Mother hen and chicks with creepy crawlies!

[FlyingByTheSeatOfMyPants]

My Cochin hen has a case of either lice or mites (can they be white?) crawling on the spines of her abundant feathers. Some of her mixed breed batch of four-week-old chicks are showing them on their feathers as well.
I've treated the hen with Permethrin-based poultry dust twice this week and did a small dust of the chicks. I still keep finding the things on their feathers. They run loose during the day and are caged at night. I dump the bedding from the cage whenever I dust. Is the dust safe for young chicks?
I'm at wit's end with this.

I appreciate any suggestions.

 

[Judy]

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

Probably the eggs are still hatching. It may be a while before you get through this. You will see in the above link that Sevin is the recommended treatment (5% garden dust.) I'd probably do the coop and adults with Sevin and stay with permiethrin for chicks. They can be persistent. Good luck, and just keep at it. And sorry you are going through this.

 

[FlyingByTheSeatOfMyPants]

Thanks for the link. I think the culprit is quill lice. Is there a special technique for dusting?

 

[Nimby Chickens]

Quote:
Pillow case and shake n bake!

Hehe, literally put the sevin dust, poultry dust, whatever you're using into a pillowcase. Put the chicken into the pillowcase EXCEPT HER FACE and shake the pillowcase around, ruffling the feathers and rubbing the dust into them for a good minute or so. Do not breathe this stuff in and don't let your chicken breathe it either.

*I'm not saying fling your chicken around in a pillowcase or anything, just gently 'fluff' it and rub.*

Then let her go, she will shake it off and fluff up and start preening like a mofo. She may also be annoyed with you for a bit.

 

[FlyingByTheSeatOfMyPants]

Thanks! What a great idea!