lice!!!

[leenie]

ORGANIC VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

 

[kimthom66]

Just got off the phone with our vet and we will be using Sevins (been spelling it wrong the whole time LOL) dust on the birds and Sevins spray in the coop. I can't find it locally, so my Dad is picking some up for me at Walmart on his way home today.

Once I have the initial treatment done, the coop cleaned and treated, the birds dusted (I think I will add a small sprinkle to their run and to their main dust-bathing area), then I am hoping to maintain a bug free environment with DE sprinkled at every coop cleaning, DE and wood ash added to their dust-bath, and monthly spritzing of the coop with Poultry Protector or Pyrethrin spray. I am also going to do VCO on a regular basis, but have not figured out a schedule for that.

On a side note, our vet said we do not need to worm the hens, worms in poultry are not a problem where we are located, so I don't have to worry about getting any Ivermectin/Ivomec, so that is good news

I am going to start a new post about preventive maintenance. I have read hundreds of posts and the information is pretty scatterred out, so I am hoping to get a discussion started in one thread.

I just discovered lice and I like you have been reading everything...like you I am trying to plan my course of action? Help?

 

[kimthom66]

ORGANIC VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

Thanks! I finally figured that out after I kept reading! I have 10 hens and 2 roosters and I have finally figured out that I have lice...I noticed the clumping around the vent area didn't see anything running. I have been reading and reading on how best to tackle this. I do have VCO at home should I start there? I also have Sevins and I have wood ash? I just don't quite know where to begin?

I can clean out the coop first then apply DE and /or poultry spray and then treat each hen before they roost tonight. But should I dust them with Sevins or just spry the VCO? And if I read correctly you spray it in the vent and under their wings? I have one bird whose back is almost completely bald, I was blaming feather picking and the rooster but after seeing a few birds with bald spots and then seeing the clumping around a vent I think I found my problem?

 

[kimthom66]

Mine was not that bad but melted Coconut oil sprayed on those really good will take care of it.. I put the DE in a wash tub and then layed the chicken in to dust it. It was more like cover the chicken with DE. The DE got rid of the lice in about three days. The coconut oil got rid of the eggs the next day.

So you used VCO and then dusted? You recommend doing both to the entire flock or do you just use the coconut oil on the ones you see the eggs on?

 

[kimthom66]

I would give it 3 days and then recheck. Hopefully your nightmare will be over.

do you need to reapply the VCO like you dust again after 10 days? Or is it a once and done kind of a thing?

 

[debir1966]

Hi kimthorn66

I only had to use the Sevin's application once. I, thankfully, never started using DE as there is a lot of controversy now with its use - that it will not only kill harmful bugs, but beneficial ones too and that it is not so good for your critters!

I didn't want to use the Sevin's because we wanted to stay away from chemicals as much as possible, but I also wanted the parasites GONE - and I didn't want to mess around. If we had continued to have issues with parasites on a regular basis, I would definitely look into going with a steady routine of natural additives like coconut oil, but so far have not needed to.

Anyway, we dusted all the chickens and totally cleaned and sprayed down the coop and we never had another problem with parasites. I still put a little wood ash in their dust bath areas.

 

[kimthom66]

Hi kimthorn66

I only had to use the Sevin's application once. I, thankfully, never started using DE as there is a lot of controversy now with its use - that it will not only kill harmful bugs, but beneficial ones too and that it is not so good for your critters!

I didn't want to use the Sevin's because we wanted to stay away from chemicals as much as possible, but I also wanted the parasites GONE - and I didn't want to mess around. If we had continued to have issues with parasites on a regular basis, I would definitely look into going with a steady routine of natural additives like coconut oil, but so far have not needed to.

Anyway, we dusted all the chickens and totally cleaned and sprayed down the coop and we never had another problem with parasites. I still put a little wood ash in their dust bath areas.

Thank you, I have Sevin at home but I also have DE and wood ash? Was going to clean the coop thoroughly when I get home and then when the chickens go into the run I will catch one at a time and dust (I am leaning towards Sevin) and use VCO in a spray bottle and spray under each wing and around vent area and then place them one by one in the cleaned coop. I do have poultry spray that I can spread in the coop should I use that PLUS dust the coop with Sevins?

 

[dawg53]

Coconut oil can be used to remove lice/mite eggs from feather shafts. If you dont see lice/mite eggs, no need to use coconut oil.
See pics in this link as well as treatments:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[leenie]

I would just apply the VCO and see how that works. It starts melting their exoskeletons along with the egg casements on contact. I would think VCO and any kind of dust (Sevin or DE) would only lead to caked up birds. A few days after the vco is absorbed into their skin let them dust away.

 

[dawg53]

Coconut oil will be very messy and birds cant shake it off like they can with dusting powders. They'll need retreatment in 7-10 days in addition to treating the inside of the hen house including roosts and nests.