Lices again.

[epitidios]

This morning i found one of my hens in a bad mood. She looked really sad. I checked her, and i found bugs on her. I think they are louse. Last time i found them they were greenish in colour. This time their back was a bit brownish. I used a powder that has pyrethrin and piperonyl on them, and i sprayed inside the coop with an anti-parasite agent. It is the third time i do this in such a short period (~3 months), and this is either due to the straw i have, or the powder is not effective. I used the anti-parasite agent on the straw pile i got, and on the nests too. In case i still got a problem that probably means that the powder is not effective. What can i use as an alternative then? Any ideas? Thanx in advance.

 

[CMV]

You could always pull out the big guns and dust everything with Sevin. It is very toxic, but very effective. Just don't use it in the nesting boxes. Lice can be very persistent. You really need to treat everything and then treat again in 7-10 days. That means cleaning out the entire house a second time, as well.

Good luck.

 

[junebug7334]

I wonder if my girls also have lice. So sevin huh? Thank you for the info.

 

[OregonChickenGal]

Quote:
I would pull out the straw, and then dust everything with Sevin 5%. Replace the straw with pine shavings. Straw is a great hiding place for lice and mites, if you really look at it, they're just little tubes. Hope this helps.

 

[epitidios]

Pine shavings? Do you mean pine leaves with this?

 

[switchback]

Quote:
Pine shavings are wood byproducts from sawmills. Go to your local feed store and get the kind sold as horse bedding, it's a lot cheaper than the stuff from the pet store. Around here you can get a 40-50 lb bag of compressed shavings for $5 that goes a long way.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

And be sure to get the kiln dried shavings, not something directly from the lumber mill. Kil drying kills any bugs or their eggs that may be in the shavings. There is no reason to not used sevin in nest boxes. I've done so for years.