i have read the other posts regarding poultry lice, but i still have a few questions...
i probably have a few more chickens than most people on this forum... about 100... and they free range all the time over about 3 acres. they go in at night into a few different movable coops. i am pretty sure they all have lice...
how do you dust 100 chickens? i have been putting diatomaceous earth and wood ash (i heard this is supposed to work) in their common dust bath areas and in their coops, but i just don't see how i could pick up each chicken and dust it. even if i did do this, what does that look like? throwing a handful of DE on their vents (that seems like mostly where the lice are)? every 5 days or so? that's a lot of work... but i am willing to do it if it will kill the lice...
i want to stay away from the harsher chemicals and try to just use DE... does anyone have any opinions on this? will i be able to get rid of them with just DE? any other natural home remedies that works?
please help, i am concerned for my poor birds and it doesn't seem like a huge problem right now, but if i let it go, i know it will debilitate my flock. soon winter will come here and everything will be covered in snow so they will have fewer places to roam and dust bath... i thought if they are contained more in the winter i can treat it better by throwing DE everyday in the snow free areas...
any comments are helpful for me as i am concerned, and just thinking about it makes me itchy... ewww! thanks in advance!
i probably have a few more chickens than most people on this forum... about 100... and they free range all the time over about 3 acres. they go in at night into a few different movable coops. i am pretty sure they all have lice...
how do you dust 100 chickens? i have been putting diatomaceous earth and wood ash (i heard this is supposed to work) in their common dust bath areas and in their coops, but i just don't see how i could pick up each chicken and dust it. even if i did do this, what does that look like? throwing a handful of DE on their vents (that seems like mostly where the lice are)? every 5 days or so? that's a lot of work... but i am willing to do it if it will kill the lice...
i want to stay away from the harsher chemicals and try to just use DE... does anyone have any opinions on this? will i be able to get rid of them with just DE? any other natural home remedies that works?
please help, i am concerned for my poor birds and it doesn't seem like a huge problem right now, but if i let it go, i know it will debilitate my flock. soon winter will come here and everything will be covered in snow so they will have fewer places to roam and dust bath... i thought if they are contained more in the winter i can treat it better by throwing DE everyday in the snow free areas...
any comments are helpful for me as i am concerned, and just thinking about it makes me itchy... ewww! thanks in advance!