Lice and how to keep them away

[chickensinMT]

Some of my chickens have lice along with lice eggs. i have been dusting them but they always seem to come back. How often do i need to dust them to keep the lice from laying eggs and hatching thus con't the cycle?

 

[panner123]

Not only do you need to dust the chiockens, you need to dust the coop and nest boxes. Before you dust get ing there and do a deep cleaning on everything. If you dust you might not want to eat the eggs for about 10 days. Or you can use D E, it works and you can eat the eggs without the wait.

 

[allig8r]

LICE!?!? Omg... how the heck would I KNOW?!?

I'm panicking right now because I never thought of this and saw some little specks on my 16-wk old "chicks". I assumed it was sand (we have a LOT of sand where they are). Now I'm not so sure...

 

[Dawn419]

Quote:
If you use DE (Diatomaceous Earth) make sure it is food grade!!!

 

[bantymum]

Also boil a jug and throw the boiling water around the perch ends so it gets into the nitty gritty corners.
Let coop dry, i usually do this in the morning so its not damp for them at bedtime.

 

[motherhen]

what does lice look like? I too am dealing with bugs, but don't know what they are. I can see them on the roof beams, but don't see them on the roost. If you put oil on the roost will that help to keep bugs away from the chickens.
I am at a lost. Help!

 

[SandraChick]

I use two things to keep my chickens, louse, lice, flea, and mite free.---well 3.

1. Use DE liberally (food grade of course). I use it in their bedding, on the chickens (all new additions get two good dustings before incorporation with the flock), in their feed or treats, and I put it in their favorite dusting areas (thereby continually "dusting" themselves with DE).

2. Use Orange Oil on all the wood in the coop. I use "Orange guard"...it's pure orange oil and is now available at ALL Ace Hardware stores. I find mine in the pest control aisle next to all the poisonous stuff--top shelf where you can hardly see it (grumble grumble).

3. I've had several chicken rescues come with leg mites (have one in quaranteen with advanced stages--her scales are not only lifted but falling off, and I think they are also swollen--poor girl). For those mites, I mix mineral oil with tea tree oil and rub it onto the legs--making sure I get it well under the scales that are raised. Anything oily works in general, but tea trea oil has antibiotic and anti fungal properties, so it also takes care of any secondary issues that often come up with scaley leg mites.

Good Luck
Sandra

 

[chickensinMT]

Thanks for the info. I don't have any DE. Will the DE get ride of the lice eggs?

 

[Miss Sue]

I'm following this thread with interest since one of my chickens has some mites. Will the DE kill the mites already on the chicken?

I plan to get DE today, but wanted to know: how do you get it onto the chicken? (Yes, I am a novice chicken owner.)

Food grade DE is surprisingly hard to find around here. Yesterday I checked the holistic pet care store, the big-box commercial pet care store, a gardening place, and a hardware store--all to no avail. Today I'm calling a feed store. If it does not carry DE, then I'll have to order it.

Susan

 

[millefleur]

Yes, can be hard to find, especially in Montana, where I also live. I bought my DE at Only Natural Pet, a catalog and on-line catalog. Works great for fleas (yes, there can be fleas in Montana) and bird lice. I mean GREAT! And I feel good about using it because it is completely safe, even for human consumption. I just sprinkle it in the nest boxes and lice are gone in a jiffy and stay away for a year.