lice and mites! yay!

[kryptoniteqhs]

ok so first thing today i went and checked my flock for lice and mites! i read this horrible thread and then several others about peoples chickens dying from lice and mites and almost with out warning. it totally freaked me out and whether mine had it or not they were getting treated. so first i checked the banties, theyre new and havent been exposed to anybody else, theyre by theirselves....then redsexlinks, theyre new but have been with my rhode island reds, and then my rir rooster who has been with everyone but the banties (new also). Well guess what, lil mr roo roo has lice AND mites. which completely explains his dull feathers and broken and lack of as many feathers. i always thought he looked slightly malnurished......part of all this is his age too...hes only 3mos old. anywho i bought him from a lady who bought him from an auction....and i already know all the critisism im going to get for not quarantining him and the others longer and for getting a bird from someone who buys them at auctions and rehomes them (she does this to keep them from going to the broiler and quarantines them for a while first

and then usually sells them to 4H kids.) i know, i know, i know!!!! i learned my lesson believe me...hes (was----next part of my story) in quarantine. the others are all being treated, although they checked out ok, they've been exposed. i officially have 2 quarantine places. i dont think the lice were bad and i think i saw one mite....could be mistaken. i rushed outta there in a hurry and went straight to tractor supply and got some powdery stuff for "poultry, gardens, dogs, etc." it was the only one that said it treats for lice AND mites! hope it works...all my chickens are white powder balls now....i hope they dont ingest it, it had a strong smell.....so anywho...i put mr. roo roo in a separate pen while i went to tractor supply. i knew hed probably excape from the pen because i didnt shut the top door, but i figured "hey, why not give it a shot for a minute" Not like it really matters, the damage is already done and i was gonna be back in 20minutes. anywho i got back and figured id check and see if he might still be there and a stray cat (never seen it before) jumps out of the coop and mr roo is no where to be found. i figured when he got out he would go back to his hens. well, it was dark and hes not where i left him or roosting with his hens and there was a cat. did not see a carcass and im sure hes fine. ill check back in the morning and give you an update. but at least if the cat ate him it might get lice/mites!!!

all well......worst part is i hadnt gotten to treat him yet. all wells.....he wasnt that pretty yet anyways just kidding he'll probably show up in the morning, im not worried....plus i nicknamed him roadrunner cuz hes the fastest darn thing ive seen in my life....could out run a kitty cat easy! but bottom line, everyone else got treated, even tho no one else had anything at all that i could see, but it was coming if something didnt happen.....i also put it in all their bedding and dirt so they can take dustbaths in it.....some of them were roosting so i just kinda threw it at them, i will shake them out tomorrow and make sure i get it to the roots and on their skin. if you think im overdoing it by doing it again tomorrow please let me know soon. they are all in quarantine now, except for that idiot who went and got himself lost!

 

[Southernbelle]

I've dealt with mites, too. I used Sevin5 dust on the birds - it was the only one that had no withdrawl time on the egg consumption.

I spread it in a rubbermaid tote and lowered each bird into the tote and scooped the dust under their feathers all over their bodies, being careful not to get it in their eyes, so that I was sure it got all the way to the skin on their whole bodies. Then, I did it again in 2 weeks to get any mite eggs that might have hatched since the first round. Every time the birds would shake themselves a cloud of white dust would rise from them.

Then, I sprayed the coop with a broad-spectum pesticide, paying special attention to the roosts and nestboxes. I shooed everyone out of the coop. Once it was dry, it was safe for everyone to go back in.

Sorry for your troubles - mites and lice are a PITB, but it's cheaper and easier than some of the more serious respiratory illnesses that you could've brought home. Hope your birds feel better soon.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

thanks! the man at tractor supply said that he used sevin5 on his pigeons, but they didnt have it there. do you have to massage it into their "scalp?" lol....do you have any good tips on how to get it all the way to the skin? Also am i not supposed to eat the eggs? theyre all on strike right now any ways, but if one should lay??

