Lice and egg laying?

[Penton]

How do chickens get lice and what would I look for? They make their own ground pits for dust baths daily, however, I have noticed them to do what looks like preening themselves. Never thought much of it till I read the help request from lice in one of the threads. After looking at all the emergencies threads, I started thinking of EVERYTHING that could go wrong. And my chickens are about six months old I was told and they haven't laid an egg yet. This doesn't seem right. Anything I should be doing?

 

[Wyandottes7]

Chickens can get lice from other chickens, other birds (like wild birds, for example birds flying over their coop, landing in their run, etc), and their surroundings. Mites are more common than lice. Often times, when a chicken has lice, you'll only see the eggs. They don't leave the black crusty material that mites do. The eggs will appear as whitish lumps around the base of feathers. You may also see the mites themselves, which appear as yellowish-tan, rather oval, tiny moving creatures.

Six months is an age when many chickens will be laying, but it often takes much longer for hens to start laying. It depends on the breed (egg type birds like Leghorns will start laying before more ornamental breeds, like Phoenix) and on the specific bird, as well as enviromental conditions.

 

[Eggcessive]

Different breeds of chickens lay eggs at different ages. For instance a red production hen from a hatchery may lay at 17 weeks, but a heritage Rhode Island Red from a breeder will lay at 7-8 months. Here are 2 good sites for pictures and info on lice and mites: http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf