Is there and easier way?

sireland75

In the Brooder
6 Years
Apr 17, 2013
3
0
12
First time chicken mum here, and I think I'm dealing with either lice or mites. I can't see anything on my three girls, but they've started shaking their heads a lot, and from what I've researched lice or mites seem to be the likely cause. I'm in Australia and it's been a hot and humid few weeks, with an increase in wild birds in the tree above the run, so I'm putting it all together and making an assumption.The problem is that the girls hate being caught, so treating the issue is very difficult. I managed to catch two of them and dust using a powder called Pestine, but I'm afraid it was a clumsy attempt and I'm not sure if I really got the poder into the feathers, or just on top. The third chicken refuses to come close enough to me for me to catch her, and I've mad a classic rooky mistake and purchase a very cute coop, but not one that allows me access to them while they're roosting. So my question is, is there an easier way to treat them for lice and/or mites? A friend was using ivermectin to put in her chicken's water every few months but the breeder she got it from no longer sells it. If dusting really is the best way to treat them, can anyone share the techniques they use to actually get the dust into the feathers? I'm so frightened of hurting the girls - I just popped them in a carboard box and tried to get it on them, but it really didn't work very well. I ended up with more on me than they did! Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Diatomaceous earth (food grade) is great for getting rid of mites and lice and a lot of other "bugs". You do have to dust them with it. Try bating them with some special treats and then get them in a box or hold them and start at the top of the head and just massage it in, treats might even make them stand still so you can do it. DE can be put in their food too to rid them of any internal parasite.
 
I use Sevin dust that sounds like what you have there. Dusting a chicken my favorite thing to do :/ I catch my birds dust on back, under wings around vent carefully around head. Try to lift feathers to get powder under and to skin. If they don't like being held will be a 2 people job. Repeat in 10 days to get any that may have hatched. Dust coop and run, cleaning out all old bedding. Dust roosts and boxes too. I mean everywhere.

I have a bag that I refer to as shake and bake too for difficult bird. Put powder in the bag, put bird in up to the neck, holding bird and bag shut around neck. Work powder in the feathers from inside the bag. A friend showed me that as she had problems with her roos. It works ok, but one upset bird that takes off in a cloud of dust.

I would not use DE on my birds for parasites, some lice/mites are too small for it to work. Internal parasites nope does nothing to kill them. There are posts on here that used DE to prevent worms and when they necropsied or butchered birds found a full blown worm infestation that the DE did not handle.

Good luck with your chickens, I hate dusting and worming!



PS can you send some heat back up this way? Getting kinda tired of the cold this winter.
 
Mine dont like to be caught to easy either but when I dust I do it at night and pull them off the roost and they dont even hardly make a peep. I just hold them and the wife dust them and it seems to work best for us. They are almost in a trance at night.
 

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