LICE! not Mites.

That is a good idea. I'll use it for the next dusting in 10 days. The canister I bought had a shaker top so I was able to shake the powder onto the birds. I'm going to wear a mask next time for sure. I inhaled quite a bit, despite being upwind. I too wore gloves, a coat and hat, since it was in the teens last night. I split the flock - half in the coop and half in the run. I dusted outside the coop and then let the hen go into the yard so I could keep track of who I did. I locked the two roos out in the yard so they couldn't get protective while I grabbed each girl. It was 20 minutes before dark when I finished. I did the roos after dark when they were roosting. I took a shower afterwards too.

I checked the girls this morning and they seem fine and the quick check of a few revealed no lice, though I wasn't very thorough. I did see dead lice on the roosting bar. I have to admit I'm not very optimistic about getting rid of these awful things anytime soon. The coop is small, 8x6, and very dirty in the crevices, and being winter (it's snowing right now) very hard to wash out.
 
Lice live on their hosts and by habit don't hang out in litter for a terribly long time, unlike mites. As long as you are taking care of the lice on the birds, you will become lice free. They lay all their eggs on the feathers, so all the baby lice will die as they hatch and again when you reapply. Don't worry too much, it can happen to the cleanest coop keeper!
 
Lice live on their hosts and by habit don't hang out in litter for a terribly long time, unlike mites. As long as you are taking care of the lice on the birds, you will become lice free. They lay all their eggs on the feathers, so all the baby lice will die as they hatch and again when you reapply. Don't worry too much, it can happen to the cleanest coop keeper!
 
can these bugs kill a chicken? i had a hen to get sick several weeks ago. she started getting slow moving she hadnt laid and egg in months so i thought it might have something to do with that. i brought her in the house just to let her visit some she likes that after i had handled her some i put her out. i felt something crawling on me and i had several of whatever it was crawling on me. i freaked out of course i had to throw away what i had on cause there was so many bugs on it i dint want ot keep it yuck. anyhow i got her down and looked her over and there were tons of them on her. i was shocked i never noticed them!!! my chickens free range and dust whenever they want.i dusted her in wood ashes. for a few days. about 5 days after i found the bugs she died. i dont know if thats what is was or not. the bugs were like see through very light tan with like a dark middle.
 
In big numbers lice and mites can weaken the immune system of the host bird. Remember! Lice and mites are host specific! They are gross but they won't remain on you because you are not a bird.
Sucking parasites can kill the host with a big enough number of them. If you see a lot of bugs, break out the spray! Don't wait! If you see one, there's probably 100 you don't see. Chewing lice eat feathers and dead skin, but will cause scabs on birds too.
 
can these bugs kill a chicken? i had a hen to get sick several weeks ago. she started getting slow moving she hadnt laid and egg in months so i thought it might have something to do with that. i brought her in the house just to let her visit some she likes that after i had handled her some i put her out. i felt something crawling on me and i had several of whatever it was crawling on me. i freaked out of course i had to throw away what i had on cause there was so many bugs on it i dint want ot keep it yuck. anyhow i got her down and looked her over and there were tons of them on her. i was shocked i never noticed them!!! my chickens free range and dust whenever they want.i dusted her in wood ashes. for a few days. about 5 days after i found the bugs she died. i dont know if thats what is was or not. the bugs were like see through very light tan with like a dark middle.
Sorry for your loss. :hugs Yes, lice infestations can kill them.
 
When I dusted my birds, I did it in the evening. Took each bird off the roost, held her on her back in a dish pan. Used an old nylon full of the dust as a powder puff to get the dust into all those areas. I wore long sleeves, dust mask, hat, gloves, and took a good shower afterwards.

What kind of dust did you use? Mine have mites and lice. I think both, or whatever eats the feathers. My turkeys have it too.
 
Here's what I've used
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it kills lice. It's a permethrin based spray. I like it better than powder because I can make sure it gets on the skin easier.
 
Okay, I'll look for it at the feed store. Some things are hard to find here on the island, but perhaps I can order it from Amazon. Someone also said to use Safeguard for goats, as it can be put into the water for deworming. Has anyone tried it?
 

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