Lice Battle- DE? Dusting Powder...?

[MBH]

So one of my girls had a dirty bum and I questioned if she had lice. Caught her yesterday and there they were on her and my other two girls. I read DE was very bad for their lungs and not to use it so I called the local feed store and they said dusting powder. So I bought a can gloved up put a mask on and dusted their vents and under their wings. Cleaned out the hen house and dusted in there and the nesting boxes. After reading a few posts here I now have no idea if I did the right thing....I love my girls and we prefer to stay natural as possible. What the heck do I do now and will this for sure work..? I assume we throw out the eggs...but for how long? Is there a better way to do this..? I put a dust bathing spot in their run today for the days when they don't free range. But I am feeling like I did the wrong thing but I do not know what to do differently.

Help!?

 

[User395221]

I assume we throw out the eggs...

What does it say on the can? The one I used said no withholding period for eggs, I didn't have to throw any away. Generally speaking, you'd only need to discard eggs where you were using something systemic, and something known to get in the eggs and be unsuitable for human consumption.
You'll need to dust again in a week or so (check the can for the instructions) after the bugs in the nits have hatched.
You didn't do anything wrong.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

X2
Your hens are fine. The eggs are fine.

Poultry dust from the feed store is permethrin which is a lab derived form of pryrethrin which comes from chrysanthrymums.

It works well. Redo in 7 to 10 days and then again if any signs still.

LofMc

 

[Sara Ranch]

I have adopted chickens that had mites/lice. I give them a warm epsom salt bath. That has worked well.

Make sure there is a place the chickens can take a dust bath. Some of my chickens prefer the sand in the coop, some prefer digging a trench in the sunlight or under a tree, and others prefer mulch.