Lice treatment, am I on the right track?

[calicokat]

Last summer we found lice on some of the chickens. We treated by bathing them with human lice shampoo. Then we took out all the bedding, cleaned and sprayed the whole coop down with Adam's Flea & Tick spray (it said in fine print that it covers lice). Put in new bedding and DE (deep litter method).

We always have trouble with wild birds getting in our coop and I presume that this is where they are originating from.

So now, I lost a chix this week and looked them over, and found we have another outbreak

My question is this - it will take me about 3 days to shampoo and dry all the chix (we have 7 large fowl & 5 bantum) because we have a family obligation for most of tomorrow and I work. So I'm thinking that I should take the few days to treat the chix and THEN take the coop apart and clean it AFTER all the chix have been treated. Right?

Otherwise, the still licey ones would only infect the new bedding, yes?

Additionally, we are going to put hardware cloth on the windows as the wire up there now has wide enough openings that the birds can easily come in and out. My flock free ranges by going in and out the main coop door though and the birds come in and out there too, so any ideas how I can keep the wild birds out, but let my flock come and go??

 

[Judy]

There are easier ways to treat them. You can dust each bird with "poultry dust" (similar ingredients to Adams') or you can dust them with 5% Sevin (gardening section, for plants.) To dust, put the bird in a paper bag or pillowcase (not the head, of course) and dust away.

You might as well treat the birds first because you need to retreat both in 10-14 days, as these treatments don't kill the eggs and it takes them that long to hatch. You can also treat the birds with ivermectin, a cattle wormer, though it only kills bugs that actually bite the bird. And you still need to treat the coop. You can treat part of the coop with the Sevin but the spray is a very good idea for roosts and walls if the walls have nooks and crannies.

Wild birds -- now that is a problem for many of us. Can't help you there!

 

[seminolewind]

Yes, go get some Sevin 5% garden bug powder and go in the coop at night and powder them all. You can also sprinkle it in the shavings and bedding. Good stuff

 

[calicokat]

So I'd go in at night and sprinkle it on them? Do I need to hold them and try to work it into their feathers, especially the top hats on the polish, and vents too? Or just dust them with it.

Ps. All of them but the one that just got a bath thank you for this new news

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Yes, Sevin 5% garden dust. Doing it at night while they are roosting and calmer. I keep Sevin dust in a lb. coffee can that I have made holes in the plastic lid. Any kind of jar with a lid that you handle easy will work. Just use like a salt shaker, keeping it out of their eyes. Vents and under their wings especially. Might have to do it once every acouple weeks to make sure they are clean from lice. I also dust the nest boxes, dusting holes and roosts.

 

[calicokat]

Preventatively, can I dust them once a month, or even every two weeks after this go around?

Do I have to pitch the eggs (like when we worm them?) or are they ok because this is more topical?

 

[Judy]

The eggs will be fine to eat after Sevin. You shouldn't have to dust them more than once a month, if that, I wouldn't think. Maybe check them once a month or so, and dust if you see any.

You can use a little of the Adam's on their head, just spray a little on your hand and put it on their head from your hand.

 

[DTRM30]

The only thing I would add is when applying the dust - if you sprinkle it on - be sure it gets down to their skin - I generally just do the pet backwards thing to lift the feathers and sprinkle it in.

ANd do be sure to repeat to get any nits that hatch - the dust won't kill the eggs.