Lice/Mite treatment

[3 Chicks]

Okay...so I just noticed one of my chickens has some type of small bugs crawling on her--lice is my best guess. She is eating well and doesn't seem sickly except I have noticed she lays down alot more often than she normally does (3 months old). I have researched this on BYC and want to make sure I cover all bases. So, is this a correct regimine?

1. Clean living area with 10% bleach solution
2. Bath chickens with dog flea/tick shampoo--dry chickens
3. Dust chickens with Sevin dust (put chicken in a bag with head out and cover with dust)
4. 10 days later, repeat Sevin dust.

Have I missed anything? I'm heading to the store now for shampoo and Sevin dust.

Thank you!

 

[3 Chicks]

I was curious to find out if the other chickens (I have 3 total) had any lice/mites and just checked them...I see nothing on them. Is it possible for only one chicken to have them?

Also, when I looked at her again, I couldn't find them so she must not have too many on her. Can I lessen the treatment to just dusting or just bathing? I assume I need to clean out all the bedding.

Thanks!

 

[brahmabreeder]

I would like to add that removing all bedding and burning it is a good idea.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Treat all your chickerdoodles, as they likely have the bugs on them, too. Sometimes you cannot find them.

I agree with brahmabreeder!

I don't bother with flea and tick shampoos, but that is just me.

Please note sevin use is off-label if you use it- the approval has been removed for poultry. They sell poultry dust at the feed store (permethrin) but sevin does work very well and a lot of documents are still around recommending it from years ago:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

They also sell permethrin liquid that is dilutable for spraying the chicken and coop:
http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/pesticides.html

 

[3 Chicks]

Great advice! I will treat all birds and coop with Sevin 5%. I assume this is the same Sevin dust used in gardening. How long should I wait to let my children handle the chickens after dusting them? Thank you so much for the advice

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Great advice! I will treat all birds and coop with Sevin 5%. I assume this is the same Sevin dust used in gardening. How long should I wait to let my children handle the chickens after dusting them? Thank you so much for the advice

Yes, it's the same.

No clue on how long before your kids can hold them. I let my kids hold them anytime, but I always make them shower afterward because we have had so many mite issues in the past (NO mites in my home again!!!!).

I hope it all works out for you. I dust every 4 months now, and it works WONDERS.