for the health of your animals.
GEt out your ladder and be safe!!

 

[Farmerboy16]

Quote:
Where can I find ivermec .08% sheep drench? Two weeks is a long time,

but it will be worth it if it works!!!! When I find it, I will test it on my breeding flock, and turkeys, before applying on the laying flock, to see if it works. If it works, then I will save up the eggs first, for like a week before apply it to the laying flock. I will give an update how it went. Thanks so much!!

 

[tstoikes]

The 3-4 drops are for the chickens or the turkeys? And if you have chicks or poults would you dose them with the ivermec as well? If so what dose would you suggest? I have discovered a lice problem a,ong my turkets and since they free range with the chickens I am guessing they have lice as well
Thanks

 

[miss_thenorth]

That dose is for standard sized chickens. I don't know about turkeys. I have a chart for a guidelines for other animals, but it is not saved on this computer.. But figuring a chicken is about 6-8 lbs, I think you could just do themath.

 

[Beekissed]

Garlic juice in their water, hon. Blood sucking parasites hate the sulfur content of garlic. You can even buy the garlic juice by the gal. online and at some feed stores. Then I would coat all your roosts with Nu-Stock...just pine tar, sulfur and mineral oil. Ask for this at your local feed store as well.

Wouldn't hurt to have dusting areas with nice, soft wood ashes...this will help repel lice as well. Nesting boxes with a little cedar shavings mixed in with the nesting materials wouldn't hurt...not too much, some birds may get a little respiratory wheezing from this. You could even place the ashes in their nesting boxes.

Don't try just one approach...if you are trying to stay all natural in your husbandry, it is always more successful if you try many different approaches for a more powerful effect.

The garlic will not cause your eggs to have a bad taste...sulfur is sulfur, be it from egg yolks or garlic.