Need help!

[ClemsonAg]

Thanks. I'll hop on that first thing tomorrow.

 

[alyxl02]

Ok good luck

 

[ClemsonAg]

How long are eggs unsafe after sevin dust is applied? Does it even effect them?

 

[mithious]

Did you put the new chickens in with your current flock? If you did, than your current flock now needs to be deloused as well, and the bedding changed and coop cleaned. Lice hide in the cracks and such, so the coop needs to be treated also.

I really hope you have the new birds in quarantine! If they have lice, they could also have other health issues. If you haven't added them to your current flock, I would recommend keeping them in isolation for atleast 2 months...and even then, you still might be bringing disease into your current flock.

I also recommend reading through the diseases threads....there is a ton of info on parasites, diseases, ect on that thread and you will learn a lot by reading through it.

 

[ClemsonAg]

These are birds that I use for some of my research in agriculture, and they have acquired poultry lice. I ended up adding wood ash in the run for them to dust in, cleaned out the coop and applied 5% seven dust and added in more bedding. There seemed to be very few lice on the birds, and they appear healthy and active. I'm guessing I caught it early. Does this seem sufficient, or should I napalm the place.

 

[mithious]

These are birds that I use for some of my research in agriculture, and they have acquired poultry lice. I ended up adding wood ash in the run for them to dust in, cleaned out the coop and applied 5% seven dust and added in more bedding. There seemed to be very few lice on the birds, and they appear healthy and active. I'm guessing I caught it early. Does this seem sufficient, or should I napalm the place.

You might have caught it early or the lice could be in the cracks of your coop and come out at night to feed on the birds. Usually seeing some on them, is a sign of an infestation. Sorry, I know no one wants to hear that. Did you treat the coop with a delouse solution? If not, I have read from Dawg that you can put a pile of sevin dust, the 5%, at the door of the coop and blow it into the coop with a leaf blower than shut the door till it all settles. With the chickens outside of course

That will get the sevin into every crack in the coop, from what I read. I haven't had to deal with mites or lice...yet..and Lord willing, won't have to, but glad I read up on it, just in case.

Did you do the shake and bake, with the garbage bag, when you treated the birds? Had to laugh when I first read that, than someone asked if it got in their eyes during the process

Of course you leave their head out of the bag!

What kind of research do you do?

Oh, also, birds hide things like disease and parasites well, so it can be hard to determine how bad they really are. Another thing I read was to check at night, when they are at roost with a flashlight around the vent area. Another OP ran a wet cloth over the roost to check for blood as lice are blood suckers and will leave blood traces...but that wasn't as reliable as checking the actual birds at night.

Hope you caught it in time and it wasn't really bad!!!

ETA...you also have to retreat the birds to kill any that hatch from the eggs, but can't remember how long from the first treatment it is...sorry!

 

[ClemsonAg]

Thanks for the post! I concentrate on sustainable agriculture (not to be confused with organic). My intentions with the chicken are to demonstrate how sufficient of livestock they are. They provide eggs, meat, can turn your compost for you. I also have a sustainable garden in the works by the coop where I will never have to dig into my solid clay yard. By using a layered (lasagna) method with the chicken turned compost, I should be able to change the soil in the area. They are basically the wheels of my research bus, and also very enjoyable.

I doused the coop in sevin and physically rubbed the powder around the vents and under the wings. Can't say any got in my eyes being that I wore a mask, glasses, hat, and long clothes. I'll repeat all this in 7 days.

Interestingly enough, only my two Easter eggers had the lice. My two leghorns which are both vaccinated birds are clean as a whistle. I don't know if that should have made a difference, but I went ahead and treated all of them. Anyway, hope my girls clean up soon.

 

[nop169]

By your username I am assuming you are near Clemson University... just for future reference - with issues you can contact Dr Mickey Hall (Michelle) in the Poultry Dept at Clemson. She is a great avian vet and typically happy to help a backyard poultry enthusiast. You can find her number under the Clemson employee directory - usually I email her with any question I could not get resolved & she responds timely. I am sure there are others who could also offer assistance, but Dr Hall has been at Clemson many years & has helped me with both avian wildlife and my backyard flocks. There are also groups you can join for learning - check with your local Ag dept.
I have had to ask help of Dr Hall only a few times over the years as most of your issues with backyard poultry will be common issues which good management will correct - however when obtaining new flock members and adding to an existing flock you should think about quarantining them for 30 days & possibly deworming/delousing them before introducing to your flock. There are several ways to do this depending on your preferences... either more holistic/natural or using more modern medications. You will find a huge amount of useful information on this website and most people on here will also be happy to message you with answers or explanations of their individual posts. I live in Oconee county & would also be happy to answer any questions that I can if ever needed. Good luck with your new girls.

 

[ClemsonAg]

Thanks for the info. Yes, I am a student in agriculture at Clemson. I will definitely have to look her up, and I'm surprised I haven't met her yet. I would have waited and contacted the Clemson poultry center tomorrow, but figured I needed to handle the lice issue today. What breeds of chickens do you have? I haven't really had the chance to speak to any other back yard growers that are around the area.

 

[lazy gardener]

Sounds like your academic reason for having poultry is the same reason that a lot of us do. I have 5 birds, started as eggs and chicks this spring. Their purpose for being is mainly for garden assistance. Free tilling, weed and insect control. They also provide a great deal of amusement. Eggs are merely a side benefit. My garden practice is a combination of Ruth Stout's permanent mulch, lasagna gardening, and where practical interplanting and wide row planting. Welcome to BYC, and enjoy the interaction between chickens and your garden.