bantamgirl91
In the Brooder
- Jan 17, 2020
- 8
- 28
- 13
It's been on and off cold and rainy where I am and because of some chronic pain issues I can't spend much time outside in the winter. I have been totally cleaning out my bantam coop as often as I can. It's a prefab coop with some reinforcements and not very big. There are four d'Anvers in it. I keep wood shavings in the coop and mulch in the run. Food and water are kept in the run. I bought this coop used two years ago.
My girls were healthy before winter and now they are covered in lice. I brought them home late fall and I'm wondering if the lice came home from 1-2 of the birds. The birds are acting ok but I want to treat them asap. I have bought a 1/2 gallon sprayer and permethrin 10 based off of another post on this forum I found on google. My plan is to bathe all four birds in Dawn to complete rid them of lice, completely pull out everything in the coop, and spray the birds/drench the coop in permethrin. I have a few questions I am really hoping to get help with.
1.) Will treating my birds and spraying down the coop be enough? Do I need to buy a new coop? I will if need be. I am already planning an upgrade but finding a reliable person to construct one is proving difficult.
2.) d'Anvers are a bearded breed. My poor girls have nits crusting their beard feathers. Do I pull out these feathers? Their little faces would be naked. I was told to try white vinegar to break them apart. Are there other options? Is pulling these feather best?
3.) Is there a better bedding I should be using?
Thank you...no need to scold me for not doing more thorough checks as I can't feel worse than I already do
My girls were healthy before winter and now they are covered in lice. I brought them home late fall and I'm wondering if the lice came home from 1-2 of the birds. The birds are acting ok but I want to treat them asap. I have bought a 1/2 gallon sprayer and permethrin 10 based off of another post on this forum I found on google. My plan is to bathe all four birds in Dawn to complete rid them of lice, completely pull out everything in the coop, and spray the birds/drench the coop in permethrin. I have a few questions I am really hoping to get help with.
1.) Will treating my birds and spraying down the coop be enough? Do I need to buy a new coop? I will if need be. I am already planning an upgrade but finding a reliable person to construct one is proving difficult.
2.) d'Anvers are a bearded breed. My poor girls have nits crusting their beard feathers. Do I pull out these feathers? Their little faces would be naked. I was told to try white vinegar to break them apart. Are there other options? Is pulling these feather best?
3.) Is there a better bedding I should be using?
Thank you...no need to scold me for not doing more thorough checks as I can't feel worse than I already do
Everyone has given you good advice. Wild birds, rats, mice etc., can introduce the pest. If you want to bathe your birds, every over-the-counter (OTC) treatment for head lice contains either pyrethrins (Rid or Triple X) or permethrin (Nix). They are effective treatment. Both only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. I would still treat the coop. Repeat treatments weekly for at least 3 weeks is necessary. I also put the permethrin dust in the nest boxes. The bonus is there is no egg withdrawal period.
