Lice problems

[Ruby Mia]

My whole flock have had Luce for a while now. Their crawling all round their feathers, especially the legs. I brought a tub of farm animal lice powder and have been putting it on all of them and in their coop, but it doesn't seem to be working as their still infested! One of my hens Maxine has lost all her belly feathered and her bum is bold, bright red and swallen. I'm not sure if it's because it's because of lice of just a milt, but she has been like it for months. I read somewhere that you should civer the chickens in ash and put it in their dust baths? I also have lots if wild birds going in their area and eating their pellets. Could they be constantelky giving them lice?

 

[Judy]

Yes, wild birds carry lice. You didn't say what the active ingredient in the "lice powder" is. Things like wood ash and DE may cut down the population some, but will not stop an infestation. You will need to use a chemical insecticide, IMO.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig140

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818674/are-these-some-kind-of-egg-clusters/0_20#post_11897957

 

[loveallanimals]

If you give them a place to take dust baths that usually helps. My chickens had lice pretty bad a year ago but after we started to use sand as bedding in the coop it seems to be under control now. I had a hen who took about 2 months to her feathers back after a hard molt. Good luck I hope you will get this settled soon.

 

[Michael Apple]

My whole flock have had Luce for a while now. Their crawling all round their feathers, especially the legs. I brought a tub of farm animal lice powder and have been putting it on all of them and in their coop, but it doesn't seem to be working as their still infested! One of my hens Maxine has lost all her belly feathered and her bum is bold, bright red and swallen. I'm not sure if it's because it's because of lice of just a milt, but she has been like it for months. I read somewhere that you should civer the chickens in ash and put it in their dust baths? I also have lots if wild birds going in their area and eating their pellets. Could they be constantelky giving them lice?

All that will happen by dusting birds, is that once the dust dissipates, and lice/mites are in the coop, they just re-infest the birds. Dusting is generally done 10 days apart to wipe out any lice/mite eggs that may have hatched. Pyrethrins have been used for awhile, and are not as effective since pests build resistance over time. Much depends on the percentage of of pyrethrin/permethrin in the product.

Carbaryl, which is the substance in Sevin-5 dust is very effective. But it does not have the residual of emulsified concentrates such as Permectrin II or Ravap EC, both of which are labeled for use on poultry.

I suggest you treat your birds, then clean out all litter and dust from the coop and nests. Disinfect floors, nests, top, sides, and bottom of roosts, and walls with a antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-mold product like Biophene or Oxine AH. This can be done with a pump sprayer often used by gardeners. Then, using Permectrin II or Ravap EC, spray down the coops as you did with disinfectant. Pay attention to cracks, cervices. Let dry and put in new shavings before allowing birds access to the coop. It sounds like much work, but it is easy. I do this every 3-4 months and never see external parasites with the exception of scaly leg mites on older fowl. Those I treat with Nu-stock to keep under control. It is also a good idea to keep wild bird nests away from your coop and barn.

 

[Michael Apple]

If hens are moulting, they are likely stressed by the louse infestation. Handle them gently during treatment. Supplement water with vitamins-electrolytes-probiotics labeled for poultry. Here are few good examples:

Avian Super Pack: http://www.asp-inc.com/products/documents/prodinfo/a/aviansp.pdf

Probios: http://www.probios.com/powdersgranules3.html

P.S. I just realized you are not in the U.S.

Hopefully you can find something comparable to the products I mentioned. Good luck.

 

[Ruby Mia]

Thanks for the replies! They were a lot of help!