lice!!!

[new chick 203]

OK. This has been my experience for what it's worth. i've used DE in the coop, but not on the girls, till last week. It didn't seem to do anything to an existing outbreak. Then I tried Poultry Protector and that seemed to help, but I didn't use as much as I should have, because I didn't want to soak her. I may give this another try in Summer. Last night I used Seven dust and within an hour hundreds of dead lice were falling from her. She didn't seem to mind the application and by morning the towel she was on was covered with the dead guys and she seemed so relieved. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Miss Lydia]

The only problem I have with DE and poultry dust is the Dust, it's awful. I don't mind spreading it around outside but it's really bad inside their coop.

 

[leenie]

I know many of you are ok using pharma/insecticide stuff but I prefer not to.

Coconut oil (VCO) sprayed directly on the lice and eggs will have your problem gone in a matter of 1-3 days. I repeated treatment on day 3 as a precaution but there was nothing left by then.
Heals their red bum in a day or two.
I added a single drop of tea tree oil to about 4 oz of VCO but tea tree oil is not necessary as it's the VCO that will immediately break down and destroy the lice exoskeleton and eggs.
I spray their roost perches and you are done.

FWIW I don't know of anyone who has personally tried this method and wasn't satisfied.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have only seen coconut in solid form where do you get liquid? and doesn't it make the chooks a bit greasy?

 

[leenie]

VCO is solid until it reaches 78 degrees. I warm it up, use a spray bottle and douse the base of their feathers where the infestation is. Like dying your hair, layer by layer.
Yep they look a bit greasy in their nether regions for a few weeks but that's ok by me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So your not spraying the whole chicken just parts of their wing feathers? When mine had mites I don't think that would have worked but I'll read up on it some and see if it's viable for mites.. They were all over the chickens ..

I would be a little worried it might interfere with them staying warm. Sorry I see you only sprayed in their neither regions

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Miss Lydia,
as for your problems with the dust in the coops, just how much are you using?
As for the Sevin Dust, it only takes a tiny bit. I get it in the shaker bottles and just very lightly dust the coops, there shouldnt be a dust issue in there, if so, you are just using too much (which never hurts) but lighten up on it a bit, and you wont have that problem (at least with Sevin) the others, I dont know, I stick with what I know works and works quick, I hate the little buggers and dont want them on any of my birds....

I have about 600 bantams here, so all that other stuff is just out of my price range to even consider. I'd have a grand in Frontline, LOL
Only takes 4 cans of Sevin though at $5 per can to treat all the birds, 40 breeder pens, and houses and the grow out pens wont find any thing cheaper or more effective than that, and yes it's 100% safe. I would think Frontline would be more risky as it's not intended for poultry use to my knowledge (most likely why those vets wouldnt give a withdrawal time on it) I actually killed a cat once with it, it licked the spot, and within an hour its was having convulsions, foaming at the mouth and died, so forgive me if I dont take anyones word for it on it for chickens, LOL.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
x2

 

[leenie]

Quote:
I've never had mite issues so haven't had to deal with that . . . yet.
I would have sprayed under their wings if I saw the boogers but the lice were only on the hens backsides and I checked everyone carefully.
The VCO works on lice really well. Spray close to the feather quill base covering all the creepy crawlies and higher up covering any eggs deposited on the shaft.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'll have to check into that. thanks