Lice!

[StandardLover]

So I was cuddling up to my blue cochin rooster yesterday, and I saw a white, small bug run across his face. So I investagated. I checked his vent, clear. I checked his wings, clear. I checked his breast, clear. I checked underneath his wattles and earlobes, oh no. Yes, I found white eggs attached to the bottom of his feathers. It looks like they are just starting out. I checked my other chickens and it seems like my rooster only has it. I believe they got it from some sparrows that go in our barn. They are always flying around inside our coop, so no doubt. So I have a few questions. (I got diatemaceus earth.-spelled that wrong sorry.) Can you put the dust in the bedding? My chickens have an upper respritory infection, is the dust dangerous for that? Do the lice burrow in the bedding? Can lice die from cold as-well? Thank you!

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I'm not an expert on this, but I believe that lice are host dependent and thus would not be in the bedding. I think that you have to treat the bird directly.

 

[StandardLover]

Yay Chicks! :

I'm not an expert on this, but I believe that lice are host dependent and thus would not be in the bedding. I think that you have to treat the bird directly.

Oh thank god! So is there any special way to directly treat them?​

 

[Firefighter Chick]

purchase poultry dust or Sevin dust or a pyrethrin spray for the birds. I would NOT use DE as a treatment, only a preventative. I would get rid of the current bedding also.

 

[cwalsh2]

My chickens always ran loose, so they were around sparrows daily. The common treatment that really worked was a product called ectiban. You would mix 1/2 oz in a gallon of water and spray the vent area of the chickens. It was 100% effective. I have read that permectrin 2 is the replacement for ectiban. Since I can't find ectiban anymore I am going to try it.