Lice

[reynardwaltz]

I got completely bamboozled on some chickens I bought. The hens were clean, but the owner moved the rooster to my box before I could look him over. I assumed he would be as clean as the hens; however, when I got him home I found him to be completely infested with lice (no wonder he didn't let me handle him :/). I found that two of the three hens had a couple stray lice but were not infested. They have been treated with DE, and I was wondering if it would be good to bathe the rooster so I could remove the louse eggs. Any ideas on bathing for lice?

 

[6LittleHens]

I'm not sure about bathing him, but I recently got some new hens that had lice and I treated them with Poultry Protector, (you can get it online or at TSC) it killed their lice almost instantly. For precaution I would treat all the chickens you have, as lice spreads REALLY fast, and your coop and run too. To treat them with the poultry protector, you lift up their feathers and put it under both wings, on their chest, on the back, and behind their neck. I personally spray my coop and run down with poultry protector weekly to make sure they are lice free, since wild birds are in contact with them and wild birds are full of lice and diseases you don't want your flock to get. You will defiantly want to attack this problem fast, since an infestation of lice can slow or stop thier egg production, and I've heard that lice are annoying to the hens, kind of like a dog with fleas.