Poultry Lice

[jpepmiller]

So I had a chick die the other day so I've been trying to figure out what happened. On farther inspection of my other chicks, I found lice all over them. What can I do? I feel like I need to do it fast. I've got 2 dozen eggs hatching this weekend and don't want my new chicks to get them. Any emergency ideas?

 

[azygous]

Poultry lice are relatively harmless, feeding not on the chicks but on the dry skin and feather dander. Mites, on the other hand, are blood suckers, but do not live on the chicken, so lice is probably what you're seeing, but I doubt lice are what killed your chick.

Permethrin dusting powder is inexpensive and effective and non-toxic.

Was this dead chick behaving any differently from the others? How old are these chicks? Are they still using a heat source? What is it ans how hot is it under the source and in the rest of the brooding space? Where did you get the chicks? Feed store, private breeder, swap meet, etc?

 

[jpepmiller]

Poultry lice are relatively harmless, feeding not on the chicks but on the dry skin and feather dander. Mites, on the other hand, are blood suckers, but do not live on the chicken, so lice is probably what you're seeing, but I doubt lice are what killed your chick.

Permethrin dusting powder is inexpensive and effective and non-toxic.

Was this dead chick behaving any differently from the others? How old are these chicks? Are they still using a heat source? What is it ans how hot is it under the source and in the rest of the brooding space? Where did you get the chicks? Feed store, private breeder, swap meet, etc?

Thanks! I got her from a private breeder but she was 3 weeks old and acted fairly ordinary. They aren't drinking a whole lot. My best bet was dehydration but when I saw the lice, I thought that might be it. I took the heat lamp away a while back and have a heating pad that seems to work well. I also keep a light on them. I just changed them from a small brooder to bigger water trough brooder. I hate it because she was my favorite but it is what it is.