I don't think my chicken is sick necessarily, but I suspect that she's old and she's going through a rough molt and I'm a bit worried about her

[It_is_I_Rae]

Also, for the winter months, is your coop insulated? Or does it have auxiliary heat, such as heat panels or heat lamps? Chickens are pretty resilient during cold weather but added heat will help if it is especially cold. I turn on my heat panels if it gets below 20 degrees.

I insulate the coop in the winter but I haven't gotten to it yet because the weather where I live is weird and it's been 80° the past week up until today. I don't have a heating system in there though because of fire hazards.

 

[Sammi_0411]

Totally agree i personally a big no for heat lamp etc in coop accident waiting to happen x

 

[lbgreenfield]

I have seen lice on my birds. I don't think it's a full on infestation but I'm not sure what to do about it. I got some natural poultry lice spray but I'm not sure if it works and my chickens won't let me spray them.

Natural remedies won’t work for lice/mites. The lice combined with her molting are most likely making her weak and acting sick.
To treat for lice, you’ll need to dust her (and your entire flock) with Permethrin poultry dust or spray with diluted Permethrin liquid.I believe lice (and mites) will slowly kill your chickens so early treatment is crucial.

 

[Sammi_0411]

Natural remedies won’t work for lice/mites. The lice combined with her molting are most likely making her weak and acting sick.
To treat for lice, you’ll need to dust her (and your entire flock) with Permethrin poultry dust or spray with diluted Permethrin liquid.I believe lice (and mites) will slowly kill your chickens so early treatment is crucial.
View attachment 2374831
View attachment 2374832

Im afraid they are right xx

 

[lbgreenfield]

I insulate the coop in the winter but I haven't gotten to it yet because the weather where I live is weird and it's been 80° the past week up until today. I don't have a heating system in there though because of fire hazards.

Radiant heat panels are a safe way to heat your coop instead of heat lamps. Panels are what I use, these are the exact ones I use:
https://www.amazon.com/Cozy-Products-Chicken-Heater-Brooder/dp/B01LX9K1JI

 

[It_is_I_Rae]

Natural remedies won’t work for lice/mites. The lice combined with her molting are most likely making her weak and acting sick.
To treat for lice, you’ll need to dust her (and your entire flock) with Permethrin poultry dust or spray with diluted Permethrin liquid.I believe lice (and mites) will slowly kill your chickens so early treatment is crucial.
View attachment 2374831
View attachment 2374832

I just checked her for lice and it's worse than I thought. It still doesn't look as bad as a lot of lice infestation pictures, but you're right I gotta do something about it. I noticed that on some feathers on the base of her tail and near her vent have clumps of nits on them. The problem is, I was going to use this stuff for them in the past but then I read that it's fatal to cats. My family has cats and they live in close proximity to the chickens. The chicken coop is built into one side of a shed and the other side of it is a shelter for the cats. The cats often wander into the chicken coop. I have nowhere else for the cats to go. That's why i was using the natural stuff.
I have no idea what to do. Are there any other alternatives? I don't want lice to kill my birds but I also don't wanna poison the cats.

Also I wanna clarify that it was not my idea for the cats to live near the chickens. I live with my parents (I'm still a minor) and that's how they set it up. They're also not my cats so I can't be the one to re-home them or anything.



I have no idea what to do

 

[lbgreenfield]

I just checked her for lice and it's worse than I thought. It still doesn't look as bad as a lot of lice infestation pictures, but you're right I gotta do something about it. I noticed that on some feathers on the base of her tail and near her vent have clumps of nits on them. The problem is, I was going to use this stuff for them in the past but then I read that it's fatal to cats. My family has cats and they live in close proximity to the chickens. The chicken coop is built into one side of a shed and the other side of it is a shelter for the cats. The cats often wander into the chicken coop. I have nowhere else for the cats to go. That's why i was using the natural stuff.
I have no idea what to do. Are there any other alternatives? I don't want lice to kill my birds but I also don't wanna poison the cats.

Also I wanna clarify that it was not my idea for the cats to live near the chickens. I live with my parents (I'm still a minor) and that's how they set it up. They're also not my cats so I can't be the one to re-home them or anything.



I have no idea what to do

I personally don’t think that using the liquid or powder permethrin will instantly kill your cats, but I understand your concerns. Is there some way you can keep the cats away from the chickens/coop for 1 week to treat the chickens?

Another product you can use is Elector PSP. It’s very expensive, but if used correctly, you only need 1 application to kill the mites/lice instead of multiple rounds with the other products. Here is a link for it: Elector PSP

Worst case, if absolutely nothing can be done using the liquid or powder treatments, you can always dip your chickens in a medicated dog flea/tick shampoo “bath”, but that will be a very temporary solution to your problem, as the lice will most likely come back.

I would encourage you to try and keep the cats away from the chickens/coop for at least 1 week so you can do some of kind of treatment 2-3 times during that week while the cats are away. Otherwise, you risk losing your chickens to a slow death.

 

[lbgreenfield]

I also found this product, it’s a natural product for lice, mites, etc. so I’m a little skeptical of its effectiveness but this might be the only option for you. It can be bought off of Amazon:

 

[BunnyEberhart]

Radiant heat panels are a safe way to heat your coop instead of heat lamps. Panels are what I use, these are the exact ones I use:
https://www.amazon.com/Cozy-Products-Chicken-Heater-Brooder/dp/B01LX9K1JI

If you look at the customer reviews on that product someone had one of those catch fire.

 

[lbgreenfield]

If you look at the customer reviews on that product someone had one of those catch fire. View attachment 2374889

Off topic from the OP’s original concerns, but all heat sources have inherent risks to them. In my experience of having the panels for 3 years, I have been fortunate to not have experienced any fires or mishaps. Not saying that can’t happen ever, but panels are safer than heat lamps in most cases. I have all my panels on temperature regulated outlets, so the panels only turn on if the coop temp drops below 20 degrees. I also clean my panels daily to remove all dust particles. You do what is best for your chickens and your level of comfort.

Back to the lice problem...keep us all posted!