Spraying for lice in -30 and below

[Crookadoodle]

Hi all!

Looking for advice on continuing treatment for lice. Just over a week ago I did a thorough spray of permethrin spray which the bottle said was 1% permetherin so i did a 1:1 with water.
I need to go ahead a do a follow up spray however the last 3 days and the next week or so we have a horribly bitter arctic system blowing through with temps of -30C to -40C and with windchills some feel into the -50C. This is awful! Should I still spray them? I feel that would be cruel to have cold liquid freeze to their skin...but the lice are still very much present (i can spot little white bugs crawlings on the skin of some hens)...I dont know what to do. I have no dust alternative as I live in canada and have checked all farm supply and garden stores. This permethrin spray is meant for cows but was all I could get my hands on.

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

 

[nuthatched]

Can you get permethrine powder?

 

[Crookadoodle]

Can you get permethrine powder?

Not that I can find. It was available a few years ago and then was pulled from shelves with no alternative product to replace. There is no real poultry product available with permethrin in the farm stores here.

 

[nuthatched]

Not that I can find. It was available a few years ago and then was pulled from shelves with no alternative product to replace. There is no real poultry product available with permethrin in the farm stores here.

I'm sorry, I didn't see that part. I wonder why that happened in Canada. I'm not sure I'd spray them with liquid either, it probably not freeze to their skin but doesn't sound pleasant. Can you order it or is it banned?

 

[cmom]

Not that I can find. It was available a few years ago and then was pulled from shelves with no alternative product to replace. There is no real poultry product available with permethrin in the farm stores here.

Often times some garden dusts contain Permethrin.

 

[Crookadoodle]

Often times some garden dusts contain Permethrin.

I haven't been able to find any thing like that locally. Just the liquid meant for cows.

 

[Al Gerhart]

How about plain of sevin dust? Is it available locally?

 

[LaFleche]

I need to go ahead a do a follow up spray however the last 3 days and the next week or so we have a horribly bitter arctic system blowing through with temps of -30C to -40C and with windchills some feel into the -50C. This is awful! Should I still spray them?

Definitely a NO! from me.

Only spray when temperatures are higher than +5°Celsius. For parasite treatment in lower temperatures, use only poultry dust, just like the others already suggested.

The little white bugs you describe seem to be lice, and in case you cannot get anything suitable, just use baby powder or even DE, which will have them dry out in a few days.

 

[Crookadoodle]

How about plain of sevin dust? Is it available locally?

Unfortunately no, from what I can see with some online research, much of these pesticides were banned for commercial sale. Which is why I cant find them in stores. The liquid I got was the only permethrin product available and I still had to provide contact info and address just to purchase.

 

[Crookadoodle]

Definitely a NO! from me.

Only spray when temperatures are higher than +5°Celsius. For parasite treatment in lower temperatures, use only poultry dust, just like the others already suggested.

The little white bugs you describe seem to be lice, and in case you cannot get anything suitable, just use baby powder or even DE, which will have them dry out in a few days.

I can get DE, thats about the only dust type product i can get. I havent done so as I read really mixed reviews and often much that said it doesnt do anything at all to help and can cause respiratory irritation. But I cant just leave them with pests either....goodness knows it wont be above 0C for months! Right now we are still sitting around -30C with the windchill. I have one rooster inside being treated for frostbite injury unfortunately, he is my only large single comb and us definitely demonstarting why they are not cold hardy!