Hi All, I am new to chickens still getting all of this down. I have 13 BO hens and 1 BO roo, they are 24 wks old. I am wondering when I should start dusting them for mites and lice? So far I have not seen any on them, they are happy and healthy. First of all I need to ask some basic questions? 1. How do you dust the bird for mites? 2. What is best to use? 3. How often does it need done? 4. Are mites a problem in the winter? Thanks
I use seven and dust mne if I feel creepy crawlies on my arms after holding them or you can check around the base of the feathers and around the vent. Several different methods for dusting: putting bird in pillowcase with seven and fluffing it around (make sure head does not get pulled back into pillowcase), putting dust in a small mesh bag and puffing/rubbing it all over chicken getting it down into feathers, or you can just grab the chicken dust it over the back and under the wings and flip it and dust around bottom and around vent. Treat the area and redo both in 10 days. I am currently treating mine now but I live in FL so winter is not really relevent! sharon
Ok, thanks. I am a little nervous about dusting then because I do not want to hurt them by holding them upside down the wrong way. I am a first time chicken owner so all of this is new to me.
Just dusted mine for the first time last week. I used the same cut up t shirt I use to dust my veggies. Dipped t shirt in seven, grabbed a bird and dusted under fluff under wings and on back...still not sure how to hold them upside down but my girls didn't seem to mind. I hadn't seen anything on my girls until recently when cleaning around one hens vent I saw lice. Grossed me out. I had been checking around the head but not vent where they like to lay eggs and hide out. Good luck
This is my third flock of chickens and the first time I had to dust them. I am blaming the wild sparrows who nested in the coop this spring. I don't know if they had mites, but they had some black spots on their combs which can be a sign of mites. I also found lice. If you don't see any signs of problems, I wouldn't put them through it. I would just put some diatomaceous earth in a box for dusting. However, since we had to take action, we cleaned out the coop and while the chickens were outside, we sprayed the coop with liquid seven drenching all cracks and crannies. We let that dry and then sprinkled diatomaceous earth around the inside and outside of the coop and in the bottom of the nest boxes. Then we put down new litter. Next we powdered each chicken with Seven. We tried several methods, but finally sprinkled it on like baby powder and (gloves on hands) rubbed it in under wings, on back and then tipped their little heads down which caused them to raise their rears and dusted around their vents. About a week later we still had a couple of chickens with lice, and bathed those using flea and tick shampoo. That seemed to take care of it. I have been checking and so far so good. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
Thanks all, I will let you know how it goes. I am planning on dusting them soon. I have to get some dust first then I am going to give them a good dusting. I am sure that they are not going to like it but I would rather have a mad chicken then a sick chicken. Thanks again.
I like using a stocking. Put some powder in and pat it all over the bird, just like someone putting on make up with a powder puff. Concentrate under the wings and around the vent. This method was easy even with my wild, crazy EE You need to do it once and then again 10 days later to get any unhatched mites. Oh and wear long sleeves and gloves!!! If you have breathing issues (eg like I have asthma) wear a dust mask too or you will regret it. The stuff it irritating to human skin.
Been doing this for a while, so I thought I would share my experience, one more time. To determine if a bird has lice/mites, stick it1s head under your arm and look under the tail and around the vent. Do it at night. Just pick a couple of them off the roost and use a good flashlight. If one has lice, they all do. It doesn`t hurt the chicken to hold it upside down by the legs. I`ve been doing it like that for almost 54 years and never enjured one. Learned it from my granny. I use a cheese shaker like the ones in Italian resteraunts. I try to keep it out of their face, but that doesn`t always work. I`ve never used gloves or a mask and never had any ill affects from Sevin, which I have found to be safe, even for use under a broody with chicks. The advice about using a mask if you have respiratory problems is probably valid. Anyway, after shaking the Sevin under the wings, tail, vent, and all around, just fluff it in next to the skin with your hand. Repeat in 10 days as recommended. I have found DE to be a complete waste of money and time. Sevin is proven (by me) and is available everywhere and is cheap. By the way, your chicken won`t get mad at you.......Pop
