Severe Lice Infestation To cull or Not

[mrszlopez]

I have a rooster who is for the most part seperated from the rest of the flock. We rescued him from a lady who kept him in a bathroom for the first year of his life because he was born blind. He has seizures on a daily basis, but goes on living as a normal chicken would. When we got him, he was badly infested with lice & mites. We treated him routinely and they seemed to go away. Today I went out to do the annual coop cleaning & whatnot & noticed the lice were back. He is housed with a silkie hen and a white rock hen, who both show no signs of lice at all.

The lice egg sack things are all the way up his stomach and everywhere i look. Im honestly considering culling because i really am not sure ill be able to treat it and rid him of it completely.

I would really like some advice on what i should do. Culling will be my very last option because he is my "special" babyboy & i really dont want to even think about it.

Please be courteous and offer HELPFUL advice.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

The above link should be helpful.

I have no experience with lice, but I do with mites. There is no reason to expect that you cannot get rid of them successfully. Chin up!!!

From my experience with mites, I can say that RETREATMENT to get the hatching eggs is your key to success.

From what I have read, you might have to cut feathers to remove the nits, even after all the lice are dead, however. I hope others will chime in.

Here is a thread on this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=157035

Many many folks here on BYC have successfully treated lice. You can too!!!

Also- I would definitely treat the chickens who have had contact with him.

 

[mrszlopez]

thank you so much for your advice. Im hysterical over it. the eggs go all the way up his belly and i dont think ill even be able to cut them off without cutting his skin.

After sitting down and thinking about his situation im not even sure if the lice would be the only thing to make me consider culling. He's got so many issues and i dont even know if its fair for him to live like this anymore..

 

[Country4ever]

Is he in a pretty small area? Sometimes if they don't have enough space, its a good setup for mites/lice.
Also, dust the bedding with either diatomaceous earth or wood ashes. I've found this helpful in the nesting box and in crates that I might have a sick chicken in.
I've noticed that my sick chickens tend to get mites/lice more easily than the healthy ones. maybe that's why its happening to just your rooster. Poor guy.
When a couple of my sickly ones got mites/lice, I started with something from petsmart.......called Adams Flea and Tick mist and it worked really well. Be sure to follow the directions and wear gloves and a mask yourself. After the mites/lice are well under control, then use the wood ash or diatomaceous earth on him.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3090115
Here is a thread about nits close to the skin.

 

[mrszlopez]

thank you. will see if there are any that i can cut and any that i can pull. He might be bald when im done

 

[mrszlopez]

Quote:
he is in a fairly small area because he has some trouble navigating at times. as for the wood ashes, do i just burn a bunch of wood and take the ashes left over and put them in there ?

do you think i could use a dog or cat flea shampoo instead ?

 

[welasharon]

With mine I dusted with seven and treated the areas they were in and then in 10 days I used ivomec pour on. Also you can liquify unrefined coconut oil and paint it on the eggs and they dissolve without having to pull them out. I have a friend who battled them constantly but once I gave her some ivomec to use she has not had any more problem. She had silkies. good luck with what you decide. It is difficult.
sharon

 

[vtchickenlvr]

I am having a similarly bad mite problem. I cannot go into the coop w/out coming out w/ mites crawling on me. My hens are out all day and they don't seem to be having any ill effects. I would rather not use sevin in the coop or on the birds. I am wondering about ivermectin, tho. How much and is it applied dermally? Just squirted into the feathers? Also, we did get some d. earth and it is good to know that sprinkling in the nest box will help! Any other d. earth advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Since you are concerned about lice with ONE BIRD, a bath with a dog or cat flea/tick shampoo is exactly what you need. Make sure to use one with an insect growth regulator, which will prevent eggs that hatch after the bath from maturing. Some IGRs actually kill the eggs. Sergeant's Gold is a brand I like, but have difficulty finding lately. Adams is also a good brand, but more expensive. I am not particularly fond of Hartz--it seems more diluted, at least as a shampoo.

Ivermectin is not squirted onto the feathers, it must be absorbed into the skin, given orally or via injection.

DE is fairly useless for mites/lice, ESPECIALLY if there is an infestation. DE is very effetive at drying, so if you have mud or soggy bedding, it will help with that. DE MAY help prevent an infestation, but once there one is present, you NEED chemical pesticides to solve the problem. If you do not want to use sevin, use permethrin or pyrethrums. Either dust or a cat/dog flea/tick spray can be used. I know a number of folks who prefer the spray--much easier to use.