mite and/or lice problem

[herechickchick1]

This is a bit embarrassing but, will share with fellow chicken "parents"...is it possible to get mites or lice from your chickens? I have noticed a little itching in my scalp as of late and then yesterday upon exiting the coup after cleaning, immediate, intense, crawling (ick!) itching feel. Only then did it dawn on me that this may be what was happening. I immediately headed to TSC to get lice dust (the chemical based stuff; first I want to KILL those suckers, then I'll look into the non-toxic varieties) and then to the drug store to get lice shampoo (oh, the shame of it!) for myself. We treated the chickens and their coup last night. I am admittedly am still a novice at chicken raising and had not be treating for this as a preventative as perhaps I should have been (?) but, my chickens are free range and I thought their dust baths would prevent this. So, is this possible; has this ever happened to anyone else?

 

[rbaker0345]

I used to judge poultry at 4-H shows and I have had so many lice on me. Poultry lice cannot survive on you, so don't put harsh chemicals on yourself. Birds have nucleated red blood cells whereas humans do not, so they can't live on your blood cells. If it really grosses you out, mix some aloe gel (the kind they sell in Wal Mart) with some lavender oil and put it on your head and leave it there for a couple of hours. That usually kills them.

 

[herechickchick1]

Thank you! I feel much better knowing this and that lice shampoo for people is really labor intensive. So, regular shampooing should kill and wash them out or they just die? I was just amazed how quickly it happened and directly into the hair and nowhere else on my body. Do they fly?