Oh My.....lice, mites...with pics! updated

[KY Mae Hen]

GoldStar Garden and Poultry Dust with Permethrin. mfd by Y-Tex sold at TSC.

 

[KY Mae Hen]

I just converted a doghouse into a dust bath house. Found an huge basin, popped a holes in the very bottom and placed it inside to keep it dry and protected from the rain and snow. Filled it with dirt and wood ash. Chickies love it! Summer they will make their own dust baths but for this winter it is working wonderfully. Now building a"waiting" just outside the entrance to the dog house so the chickies can dry their feet and feathers before entering.

 

[egghead@1265]

AWESOME! Very creative, and Sweet they love it!

 

[saladin]

Sevin is very inexpensive and works well.

Who cares what they found in CA? We've been using it for years and Sevin is one of the least toxic insectides on the market.

You need to rotate your dusting/sprays in the future or the mites/lice will build up a tolerance.

Pyrethrim sprays are very effective as is Malathion spray/dust.

It also helps to paint the roosting poles and nesting boxes with Burnt Motor Oil/mix in 1-2 oz of 55% Malathion. This will be good for 6 months to 1 year. Burnt Motor Oil is one of the best ways to keep chicken building free of pest.

 

[terryg]

Okay everyone, calm down

Yes, that's lice. All poultry harbor them, but there are times when the outbreak looks that yucky and can impact on your bird's health. First of all, lice are not blood-suckers. They eat the shedding bits of feathers and dead skin on your chickens. But, they can be annoying, reduce their comfort level (obviously!) and cause stress which will impact on egg laying and behavior. In the best scenario, chickens keep lice at bay by dust bathing. In the winter, when the ground is frozen, or during times when the ground is muddy, are when you get lousy birds. Also, lice can be a symptom that your hen has an underlying health problem and doesn't have the ability or energy to dust bathe. The quickest solution is to dust on pyrethrum powder (found as "lice dust" at all farm stores.) You can also bathe your hen if you think she needs immediate relief and the skin is irritated. Next, make sure she has a dust bath. I have lots of info about all of these things (you can see the kitty litter box that I have filled with sand and DE on my live chicken cam at www.HenCam.com) and you can read blogposts about this at www.hencam.com/henblog. Just search my archives. I also have a how to bathe a chicken video on youtube.

Anyway, lice are always lurking and it is simply a matter of observation and management to keep them in check.

 

[SassyKat6181]

Thanks everyone! I bought Livestock Dust at TSC and am very happy with the results. I dusted all 29 birds 10 days ago and again tonight. I have not seen a single bug on any of the girls and "Hen" the one from the pictures didn't have a bug or egg on her tonight. She still doesn't seem right though. She is listless, her comb is pale and wattles almost white. She is going through a terrible molt (15 mos old) and recovering from bumblefoot surgery.....a total mess. I am thinking of putting electolytes in their water for a few days. Is there something that I can dose just her with to give her a boost?

 

[BamaSilkies]

I had a chicken that got sick and was the only one that had lice on it. It and several others died before I figured out what was going on. It was weak, fluffed and I found out that they had worms really bad so all the other symptoms were from becoming weak from the worms. Do you have them on a deworming schedule? If you dont you might consider it. I had given them a wazine(one dose) and 2 wks of tetracycline and still they kept dying until I give them a big dose of DE and found the culprits in the poo.(roundworms) I feed DE as a preventive daily and worm 2 times a yr @ one dose and them 10 days another. The pale wattles and comb could mean that they have become anemic from infestation. Im not saying thats it but could be possibility.

 

[SassyKat6181]

I was wondering about worms. The older hens are 15 months old now and I have not wormed them. I really don't want to use the wazine, as I cannot throw away eggs for 3 weeks, and my customers will be unhappy. I read on here about Verm-x.....I think I will order some today.

 

[bigb-71]

Give her some fresh ripe bannana seems to help mine every time you can also give her garlic chop up . good luck !
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[ruby1512]

wow no advice but thanx for the piccys. i know what to look fot now. hope your birds are ok