Lice Nits

[Bushastead]

If an oil of some sort is put on lice nits will it suffocate them when they hatch?
My chickens have lice I am now realizing and I want to try the natural ways to treat them first. I read in other posts that Permethrin works best, and I plan to buy that in a few days if I dont see an improvement.
I have been rubbing wood ash on them and small amounts of food grade diatomaceous earth. I cleaned out their coop and sprayed it with garlic/ apple cider vinegar/ cinnamon juice, I also sprayed their vents with it. Also put some woodash in their dust bath areas. I read that vaseline helps smuther scale mites and wonder if rubbed on nits if it would smother them too?
Anyother thoughts?!?!?
I know nits hatch every 5-7 days so if these dont work and I buy Permethrin friday it should kill the ones that hatched over the week.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If an oil of some sort is put on lice nits will it suffocate them when they hatch?
My chickens have lice I am now realizing and I want to try the natural ways to treat them first. I read in other posts that Permethrin works best, and I plan to buy that in a few days if I dont see an improvement.
I have been rubbing wood ash on them and small amounts of food grade diatomaceous earth. I cleaned out their coop and sprayed it with garlic/ apple cider vinegar/ cinnamon juice, I also sprayed their vents with it. Also put some woodash in their dust bath areas. I read that vaseline helps smuther scale mites and wonder if rubbed on nits if it would smother them too?
Anyother thoughts?!?!?
I know nits hatch every 5-7 days so if these dont work and I buy Permethrin friday it should kill the ones that hatched over the week.

I've read applying oil to the nits can help you remove them from the feather shaft. I don't know about it smothering them.

Are you seeing crawling lice on your birds?
Permethrin based sprays and dusts labeled for use in poultry has no egg withdrawal period.

Just a note - vaseline will smother Scaly Leg Mites, but that is a different "critter" if you will - it lives under the scales of the legs so a good coating worked into and up underneath the scales is what smothers them.
Knowing the "critter" you are trying to "treat for/eliminate" dictates the type of treatment administered.

 

[Bushastead]

I've read applying oil to the nits can help you remove them from the feather shaft. I don't know about it smothering them.

Are you seeing crawling lice on your birds?
Permethrin based sprays and dusts labeled for use in poultry has no egg withdrawal period.

Just a note - vaseline will smother Scaly Leg Mites, but that is a different "critter" if you will - it lives under the scales of the legs so a good coating worked into and up underneath the scales is what smothers them.
Knowing the "critter" you are trying to "treat for/eliminate" dictates the type of treatment administered.

Both my silkies have lice, one has scale mites as well

 

[Bushastead]

I've read applying oil to the nits can help you remove them from the feather shaft. I don't know about it smothering them.

Are you seeing crawling lice on your birds?
Permethrin based sprays and dusts labeled for use in poultry has no egg withdrawal period.

Just a note - vaseline will smother Scaly Leg Mites, but that is a different "critter" if you will - it lives under the scales of the legs so a good coating worked into and up underneath the scales is what smothers them.
Knowing the "critter" you are trying to "treat for/eliminate" dictates the type of treatment administered.

I was thinking of buying the liquid version and bathing them with it

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Both my silkies have lice, one has scale mites as well

I was thinking of buying the liquid version and bathing them with it

Then I would treat the SLM with vaseline, Nu Stock or oil of choice - work into and underneath the scale of the legs and feet.

For the lice on the body, use a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust - Follow the directions for use on the package of the product you buy.

 

[1chip2chicks3cheeks]

Be careful with ash and diatomaceous earth especially, they can cause respiratory issues in animals and humans. Our chickens have lice too and we plan on bathing all 32 of them in a mixture of castile soap, salt and vinegar. It's supposed to suffocate and kill all live lice and loosen the nits. Seems to work very well from everything I've heard, so we're going to give it a go I believe you're supposed to repeat in a week, to kill any lice that may have hatched.

Here is the recipe:


Chicken Lice/Mite Recipe
5 gallons warm water (comfortable for your birds to bathe in)
2 cups table salt
2 cups white distilled vinegar
2 cups liquid castile soap

First, in a large bucket capable of holding 5 gallons of water (plus a chicken), mix and dissolve the ingredients listed above into the warm water. [Note: it may be easier to dissolve the salt in a gallon of hot water and then mix that to the bath mixture]. Make sure that the ingredients are well dissolved and mixed up. Also, be sure that the water temperature is not too hot for your birds.

Next, one-by-one place your chickens into this treatment bath. Be sure that the bird’s head stays above water. Each chicken needs to soak with their body fully submerged for five minutes. You often will see dead mites and lice float to the surface of the bath.
Rinse the treated hen in a second bucket of warm plain water for a couple minutes. Be sure to towel dry all of your washed chickens — you don’t want them getting ill. Chickens have a very difficult time regulating their body temperature when wet, so it may be wise to use a hairdryer and give them blow drying.

You can use the same treatment bath for several hens (as long as the water stays warm enough) for them.

 

[cmom]

I have tried a lot of things but not the homemade bath. Curious as to how it works. Of the many things I tried only permethrin actually got rid of the mites and lice. It did take a few weekly applications of thoroughly spraying the inside of the coops with permethrin, every crack and crevice. When you bathe the birds I doubt you will get rid of them all because once they go back into their coop the pests will still be in there. The pests like to hide in the cracks and crevices in the coop. Most natural remedies don't work. Permethrin is a synthetic version of the organic insecticide, pyrethrum which is derived from the chrysanthemum. Permethrin has all of the safety of natural pyrethrum but leaves a residue that continues to kill. Weekly applications for about a month are necessary to break the pest cycle. The bonus is there is no egg withdrawal period. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

I use poultry dust in the nest boxes. It also has permethrin in it. Again, good luck...

 

[cmom]

Try over the counter lice shampoo for people. If you want to bathe your birds, every over-the-counter (OTC) treatment for head lice contains either pyrethrins (Rid or Triple X) or permethrin (Nix). They are effective treatment. They only kill live pests, not the pests eggs.

 

[Bushastead]

Be careful with ash and diatomaceous earth especially, they can cause respiratory issues in animals and humans. Our chickens have lice too and we plan on bathing all 32 of them in a mixture of castile soap, salt and vinegar. It's supposed to suffocate and kill all live lice and loosen the nits. Seems to work very well from everything I've heard, so we're going to give it a go I believe you're supposed to repeat in a week, to kill any lice that may have hatched.

Here is the recipe:


Chicken Lice/Mite Recipe
5 gallons warm water (comfortable for your birds to bathe in)
2 cups table salt
2 cups white distilled vinegar
2 cups liquid castile soap

First, in a large bucket capable of holding 5 gallons of water (plus a chicken), mix and dissolve the ingredients listed above into the warm water. [Note: it may be easier to dissolve the salt in a gallon of hot water and then mix that to the bath mixture]. Make sure that the ingredients are well dissolved and mixed up. Also, be sure that the water temperature is not too hot for your birds.

Next, one-by-one place your chickens into this treatment bath. Be sure that the bird’s head stays above water. Each chicken needs to soak with their body fully submerged for five minutes. You often will see dead mites and lice float to the surface of the bath.
Rinse the treated hen in a second bucket of warm plain water for a couple minutes. Be sure to towel dry all of your washed chickens — you don’t want them getting ill. Chickens have a very difficult time regulating their body temperature when wet, so it may be wise to use a hairdryer and give them blow drying.

You can use the same treatment bath for several hens (as long as the water stays warm enough) for them.

Thank you so much for the information!!!