somebody help me now before I kill ALL of my chickens

[whatsup chickenbutt]

OK, went out to the coop today and noticed one of my hens wasnt acting so healthy. I fed them, she didnt care, was sort of slumped over. I put her in a bird cage and brought her inside. did some research and decided that i would put her in a warm bath and try to clean her vent area, because it was caked with something a little. put her back in her cage and went to my office. While sitting here, I kept feeling something moving in my hair. tried to brush it away, feeling came back. kept doing it until finally I was able to knock a very very small gross looking bug out of my hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT IS IT!!!!????????
I looked on line and it looks like poultry lice. There arent anymore on me, or at least i cant feel or see any more. What if they are hiding. what do i do? Im so creeped out right now i cant even sit in my own skin. did it get on my shirt and then into my long hair? am I growing them? OMG, Im losing my mind right now.
Please somebody tell me this has happened to them before.

 

[Chicken Woman]

Do you use DE in coop for bugs ? It's a good idea. I even mix with my feed to prevent worms.
I know the thought of bugs on you is really creepy ! You might want to use some lice shampoo to make sure you don't have them on your head.

Dust your chickens with DE and the coop.

 

[kinnip]

If it is lice, the one on you was a fluke. Humans can't host poultry lice.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Quote:
I second that advise. Do it quickly as well because they can make your birds anemic in a hurry.

 

[Mrs MIA]

If you use DE, use the food grade DE. I use Ivermectin on my birds to prevent lice... just a drop or two just above the tail on the skin... keeps them away, and the girls are happy. But Kinnip is right... I've never seen them "hop" off the chickens... might be something else?

 

[irinuca]

No reason to kill them, it's let's say... normal, for chickens, no matter how clean you keep your coup to get mites. They can transfer from wild birds for example, something you cannot control.
Go to a feed store and ask for some powder for lices and mites specially for poultry. You have to sprinkle it on the chickens. You can hold them by their legs so they will spread their wings, make sure you get the powder underneath the feathers. Don't use too much as the chicken will peck herself and you don't want her ingesting a lot of insecticide.
And don't worry, chicken lices don't grow on humans.

 

[wegotchickens]

Been no where near a bird all day, but after reading this thread I can't stop scratching my head

You have my deepest sympathies by the way!
DH puts DE in the nesting material so I never have to worry about this type of thing.

 

[BethinIrving]

Just wash your hair with a liquid soap -- like Joy or something similiar.

It'll be ok.

I live in a heavily wooded area. With or without my hens and geese, I get critters and stuff in my hair that just drops from the trees including wild bird poop.

These things happen. Our planet has bugs everywhere. And they will get on us.

My hens love to eat bugs. It's their favorite food.

 

[whatsup chickenbutt]

thank you all,
just got out of the shower, no sign of anything else. its just all too gross for me at once, sick chicken, poopy butt, then a bug in MY hair. Ive never put my chickens inside, no reason to, just thought id bring this one in this morning because it was really cold and she wasnt moving. she is on the floor of my kitchen. I dont want to touch her, or go near her. Im going to put the cage back out in the coop. Leave the door open so she can get out if she wants and the others will leave her alone.
Also, just to clarify, this bug was not a mosquito, earwig, potato bug, fly, fruit fly, or any other bug that could have just gotten in my hair. it was gross. something else. something very small and creepy. I can only imagine, if it did hitch a ride on me when I was carrying the sick chicken, that she must be covered in them, if this one got on me so easily.
Can I spread the DE all over the coop, or do i have to coat each chicken individually? Oh my gosh. Im going to have nightmares for a month.

 

[cjeanean]

The bug may have ended up in your hair, but it will not breed and grow like human lice. You probably had one on your hand and touched your hair. It's not like you're gonna have an army up there now....Just to ease your mind about that one!!! DE is a great preventative along with dust baths and everything, but once you have confirmed lice you need something strong enough to kill them quick. Lice can seriously affect your chickens' health, not to mention their skin/feathers. You have to clean the coop out and treat it, too....may take several treatments, so stay on top of it!!! There have already been some suggestions on what to use, and there's a lot of info in the forum archives you could search for. I've never dealt with lice, and my advice is from reading so many threads about it. Good luck!