Lice or mites

[chicknmania]

Our flock is free range and normally they make their own dusting holes, but I think the peafowl have a problem making one big enough for them to dust in. I noticed this year that they have lice or mites. Should we try to build them a dusting box? And would they use it? As I said, they free range, and are rather hard to catch to manually debug. All the flock seem to have a problem with lice or mites this year, where I have not noticed it much in the past.

 

[zazouse]

Peat moss sand , pot ash and seven dust if they have mites, mine have plenty of place to dust on fresh ground, dig up some dirt somewhere and they will find it.
During breeding season I have noticed my peacock with the big train never dust bathes anymore so about every 30 days I sneak up behind him when he is fanning and squirt a couple cc,s of Iveromec pore on between his tail feathers , he gets a bit of a chill as it is cold so I know it gets on him
This is my brooder , I put fresh peat moss in there for the babies and a peahen I have in there with her babies.

 

[zazouse]

These peas are dust bathing in an area where my DH ground some stumps

Anytime I move dirt the peas will be there to test it out.

more stumps ground here, they love the fresh dug dirt

Oh and they love the sand also

 

[chicknmania]

Thank you everyone. I'll dig up some dirt somewhere. The barn has a dirt floor and a lot of the chickens dust bathe in there, but I just never see the peas
dusting anywhere. Thanks for the tip about the peat moss, I didn't know they would use that. Our flock will not use DE, period, even if I mix it with regular
dirt. I think they don't like the color.....