 

[JennsPeeps]

I used it on my banty very successfully. Wasn't sure how she had mites & the big girls didn't, given that they all roost together. I've been keeping a close eye on her for reinfestation but as of yet haven't seen any more on her.

She's pretty chill, so getting it down to her skin was easy. Just lift up the feathers and put it under there. If the chooks aren't having any of that, get a helper. You can also add it to their dustbathing spot so they self-medicate. Use the Sevin in the coop, too. I completely emptied my coop and dusted in the corners & on the roost.

Above all, wear a mask when you deal with Seven. This stuff is very fine. I wouldn't eat the eggs for a bit but since you're not getting any, it'll be fine.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

thanks ill give it a shot today.....i already "threw" some at them last night when they were roosting and i couldnt reach....but i know it didnt get them evenly nor underneath their feathers....would it hurt them to try again?

 

[Fudgie]

When I dust mine, I lay them across my arm upside down and do their bum, take my fingers and ruffle their feathers like patting a kid on the head. Get those fingers in and shake it around. Then I hang them upside down and get the undersides of the wings and such. Turn them over and dust their backs. By this time my hand is good and dusty and I ruffle the feathers on their head and neck. I set them down in the coop and they shake their feathers and dust anyone around kind of a double duty dusting.


OH YEAH Wear gloves and a mask!

 

[FractalFarmer]

Thank you, Southernbelle and JMajors for the detailed dusting instructions. Just what I needed, and very timely! Do you try to cover them fully, like 85%+ of their bodies with the dust?

Kryptoniteqhs, I also used the poultry dust on my newly acquired "mitey" birds last week (5 days ago), but my very infested and sick girl still had live mites crawling on her today. The active ingredient in mine was pyrethrum, and I thought that would be a more natural option. But it didn't work, so I moved up to Sevin5 today (found at HomeDepot) and dusted her thoroughly (she's been isolated). She is very weak and sick, and not eating or drinking well. Hopefully mites are her main problem and the Sevin takes care of it. I wish I had started with the 7; I want those bugs DEAD! I also rubbed a bit of VetRx into her face b/c that's where I saw the bugs, and she has some sort of eye problem. I also added DE and fireplace ash to their dusting area.

Good luck finding your roo.

Edit: Gloves and mask...gotta remember that next time (if I live that long!)

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

i did it before i read this post and did not wear and mask... oops...

the worse "breathing it in" incident was when somebody thought theyd be cute and just before i rubbed the powder in the flapped their wings in my face repeatedly....but im sure i breathed a good bit in...mines call gold star garden and poultry dust... https://www.backyardstyle.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-22877 except it was only 6.99 at tractor supply...i got 2lbs and i read on another brand the you need 1 lb per 100 chickens and i used all 2 lbs of this kind....

so ummm.....hopefully theyre there tomorrow??? i drowned mr roo roo in it (hes the only one i found them on & i didnt get it in his eyes or face) but everyone got treated and i did use a lot on the ground and in their "dust bathing" areas and in their coops....hopefully all is good....everyone but the banties (who immediately took a dust bath after) is white now (and all my chickens used to be red)

haha

 

[papadekaitlyn]

My dad used to make pesticides at a chemical plant down here. Sevin is not supposed to be harmful to humans (in chemical composition), but the inhalation of any type of fine dust can cause long term problems. Use a mask.

Also, I have been using Sevin dust on my tomatos and peppers etc my whole life (as have my mother and grandmother [well since sevin has been available my grandmother has and she's 91]) and I have never had any issues arise from it's use.

There really shouldn't be any waiting period on the eggs at all. You should check to be sure, but I'd be extremely surprised if there is a waiting period.

 

[papadekaitlyn]

I didn't see it in the add... Could you post the active ingredient(s)?

That would be real helpful for knowing what the hazards/waiting periods are if any...