SO MANY LICE!!! ARGH!!!

[-Kiwi-]

And so goes my constant war with poultry lice, and scaly leg mites. I don't know where they keep coming from! Every time, I think I've seen the last of them, but THEY COME BACK. I've tried louse spray, diatomaceous earth all over the chickens and the coops until theres no more, but its not working! I'm afraid my peafowl and ducks have them now, too. I need help figuring out what to do!

 

[Hei 20]

And so goes my constant war with poultry lice, and scaly leg mites. I don't know where they keep coming from! Every time, I think I've seen the last of them, but THEY COME BACK. I've tried louse spray, diatomaceous earth all over the chickens and the coops until theres no more, but its not working! I'm afraid my peafowl and ducks have them now, too. I need help figuring out what to do!
[/QUOTE
Are you using some type of bedding somewhere. Sometimes they may come with some critters from the store.

 

[-Kiwi-]

I use hay when needed, but I didn't buy it.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

I use hay when needed, but I didn't buy it.

What climate do you live in?

 

[aart]

Permethrin?

Maybe you can't get that where you live?
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[MurrayAP]

Get some peat moss and diatomaceous earth and mix it together in a dust bath. Diatomaceous earth is a harmless insecticide that can be bought at most feed stores.

If you don't have a dust bath for your chickens one can be made easily with a piece of plywood, an old tire and some screws. Cut the top off the tire, screw it to the plywood and fill it with your mixture.

Scaly mites can be treated by applying Vaseline to their feet to smother the mites.

 

[aart]

Diatomaceous earth is a harmless insecticide that can be bought at most feed stores.

They already tried it.....DE does not kill lice or mites.

 

[RainbowHen]

Agreed. DE is worthless for infestations and, in my experience, it causes respiratory issues. You are going to need permethrin concentrate diluted appropriately according to the label. Treat the birds and the coop. You will need to thoroughly clean your coop and burn the bedding (or pack it in bags and throw it away. Don't compost it). Spray the permethrin in every nook and cranny and thoroughly soak the coop. Wait at least 2 hours for it to dry before allowing the birds back in. Repeat once a week for several weeks. You can use a permethrin dust on your birds if it is cold but I have found the dust to be less effective than the spray. Best of luck!

 

[CJS Flock]

I’m having this issue now. Got rid of an infestation back in August. Now I found lice all over my polish pullet. Last time I washed everyone, dusted them and the house with sevin and then DE for maintenance. I remove all bedding once a week and dust with DE. Since they‘re back and may now be resistant to the Sevin, I’m considering either Frontline or Permethrin to get rid of them this time. Which would you all recommend? I’ve read in the Chicken Health Handbook that lice infestations are greater in the fall and winter.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

I had good luck with permethrin dust for lice. It’s very easy to use and doesn’t chill my birds in the cold weather.

I tried an alcohol dip & Vaseline for scaly leg mites but I’m not sure it worked. Since my older hens are molting and not laying eggs anyway, I used pour-on Ivermectin to kill the scaly leg mites.