So I have been treating my family's two flocks for poultry lice for three weeks now. It started as a situation where some of the hens had pale combs, some had lice visibly scurrying around, and most had eggs present around the vent. The next week, eggs were about the same but the combs were healthier and I couldn't find any actual lice, just egg buildup. The last time I treated them (Saturday and Sunday) all their combs were vibrant and healthy and very few of them had eggs, most of which were in smaller buildups. But just yesterday and today I checked a couple and some very small egg/nit clusters were found. I though two or three treatments would be enough, but I guess I was wrong. I'm not worried about their health as the problem is getting better, but I am posting this to see if I could improve my methods. Please judge both my new treatment plans and old method to see what I can do better to beat this issue quicker.
My current plan is to do one coop in the morning and keep the other locked up until I get to do them as well, to prevent one flock from reinfecting the other. Neither will be able to go back into their coop until I clean them out after treating them. Feeders and waterers will be moved outside. I will rub permethrin dust around their vent area and under each wing, as I have been told these are the lice hotspots. Both coops will be cleaned and dusted, with the old bedding burned.
My old plan did the smaller flock in the evening/night. Before they go to roost I would clean out their coop. I then take them out one by one when they are in for the night before letting them all back in (this made it easier to handle them). I believe this has been my most major mistake, as the brief time they spend in the coop could have allowed the fresh bedding to be infected with lice. The the next day I do the larger coop in the morning before letting them out and cleaning their coop. The flocks are separated into different coops, so I doubt the larger flock is able to infect the smaller flock during this period.
I have only dealt with lice once before with a single, smaller flock. Therefore I haven't experienced such a demanding lice issue. I am not sure what I have done right and wrong. I may have done everything right, and the issue is just taking longer than normal. While they have constant access to dust-bathing, they are free-range most of the day and therefore could encounter infected wild birds, making the recovery longer. The main details I think may be errors would be:
Also, I would like that Elector PSP stuff but it is too expensive, and therefore not an option. I am pretty much stuck with permethrin dust.
My current plan is to do one coop in the morning and keep the other locked up until I get to do them as well, to prevent one flock from reinfecting the other. Neither will be able to go back into their coop until I clean them out after treating them. Feeders and waterers will be moved outside. I will rub permethrin dust around their vent area and under each wing, as I have been told these are the lice hotspots. Both coops will be cleaned and dusted, with the old bedding burned.
My old plan did the smaller flock in the evening/night. Before they go to roost I would clean out their coop. I then take them out one by one when they are in for the night before letting them all back in (this made it easier to handle them). I believe this has been my most major mistake, as the brief time they spend in the coop could have allowed the fresh bedding to be infected with lice. The the next day I do the larger coop in the morning before letting them out and cleaning their coop. The flocks are separated into different coops, so I doubt the larger flock is able to infect the smaller flock during this period.
I have only dealt with lice once before with a single, smaller flock. Therefore I haven't experienced such a demanding lice issue. I am not sure what I have done right and wrong. I may have done everything right, and the issue is just taking longer than normal. While they have constant access to dust-bathing, they are free-range most of the day and therefore could encounter infected wild birds, making the recovery longer. The main details I think may be errors would be:
- Allowing a flock to enter their cleaned coop for a few minutes while working on them.
- Not dusting the coop each time I cleaned it (I have heard you need to wait 30 days between dustings).
- Only targeting the vent and under the wings, rather than a full body.
Also, I would like that Elector PSP stuff but it is too expensive, and therefore not an option. I am pretty much stuck with permethrin dust.
