is this lice? (with photo)

[damselfish]

CMV, can you say where the lice are in the picture (for my education)?

Thanks!

 

[CMV]

Quote:
Bottom center of the photo you can see gray-white clumps at the base of the feathers near the skin. Upper left hand corner something is pointing to a white clump at the base of the feathers. Those clumps are the quickest way of diagnosing lice. You rarely actually see the bugs until they are heavily infested, usually just see the nits (clumps).

Hope that helps.

 

[darkmatter]

I use an old tractor tire filled with sand and wood ashes for the chickens to take dust baths in. When I dump a fresh bucket of ashes in the chickens will take their dust bath, then when they leave they ruffle their feathers and it looks like a smoke cloud with a chicken in the middle------no mites or lice. I save my wood ashes in a metal garbage can and add a bucket to the dust bath area when it looks like its getting low. I also add cedar to the nest boxes.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
You are right about the internal parasites. I have always heard you don't eat the eggs for 5 cycles after treatment. I eat our eggs and feed them to my family, so I just never questioned that info. Sevin is nasty stuff and I am not willing to risk my family's health. Maybe it doesn't affect the eggs, but until I hear definitively that Sevin does not transfer through to the eggs I will continue to toss eggs for 10 days after treatment. It's just a good policy to adopt. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[agoodegg]

darkmatter,
what type of cedar (shavings?) and why do you think it works?

I have both DE and Prozap permethrin, and have never dusted a bird before. The first time I applied the DE, it seemed to function as an earwig attractor. Are these my only options? (Can't find Sevin...)

 

[agoodegg]

just read that permethrin is highly toxic to cats. My cat definitely hangs out near the chicken coop, as that's where all the action is. I also have a beehive nearby! I think I will treat just this one bird with the permethrin, and DE the coop, as I don't see any evidence on the other birds. Is Sevin toxic to cats?

 

[agoodegg]

has anyone used this product? http://carefreeenzymes.com/id36.html
I know that frontline and advantix are non-toxic enzymes, as well.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Use adams flea and tick spray on their faces. Don't spray it - use gloves and a paper towel rolled into a cone at one end. Spray the towel, use the pointy cone end to wipe their faces and under their chins. Nothing you use topically will kill the eggs. You have to retreat in 7 days when they hatch.

Now it's anecdotal that ivermectin might kill the lice as they hatch out if you use the topical pour-on. It's said to have 28 day effectiveness for lice in cattle. I do know for a fact it has 3-4 days effectiveness on lice, possibly more (testing currently).

With permethrin dust and adams and retreating, no egg-tossing is needed.

And with ALL cases of parasites, always treat the bedding, nestboxes, and bird. With mites you should also spray the cool (particularly roosting wood, joints, cracks) with the liquid 10% permethrin spray. They spend most of their time off of the bird, only get on some nights to feed.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I've looked at that. it won't treat lice and mites on the bird, but it can help control mites by washing out their eggs in the wood of the coops. That's how they word it, and since it's only an enzyme (not a permethrin) that's what it would be great for.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Sevin is waht you're thinking of. Permethrin is safe for bees and is alright around cats. Sevin is absolutely deadly to bees and is more harmful than permthrin is.

Our cat has been in our permethrin without incidence.

Avoid Sevin - it's very very residual and very toxic. I used to use it a lot, and have since learned better the hard way.

Or you can use Adams flea and tick mist. It's good for lice/mites and safe for cats.