Lice infestation! How do I remove the nits???

[Detail]

My chickens are free ranged and they have lice. I have tried putting DE in their dusting holes but when they see the white stuff laying there, they go and dust in another spot and avoid this one. So now I have to dust them individually which defeats them self-administering. I have been dusting them every week with DE for the past month now and they still have lice so now its on to the sevin dust. Has anyone tried Ivemectrin on their chickens? You give it to them orally. I am wondering if I should try this...

 

[Granolamom]

Quote:
Personally, I hate any kind of poison on my animals, but had to resort to dusting them, due to lice infestation. I'd rather take the smaller of 2 evils, and use the insecticide on the outside, then poisoning their entire body by giving it to them internally. Plus, you definitley won't be able to eat the eggs for a while, after you give them something like Ivermectin orally.

 

[Msbear]

Omg Granola, I was looking on hear for advice for my infestation and found you

Sorry we had to meet up again under these circumstances.

I bathed mine in doggy flea shampoo. diluted it a bit with water then applied to the feathers working it in with my fingers and letting them sit for 5 min. They are clean as a whistle now. I dusted their coops, nests, perches with DE and around their run.

I have three coops and alternate free-ranging so Im sure keeping them up for a few days at a time contributed to this. It seems the fluffier breeds are more suseptible. My rosecombs do not have any signs of lice.

The lice eggs were only on a few feathers near the hen's faces. I pulled them ...but will treat again in 10 days. I tried working the eggs sacs with dawn, with vaseline and nothing worked. It is like cement.

Of course, all night my hubby was complaining of creepy crawlies on him

He's one of those people

I want you to know that this can happen to anyone. Don't feel bad. A good poultry owner handles their birds frequently and treats illness or infestation quickly and thoroughly. That's all we can do. ...keep their coops clean and keep our babies healthy.

eta: After bathing my birds, I towel dry for a few minutes then proceed w/ the blow dryer. Then all the bathed birds go into a big dog crate with shavings and a heat light on top. This will ensure they dry completely. My cochins stay in there all day. It does take that long to dry.

 

[Granolamom]

Quote:
Msbear, I'm one of "those people", too! Ever since hubby and I treated our flock last Friday, I've been having imaginary (I HOPE!!!) itches all over me. I lay in bed at night and dream about those yucky egg sacks! Thanks for the hugs, I really felt bad at first, because I try so hard to keep my chickens healthy and happy, I keep their henhouse really clean, and use DE all the time. They still got the bugs, though, and it felt good to hear that people I like and respect have the same problems...

. We'll re-treat in about 6 days, and hopefully this will get rid of them for good.

 

[Msbear]

remember, poultry lice is species specific. That's what I keep telling Rusty. ...they may crawl on you for a bit but they'll get bored and head elsewhere

 

[tstoikes]

I've had some success using DE mixed with play sand. I bought a cheapie kiddie wading pool and put a couple of holes in the bottom for drainage. Then put in a bag or two of play sand add some DE.... You can mix it if your chickens don't like the looks. I originally was hoping to keep them out of the garden with a "nicer" dusting place....Joke is on me! They also like an old cold frame of mine. Maybe the dirt is softer or tastes better!

 

[Sstrain1]

Has anyone ever had problems with ear mites or lice that lay eggs on your chicken's comb? My poor girl seems to have eggs threaded throughout her comb, and I have no idea how to get them off!

 

[A Creekside Retreat]

Quote:

Yes, you have to pull the feathers out if you want to remove the eggs. You can try snipping the feathers too.

I will pm you to tell you what I use on my flock to prevent lice.

could you message me what you use as well? This thread is very helpful. We just found lice on some of our girls and nits. Not sure I want to remove feathers if retreatment would alleviate. I bought food grade DE and giving them all baths. Even with soaking the nits don’t want to come off. Our girls are free ranged too so that doesn’t necessarily solve this issue apparently.

 

[Painted Calls]

could you message me what you use as well? This thread is very helpful. We just found lice on some of our girls and nits. Not sure I want to remove feathers if retreatment would alleviate. I bought food grade DE and giving them all baths. Even with soaking the nits don’t want to come off. Our girls are free ranged too so that doesn’t necessarily solve this issue apparently.

DE will do nothing. If you are located in the U.S., grab something that contains permethrin. Dust works, but spray works faster. I use Gordon's from TSC. The eggs/nits will disappear once they hatch. Treat every 7 days until you no longer see evidence of adults or eggs.

 

[A Creekside Retreat]

DE will do nothing. If you are located in the U.S., grab something that contains permethrin. Dust works, but spray works faster. I use Gordon's from TSC. The eggs/nits will disappear once they hatch. Treat every 7 days until you no longer see evidence of adults or eggs.

we did baths for all, feather removal as best I could and DE, so far we haven’t had anything come back yet. I don't know much about Permethrin or even if it’s available in our small town, however, we do try to avoid anything that is harmful to the bees.