Mite/lice problem in flock

[Lobo123]

My flock has been infested with mite/lice. Honestly, I don't know which one they have. I've noticed scratching from the chickens, especially my rooster, who is getting hit the hardest. Right now my flock is going through a molt so I didn't think much of it. However, this wasn't a typical molting pattern. He began to lose feathers around his vent and bottom area. At night I checked their bodies for mice/lice and sure enough there they are.

I have some diatomaceous earth on hand, but there are lots of mixed feelings about it. I don't want to risk a respiratory problem on my flock or myself, so I don't use it. I know I'll need chemical treatment. What's a good treatment for my flock? I've seen some but don't know what would be best. Powder? Spray? Orally? Why pick one over the other?

My flock consists of multiple age groups, the youngest one being 13 weeks old if that's of any importance. I also have some meat birds housed temporarily in a brooder inside the coop. I will check them tomorrow for lice/mice. In case they do have it, will they still be safe to eat after treatment?

Thanks in advance.

 

[JaeG]

If they are on the chickens they'll be either lice or northern fowl mites.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/
This is an excellent page to help you identify what you are dealing with and also lists treatments. DE isn't going to help in an outbreak and it isn't good for beneficial organisms such as bees so it is best avoided.

 

[cmom]

I have posted this before, the best product to get rid of the mites and lice in my opinion is permethrin which is very cost effective. I had some birds that were severely infested. I thought they were just molting but weren't getting their feathers back in when I discovered they were loaded with mites. The first thing I tried was DE. The birds weren't improving and still had mites. I first discovered them in only one coop but eventually found them on birds in another coop. I dusted the birds and the coops with the DE and no improvement after treating them for a couple of weeks. Next I did use some sevin dust that I had but it was almost gone but it did help. I did some research and came up with permethrin. I'm pretty sure the wild birds brought them into their coop. I used the dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. Wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. I did a weekly spraying for awhile and put permethrin dust in the nest boxes, originally sprayed the birds getting under the wings and worked it through their feathers with gloves which you can also do with the dust. Slowly the birds began to recover and get their feathers back in. I think if I hadn't treated with the permethrin when I did I probably would have lost some birds to the mites. The birds were in bad condition. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC carries the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. For my initial application, I mixed it a little heavy. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the mite eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. The birds are beautiful again. There are other products available but much more expensive and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

If you have an issue with flies, permethrin also worked to eliminate flies. I also had a lot of flies in the coops and the permethrin eliminated them too, to my surprise.

 

[Birdie mom]

i agree with @cmom on how to eliminate the pests. interesting fact: lice are not compatible with northern fowl mites, the lice will either eat the mites or starve the mites. don't know if this matters, i just found it interesting.

 

[Lobo123]

If they are on the chickens they'll be either lice or northern fowl mites.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/
This is an excellent page to help you identify what you are dealing with and also lists treatments. DE isn't going to help in an outbreak and it isn't good for beneficial organisms such as bees so it is best avoided

This was very helpful! For sure my chickens have lice. Thank you.

I have posted this before, the best product to get rid of the mites and lice in my opinion is permethrin which is very cost effective. I had some birds that were severely infested. I thought they were just molting but weren't getting their feathers back in when I discovered they were loaded with mites. The first thing I tried was DE. The birds weren't improving and still had mites. I first discovered them in only one coop but eventually found them on birds in another coop. I dusted the birds and the coops with the DE and no improvement after treating them for a couple of weeks. Next I did use some sevin dust that I had but it was almost gone but it did help. I did some research and came up with permethrin. I'm pretty sure the wild birds brought them into their coop. I used the dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the mites can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. Wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. I did a weekly spraying for awhile and put permethrin dust in the nest boxes, originally sprayed the birds getting under the wings and worked it through their feathers with gloves which you can also do with the dust. Slowly the birds began to recover and get their feathers back in. I think if I hadn't treated with the permethrin when I did I probably would have lost some birds to the mites. The birds were in bad condition. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC carries the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. For my initial application, I mixed it a little heavy. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the mite eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. The birds are beautiful again. There are other products available but much more expensive and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...

If you have an issue with flies, permethrin also worked to eliminate flies. I also had a lot of flies in the coops and the permethrin eliminated them too, to my surprise.

THANK YOU! I will get this product.

i agree with @cmom on how to eliminate the pests. interesting fact: lice are not compatible with northern fowl mites, the lice will either eat the mites or starve the mites. don't know if this matters, i just found it interesting.

Haha I didn't know that. Thanks

 

[aart]

interesting fact: lice are not compatible with northern fowl mites, the lice will either eat the mites or starve the mites. don't know if this matters, i just found it interesting.

Really?
Got a link?

 

[Birdie mom]

Really?
Got a link?

It was from a book called "The Chicken Health Handbook" by Gail Damerow, so I don't have a link, but here is the paragraph about it