Poultry Lice ?????

[jmjoffrion]

Can anyone give me some insite on poultry lice. I am trying to deduce if my chickens have lice or mites or something else all together. One hen had crusty eyes so we isolated her and put her on teramyacin and drops for her eyes. The crusties went away but she is still keeping her eyes closed. Yesterday I noticed a small bug (itty bitty little whitish thing) crawling across her eyelid. It dawned on me that the bugs might be irriatating her eyes and getting in her nose causing her to sneeze. I purchased a poultry mite concentrate in spray form today and sprayed everything and everyone. Is dusting powder better to use (at least inside the coop)? I have searched the website for pictures of poultry lice to try to compare but haven't been so lucky.

 

[kelar]

It certainly sounds like lice and they can cause a lot of irritation around the ears and eyes. I like using Adams Flea & Tick plus spray for mites, others prefer Sevin. I like the spray because I have silkies and can put it on a piece of gauze and treat around their heads and faces. You will need to retreat in 7 days to kill hatching nits and recheck weekly thereafter. In a bad case, I give them a bath in a puppy/kitten flea shampoo. If your hen is also sneezing, she may have an upper repiratory infection as well - I've found the best meds for upper respiratory problems are Denagard or Tylan.

 

[dawg53]

I would hold off on the meds for a respiratory problem because it could be environmental issue in this instance. Get rid of the lice, that is your priority. The spray you purchased for them should work. I agree with kelar...retreat in 7-10 days to kill nits that have hatched since the first spraying.
I recommend you inspect all your chickens for lice/mites and treat accordingly. You will need to treat the inside of their house as well, and re-treat it again in 7-10 days, including nests, roosts.
I always use sevin dust because it is persistant. Here's a link regarding lice/mites and treatment:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html
During and after treatment for the lice, note any specific changes regarding the sneezing/eye issues...getting worse or improvementwise, come back and post about if it's still an issue. Dont forget to include her age if you have to repost. In the meantime, feed her scrambled egg mixed with buttermilk for a few days. The scrambled egg is extra protein the will help build her strength and the buttermilk is a probiotic which will help build up her immune system.