Need HELP getting rid of fleas/mites/lice or I'll lose my chickens...

[breezy]

A texas breeder of standard poodles told me this years ago when I was prepping show dogs for her. Use Zest soap for bathing for the kids and yourselves. I have no clue why the heck it works but it repels and kills fleas. I have experimented with it when I was doing rescue and had flea ridden rescue dogs and in a pinch when nothing else was available it did kill fleas on small short coated dogs when they were lathered with it. I DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT recommend this for use on dogs its an emergency thing only but it does work well on the kids and is completely safe for them. Hope that helps alleviate your husbands worries regarding fleas on the kids and once you implement the other suggestions for the chicks you should be in the clear. Best wishes and hope this resolves things for you quickly

 

[HereComesDaRooster]

For what it's worth I give my birds a kiddie pool with sand and wood ash for them to take sand baths in and they love it and the bugs don't.

 

[Dingleberry]

keep a paper thin layer of DE (diatomaceous earth) wherever a vacuum cannot reach

I put some where they bath and in their beedding. works fast!!! its Organic too

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Quote:
HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas

NO CLUE. I've seen little fleas on the kids and I am able to pick them off before the stupid things jump.

We are close to the coast, so stick-tight fleas might be a possibility. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THESE?

I am considering getting frontline medication for the chickens. Might have to resort to that.

Stick-Tight fleas are only found in southern states and more prevalent in coastal areas with high humidity. The females attach themselves to the host animal by burrowing their heads into the skin. They are very small, much smaller than a standard flea. On poultry they will cluster themselves on the comb, ears and wattles. In bad infestations they will also cluster on the neck. The females will lay eggs and the eggs will fall to the ground were they will putate. The larvea will coccoon themselves in dirt and dander and lay dormant until disturbed for up to 21 days. Stick-Tight fleas do not respond to normal treatment. You can use 5% Sevin dust mixed with vaseline to coat the infested areas on the birds. The vaseline will smother the pests within 3 to 4 days. You can dust your pens with Sevin dust. Permethrin is a bit stronger pesticide that will also work on these fleas. Your birds can be dipped in a Permethrin dip and also the pens can be sprayed with a mix. Be sure to spray everything up to a height of at least 3 feet. Frontline has been used with great success with battling these pests as an off label pesticide. It is being used at a rate of one drop per bird placed on the skin at the back of the neck. It has not been extensively tested especially on younger birds so it is use at your own risk and discretion. Frontline spray has also been used in the pen areas. As with any pesticide use, you will want to pay close attention to nesting areas and cracks or places that really small bugs could get into. You will need to keep treating the ground for up to and maybe beyond a month to be able to break the cycle.
Fleas, both standard and Stick-Tight, are extremely bad this year. It is not because you have poultry or any other animal, it is just a natural occurance. We have neighbors and friends who don't have any animals yet they are still battling fleas.

 

[MotherJean]

Pampered Pullet gave you a very good run down on sticktights. Couple of other things I learned in researching these is that sticktight fleas don't jump. That's why you were able to pick them off your kids. Speaking of kids, if you are in fact battling sticktight fleas and you find them stuck on your kids, you should try removing them as you would a tick - use tweezers and pull slowly in hopes of getting the flea to release it's jaws and withdraw from the skin. If you yank them off, you risk leaving a part of the flea's mouth under the skin, which can lead to a skin infection. That is something to look for on your birds, too. Once the fleas are killed, the skin may show signs of infection where they were attached. It may be advisable to give antibiotics to treat. Some folks have reported good results using Triple Antibiotic Ointment (available at WalMart) as a topical treatment. Yes, it can be used around the eyes.

 

[the funny farm6615]

i dont know about sticktight fleas, never heard of them before, i am in the mid-west. but when the fleas get bad here, we use an old cake pan with equal parts of water and dawn dish soap @ 1 cup of each enuff to cover the bottom of the pan. and then when it gets dark out, put a light over the pan, the fleas are attracted to the light and heat, and jump at the light and get stuck in the sticky dishsoap. in 2-3 nights there are few fleas left.

i dont know if this can be worked in a coop, you could put a wire cage around the pan and put the light on the cage? idk thought i would let you know. it is cheap and works well around dogs and cats, and if they happen to drink it, it wont hurt them (dogs and cats)

by the way a 90 year old country vet told my mother to do this, he didnt belive in useing chemicals any more than absolutly nessisary. she learned a lot from him.