Lice

[Farmers Daughter]

I haven’t started raising chickens yet, but was so excited about it until I read about lice. Now I’ve scrapped my plans for raising them. My coop was my grandmas so it’s ok’d with lots of nooks and crannies. When I read about having to treat in all those places I almost cried. How does everybody raise chickens and not get lice on them or worse on yourselves? I was just wanting around 5-6 hens for eggs. There must be an easy way to raise chickens with NO lice. Help!!

 

[coach723]

Lice and mites can happen to anyone at any time. It doesn't mean it WILL happen.
Practicing good husbandry, keeping things reasonably clean, keeping your flock as healthy as possible, providing them proper and adequate dust bathing areas, all can help prevent it. Having them show up is not the end of the world, just something that has to be dealt with, just like fleas and ticks on dogs an cats, or internal parasites in all animal species. There are all kinds of things that CAN happen, but it doesn't mean that they WILL happen. Most of the bugs will stay on the birds, they prefer them to humans. It is not something that would keep me from having them, any more than fleas and ticks would keep me from having other animals.

 

[Aunt Angus]

That was a little snide. I’m not squeamish and don’t mind poop, I just want chickens that are healthy and want input on how people do it like grandma did. Can Anyone else give me ideas please?

Honestly, I thought you were trolling. My b. A lot of trolls have been on here lately posting questions new folks would ask and starting arguments.

Lice are things that happen sometimes. They aren't hard to deal with. Mites are worse. And people don't get lice from their chickens. Just gotta keep them as clean as possible. And I can't imagine crying about hypothetical lice (this is why I thought your post was a joke, tbh).

 

[coach723]

I would recommend a permethrin product rather than DE. Using DE can cause respiratory irritation, and I have not found it to be effective at all. I've seen them crawl right through it and keep on going. If I have to treat I prefer to use something that I know is going to work so I can treat and move on. Elector PSP is also a very good and effective product, but is much more expensive than permethrin. Permethrin is toxic to cats, so if that were an issue I might choose the more expensive Elector.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm kinda with Aunt Angus on this. Sure, the bugs are gross and when you see them or worse, find one on you, you'll 'feel' them for hours, but it's part of chicken keeping. Considering wild birds can easily bring bugs, it's not exactly something you can prevent so much as just treat when you find them.

They're icky, but there are way worse things that are almost certainly going to happen with birds.

That being said, when I find a bird with a bunch, I either dust, bathe or both depending on which bird or is and if it's just live bugs, just eggs, or both.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Poultry lice only live on chickens, not people. And it's the mites that live in the nooks. But if that's what turns you off, then you had better just forget about it. That's a minor inconvenience compared to poop, bumblefoot, prolapsed vents, worms.... You might me too squeamish for chickens. Goldfish, maybe, but not chickens.

 

[EEforMe]

This is a valid concern! We get mites every year (annoyingly enough) our location is just special like that. We treat with diatomaceous earth. We just spread it around the coop on as many surfaces and nooks and crannies as we can get until the mites go away. I’ve never had to deal with lice.
Edit to add: avoid breathing diatomaceous earth! It’s made out of little sharp sea creature fossil bits that are bad for your lungs! Chickens will be fine as they do not live long enough to develop respiratory issues from it.

Poultry lice only live on chickens, not people. And it's the mites that live in the nooks. But if that's what turns you off, then you had better just forget about it. That's a minor inconvenience compared to poop, bumblefoot, prolapsed vents, worms.... You might me too squeamish for chickens. Goldfish, maybe, but not chickens.

Wow… that was…um…not so nice. We were all first time chicken owners at some point. Everyone has concerns. Don’t make people feel bad about it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Also, odds are that grandma's birds still had bugs, but if they were able to dust bathe whenever they wanted, they kept the population down well enough

 

[Farmers Daughter]

Poultry lice only live on chickens, not people. And it's the mites that live in the nooks. But if that's what turns you off, then you had better just forget about it. That's a minor inconvenience compared to poop, bumblefoot, prolapsed vents, worms.... You might me too squeamish for chickens. Goldfish, maybe, but not chickens.

That was a little snide. I’m not squeamish and don’t mind poop, I just want chickens that are healthy and want input on how people do it like grandma did. Can Anyone else give me ideas please?

 

[Aunt Angus]

This is a valid concern! We get mites every year (annoyingly enough) our location is just special like that. We treat with diatomaceous earth. We just spread it around the coop on as many surfaces and nooks and crannies as we can get until the mites go away. I’ve never had to deal with lice.
Edit to add: avoid breathing diatomaceous earth! It’s made out of little sharp sea creature fossil bits that are bad for your lungs! Chickens will be fine as they do not live long enough to develop respiratory issues from it.

Wow… that was…um…not so nice. We were all first time chicken owners at some point. Everyone has concerns. Don’t make people feel bad about it.

I was being sarcastic, but if they cried over hypothetical lice, imagine what they will feel like when their first chicken dies or they have to cut open an infected foot. No bueno.