Organic method for treating chicken lice?

[dottysfarm]

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Do you dry the herbs and crush them? Do you put them in whole? or "green"?

 

[nuchickontheblock]

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Actually, human lice do not drown. I have been a school nurse for 30 years, and all the research I have ever read says that they close up their breathing holes when there is water present. I don't know anything about chicken lice, but I need to find out quickly, as I currently have them on my chickens. I am a bit concerned as it is so cold here now. Washing and drying my chickens would be an interesting chore now.

 

[slickchik]

I tried everything organic and natural to try to rid my flock of lice...

For a few months I worked hard...

Meanwhile, the lice population continued to boom...

My girls became more and more irritated by the lice...

Egg production decreased...

Finally, in spite of my desire to be "all natural"...

Two dustings, one week apart, with Poultry Dust plus a little Poultry Dust in the nest boxes = no more lice

Happy hens and more eggs...

Sometimes the natural method just doesn't cut it...

And BTW, washing the chickens was time consuming and stressful for them... It wasn't fun.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

was the poultry dust a permethrin? do you think that TSC might have it? Did you get rid of the eggs? if so, how did you remove them?
any help would help. Thanks

 

[slickchik]

Yes, it is a permethrin and I used a dust mask, gloves, long sleeved shirt and pants. I put the dust in a nylon knee high and used it as a dust puff on the girls, paying special attention to the vent area and between the legs. If there is a next time... I would use goggles too. My eyes were irritated after this.

I did not get rid of the eggs but I did wash them thoroughly when I collected them.

It's very important to do 2 dustings about a week apart... a single dusting or dustings too far apart are not effective.

I don't know what TSC is. I just got my at a local feed shop.

 

[DearYvette]

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Disclaimer: I don't know anything about chicken lice, either...BUT, just today, Terry Golson posted about her hens having bit of a lice outbreak (in the frozen Northeast). Here is how she dealt with it, bypassing the bath: http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/02/the-chickens-have-lice. (She links to previous blog posts and videos describing lice baths, as well.)

Good luck!

 

[slickchik]

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Disclaimer: I don't know anything about chicken lice, either...BUT, just today, Terry Golson posted about her hens having bit of a lice outbreak (in the frozen Northeast). Here is how she dealt with it, bypassing the bath: http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/02/the-chickens-have-lice. (She links to previous blog posts and videos describing lice baths, as well.)

Good luck!

She used Poultry Dust too.

 

[DearYvette]

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Disclaimer: I don't know anything about chicken lice, either...BUT, just today, Terry Golson posted about her hens having bit of a lice outbreak (in the frozen Northeast). Here is how she dealt with it, bypassing the bath: http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/02/the-chickens-have-lice. (She links to previous blog posts and videos describing lice baths, as well.)

Good luck!

She used Poultry Dust too.

Yah! I was busy reading and kept my reply window open too long while the convo here continued around me!

WRT wanting to stick to chemical-free and organic treatments...this would be my choice, too, but sometimes life requires a balance. If there's no reasonable alternative to chemicals, I think the health of the animal is always consideration #1. I realize that not everyone agrees with me. And that's OK.

Edit: That last sentence is very poorly worded! I'm QUITE sure that everybody here is dedicated to the health of their animals. Obviously so. What I meant to express is that it's important to me to fix potential health problems (especially with birds and reptiles) as quickly and effectively as possible. Baths work for lice, but if they're not possible or practical, I would go to the next option, as soon as possible.

 

[Davaroo]

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Yeah there are reasons why they came up with something else.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

Just rechecked the weather forecast and of course if is .. . . snow predicted . . . . again, and not so balmy in the 30's as they predicted. Currently it's a lovely 13 degrees. I will get the poultry dust and dust away. I wondered about the lice eggs. Do you try to remove them??