Lice preventitive?

[Trevorusn]

I had to put down one of my SF hens today, its been rough, 2 SF hens gone in a week. On some of the scabs by the necrotic skin that the vet removed, she found lice under the scabs eating the skin. She was inside seperated from my other birds since mid July, however I have two roos that shared the downstairs area with her. All are in their own crates, but I think I might treat the 2 roos and her 3 remaining flockmates for lice to be safe. I have ivermectin from TSC, the topical form in the red and yellow box. My questions are, how many drops per bird, and for how long? Also, should I use permethrin dust on the birds at the same time? And is the dust a one and done process or does it take several treatments? Thanks. Also, I notice the roo in her flock is dropping feathers, which makes me think either he may have lice that I haven't spotted yet or he is prepping for molting. No bare patches, just lots of various feathers.

 

[Painted Calls]

I've never used Ivermectin for chickens.

I use this. It's concentrate, so it makes quite a bit. Directions for dilution are on the bottle, as well as directions for storage. Spray below vent to stomach, and under wings every 7 days until all lice/mites are gone. Make sure it gets to the skin. Spraying on top of feathers will do nothing. Works great.

You can also mix it stronger and use it for the house/run.

I don't believe in using anything as a preventative. Trying to prevent wild birds from coming into the same area as your chickens is all I would recommend. Using insecticides as a preventative runs the risk of them becoming less effective over time as a means to kill the pests.

Good luck!

 

[BuckeyeAmy69]

I plan on doing the birds outside in the open, does the dust need to make skin contact? Or should I just coat an entire bird and let it settle in naturally? Lol, I'll need to find a bottle now, interesting idea.

Get the dust IN THERE on the skin. Pay special attention to vent area. I part the feathers and inspect the entire bird--my assistant (son) holds the bird for me. He tilts the birds so I can look under their wings and their bellies. REALLY get that dust in there good. Your birds will be dusty for a few days after as this stuff clings really well to their feathers.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I had to put down one of my SF hens today, its been rough, 2 SF hens gone in a week. On some of the scabs by the necrotic skin that the vet removed, she found lice under the scabs eating the skin. She was inside seperated from my other birds since mid July, however I have two roos that shared the downstairs area with her. All are in their own crates, but I think I might treat the 2 roos and her 3 remaining flockmates for lice to be safe. I have ivermectin from TSC, the topical form in the red and yellow box. My questions are, how many drops per bird, and for how long? Also, should I use permethrin dust on the birds at the same time? And is the dust a one and done process or does it take several treatments? Thanks. Also, I notice the roo in her flock is dropping feathers, which makes me think either he may have lice that I haven't spotted yet or he is prepping for molting. No bare patches, just lots of various feathers.

I'm sorry for your loss.
Did the vet give you their finding of the cause of death?
How old are the chickens?

You've asked twice in this thread about dose of Ivermectin Pour On, here it is :
Pour On dosing is 0.09ml per pound of weight. Apply to skin along the base of the neck (must come into contact with skin). Repeat in 14 days.
Do some research to determine what withdrawal period you are most comfortable with.

Lice can also be treated with Permethrin based poultry sprays or dusts - these can be found in stores like Tractor Supply. Repeat treatment of Permethrin in 7 day intervals. Treat birds, clean out housing and treat it as well.

Elector PSP is another option - mix according to directions. It's expensive, but effective.

 

[BuckeyeAmy69]

These are the products I keep on hand and only use if necessary. They both can be found at TSC. I use the dust on my tomatoes and peppers too to keep tomato worms away (safe to use up until day of harvest). The liquid can be diluted according to how you need to use it. I used it to effectively keep carpenter bees from drilling holes in the coops. Both are very good at preventing anything with an exoskeleton from doing harm, so use carefully and follow label directions to avoid killing insects you don't want to.

 

[Trevorusn]

I'm not sure about the medicine. My flock has access to free-range and they dust bathe outside and in the run to prevent lice. I also provide DE for the flock and they use it when they like to (some people don't like to use DE).

I don't use DE, it does nothing for internal or external parasites.

 

[MysteryChicken]

My apologies. It's premixed, right? Where do you purchase it? TSC? How much use do you get from one bottle? Do you have to constantly shake it while using it?

It comes pre made in a spray bottle.
Yes you can buy it at TSC, Walmart, & Amazon.

No shaking required.

So far with one bottle I've treated 11 birds, & a small coop, & still have some left, plus an extra bottle.
I can get a picture of it tomorrow though.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I'm not sure about the medicine. My flock has access to free-range and they dust bathe outside and in the run to prevent lice. I also provide DE for the flock and they use it when they like to (some people don't like to use DE).

 

[HeatherKellyB]

@Wyorp Rock

There is a lot of info, but it tends to be scattered and sometimes a bit much to try to piece together, hence the post. I have looked into it, but haven't found exact answers.

I am right there with you. I purchased a large bottle of Ivermectin injectable (pricey stuff :-( that I will use orally if I ever feel safe enough to use it) to use for lice. I received the dosing instructions but now I'm a bit worried because the information out there is so back and forth and I don't know what to believe. Which articles are reliable and proven, and which ones are hearsay. So confusing. Best wishes with your flock. I'm so sorry for your loss. That's a difficult thing to go through, especially if your birds are pets. I'll be following to learn with you. I'll tag a couple of the many knowledgeable folks here.
@Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive @Overo Mare @aart @MysteryChicken

Edited to add that I purchased a bottle of Elector PSP and I believe it works well but it's a PITB to keep mixed while using it, especially since I make up smaller sized batches so I'm not tempted to try to save ~ I don't think it's any good if it's mixed before a few hours of using it

 

[Painted Calls]

I say preventive because my one hen did have them, and while I don't know when or how she got them I'd rather play it safe with the 5 birds that either had direct contact or were downstairs with her, even with there being quite a bit of distance between the 3. With this permethrin mix, how many treatments did you wind up doing? Once every 7 days would be be quite manageable, any egg withdrawl time?

Oh, I see what you're saying. I don't think it would hurt to treat everyone just in case. It's easy enough anyway.

I don't remember honestly. 3 maybe. Just until I saw no more lice or eggs.

Zero egg withdrawal time with Gordon's.