My Polish Hen Has Head Lice!

[Chickensfan]

woah. that is hot. keep cool!
~Marie

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Thank you. We're managing. Hattie doing better today?

 

[Chickensfan]

no. i hope she can have a check up soon.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

I hope so.

 

[Chickensfan]

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

there are 2 other polish roos.

but other than that, there are many breeds in my flock.

If you can't actually see any lice (lice live on the bird) in the crest I think Hattie is being feather pecked by your other birds. When polish are in a mixed flock this can happen due to their fancy crests. Other birds find their crests very fascinating and feel the need to investigate it. As they pluck the feathers and the head becomes more red as Hatties has done this inturn causes more pecking. I've had this happen within my flock of polish. I would advise you to seperate her from the other birds and give her chance to recover and grow some feathers back.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Yorkshire...you just prompted my lame-brain memory/thought....blue wound powder that's in the horses section might help to heal/deter if there is any pecking. I think I've seen similar, but in gel/paste form in the chicken section of the feed store too....name escapes me though. Have to reapply the powder fairly often, but so long as it's there it does seem to help deter my roo from his favorite girl when she's around him. I know the stuff helps with healing as I used it on my dane before my chick after he had surgery to help heal his wound.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Blue-kote

Think it's a spray and yes this can help deter the pecking behaivour. Once an area is red or bleeding this can send this birds into a pecking frenzy, as lovely as chickens are once they see blood they can become canibals. I also use an anti peck poultry spray on some of my polish that smells absolutely rancid
I've not tasted it personally but it seems to keep some of the pecking at bay!!

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Awesome..thanks! Wonder if that spray is like Fooey...a really bitter spray I use for dogs/buns. I can't even spray it without a mask & gloves it's so aweful..not toxic just the taste & soap doesn't seem to help. Never would've thought to see if could use it with the chicks.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I will check what the active ingredient is in the anti peck spray that I have. Many times things are the same product only packaged differently for different animals. Also they often charge different prices too depending on what animal it's packaged for, at least that seems to be the case over here in the UK.