Lice

[NarleevilleClucks]

Where do birds pick up the lice? Do they jump around in the bushes or something? Sorry if I sound silly...

 

[chickzrule]

Not a silly question at all. They pick them up from other birds either wild or others that had them that new birds come in contact with. They live their entire life on the bird and can leave the bird for only 5-6 days or they will die. I am dealing with the issue of trying to kill them. They lay eggs that hatch about every week so you must treat them weekly to destroy any new ones that have hatched. Not so easy to do i'm afraid but i will keep trukin along! lol Lisa

 

[NarleevilleClucks]

Thanks for the reply Lisa! Jeesh, I'll keep my fingers crossed taht this is not something I run into anytime soon! I'm going this weekend to pick up a few more birds from a local farm. I'll look hard for lice before I bring them home!

 

[chickzrule]

If you have a powder like Sevin or even some Diatomaceous Earth you can dust the new and old ones to be sure they don't have lice. De and wood ashes(from wood stove, etc) are natural products that help control lice/mites. DE is a natural powder that cuts the waxy skin of the lice and they dry out and die. I have DE in the girls dust area as their natural instinct is to dust themselves to keep bugs off. You can even add the DE to their pellet food to help control worms. Hope this is helpful! Lisa

 

[DragonEggs]

I just posted about mites too. Ive never had them before but I knew almost right away what I was dealing with. 2 of my birds had the egg sacs in their beards, the others were clean. I cut all of the egg sacs out of their beards and burned them. I ran to the only open store and bought some yard dust. It's meant to be used on livestock, pets and gardens. I'm going to dust everyone and everything tomorrow.

Ive also heard that citrus oil sprayed on their perches and in the nest (just on the enviornment, not actually on the birds) will help keep the pests away.

The lady at the feed store told me they spray skin so soft on their birds when they have live to get rid of them. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[chickzrule]

Not herd of using citrus scents before but would be awesome if it worked. Do mites lay eggs on the birds too? Lice lay white egg clusters around the vent area and can also be up under the wings where it is warm. Is skin so soft an Avon product? I cut the egg sacs off mine that had them too and am still treating them with powder. I have not used Sevin before but its supposed to work well. The expert i talked to said to treat them hard( dust birds, dust roosts, dust nesting boxes, dust the floors and add some to their dust bath and DUST THE BIRDS) for 1 wk and possibly a second week, then lay off for 3 weeks and re evaluate at that time. Sevin is a pesticide and they will adsorb a little since it is on their skin and that is why you don't want to over do it! XXXing my fingers that i only have to do it once and then maintain with DE and i will try the wood ashes too. Lisa

 

[artsyrobin]

skin so soft works to get the eggs off the feathers, amazing stuff. Makes me wonder whats in it, nothing else i tried worked. Also a couple drops of ivomec between the shoulder blades works like frontline, kills the mites and lice-

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=287218

 

[DragonEggs]

I was told for best results dust once then dust again 10 days later because by then any eggs have hatched. For extra security I plan to dust again another 10 days later. Many people have a dusting schedule, once in the spring and once in the fall to prevent them in the first place.

 

[MotherJean]

Lisa, I think you misunderstood your "expert." To effectively rid your birds of lice you must dust them thoroughly with Sevin or Permethrin dust (making sure to get the dust under wings and around tail/vent/abdomen. Sure, go ahead and toss around a bunch of DE in your coop and in the dustbath areas of your run, but this is just added protection - like a man wearing a belt AND suspenders. You must dust all your hens with Sevin or Permethrin no later than 14 days after the first dusting (personally, I do mine at the 10 day mark). You don't dare fall down on doing this second treatment at the right time, otherwise any lice that hatched from those eggs (nits) will mature and lay their own eggs, which puts you back to square one. And, don't be too confident that you've gotten rid of all the egg clusters by cutting those feathers. All it takes is 1 missed egg to undo all your work. A single adult louse will lay around 500 eggs!

Don't mess about with with lice and mites. Drag out the big guns (Sevin or Permethrin), do it right the first time by dusting twice within 14 days, or else you'll be right back here on BYC with a

post complaining that you can't get rid of these bugs.

 

[chickzrule]

Yes, i am planning to dust the ladies as i have already been doing for the past mnth or so but i was using the rotenone/sulfur mix and haven't used the Sevin on them yet. I just did the nesting boxes, floor, dust area yesterday(using Sevin) and plan to dust the ladies today. I have been dusting the ladies once a week for the past 4wks. I must have explained it wrong earlier(has now been updated)) as the expert told me to do this for two weeks then give them a break as the Sevin will make them toxic if given too much. Anybody know if i should be concerned about blood/mucousy looking poo? I noticed 2 droppings that i have never seen before have them in it? I AM ON A MISSION TO KILL ALL LICE!!!!!!
Lisa