Stubborn chicken lice eggs? (Advice on removing?)

MetroMutt

Songster
Mar 9, 2021
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NJ
For the past half a year my sweet crossbeak girl was struggling with chicken lice, we tried many things to treat her and nothing worked until some prescribed imvermectin spray a month or 2 ago! We've had no more signs of live lice on her but there are some very stubborn lice egg clumps in her feathers we can't get out, we bathe her every couple weeks because she can't properly clean herself because her disability and we have noticed the eggs the past few times and when her lice were still alive I would sit and kill as many as I could when drying her off.

Today they are all dead but she still has those egg clumps, which I'm sure cannot be very comfortable for her. We've tried everything from washing the feathers individually with dawn soap and a toothbrush to trimming the clumps down a bit to thin them out and they are still persistent. Is there anything that helps get them out better that would be safe to use for her?


Sorry if the formatting isn't great it's fairly late at night for me at the moment
 
Why do you think the egg clumps are uncomfortable? Can you post a photo?
As far as I know, the egg clumps will remain until she molts.
I finished treating my chickens for lice a week or so ago. I did permethrin treatments a week apart for 3 weeks, so they are all dead, but a few of my girls still have the egg clumps glued to their feathers. Outside of trimming the feathers down to the bare skin, I don't see a good way to remove the clumps without causing further discomfort to the chicken.
 
Why do you think the egg clumps are uncomfortable? Can you post a photo?
As far as I know, the egg clumps will remain until she molts.
I finished treating my chickens for lice a week or so ago. I did permethrin treatments a week apart for 3 weeks, so they are all dead, but a few of my girls still have the egg clumps glued to their feathers. Outside of trimming the feathers down to the bare skin, I don't see a good way to remove the clumps without causing further discomfort to the chicken.
I don't have any good pictures unfortunately but they are under her wings or on her shoulder in a spot that's really awkward when she moves, she often times grooms those areas but because of her beak isn't able to get them out really

Pretty much all of the eggs are close to the skin also which is my biggest concern with it, I was able to trim out some of the large clumps but there are alot in there still

My biggest concern is her comfort and if there's not anything that can get them out thats ok and hopefully she will be ok until she molts <3

Ty!
 
Well, no, it wouldn't kill the live lice, but I was asking specifically about egg cluster removal after all the live lice are dead with effective treatments.

From that article but buried:

"This proves that coconut oil does indeed get rid of the head lice in your hair, but it still does not prove that it is completely effective as the nits or lice eggs will still be securely buried in your scalp while the adult lice are being gotten rid of, for total relief and to end a head lice infestation you would need to get rid of the eggs as well."
 
From that article but buried:

"This proves that coconut oil does indeed get rid of the head lice in your hair, but it still does not prove that it is completely effective as the nits or lice eggs will still be securely buried in your scalp while the adult lice are being gotten rid of, for total relief and to end a head lice infestation you would need to get rid of the eggs as well."
It was hard to read with all the ads.
But not sure that chicken lice are the same as far as "nits or lice eggs will still be securely buried in your scalp".
 
Poultry lice eggs dissolve shortly after using coconut oil. Picking/cleaning up the bird afterwards is a pain in the neck. Generally the eggs are located around the vent area and a butt wash with dish detergent removes the oil...patience.

The goal is to prevent the eggs from hatching.

BTW: Poultry lice do not bite and suck blood. However, if there is a cut on the skin with blood for example, they will feed on the blood, lucky for them. Poultry lice get their moisture from around the eyes and vent area on a chicken.
Human and other animal lice bite and suck blood.

Coops have to be cleaned out, bedding disposed of. Quick use with a sprayer mixed with bleachwater kills lice and mites in cracks and crevices and anywhere else. I soak the inside of the coop including nest boxes. Once it dries, it gets dusted.

I put a pile of Permethrin dust at the entrance to the coop and make sure all vents are closed. Then hit the pile of dust with the leaf blower full blast.
Then wait a few hours after the dust settles, then open vents and replace bedding etc...
 

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