Topic of the Week - Lice and Mites - Prevention and Treatments

[bobhoke]

Seeing those photos makes ya wanna go buy all the bottles in the store. Wow, that looks ruff. I just use sand and ashes and the bird take care of themselves. No issues at all. Oh and no straw, as I find that holds a lot of bugs. Keeping their coop clean helps too.

 

[DIYgirl]

Thanks for the information! Where do you buy Permethrin-based spray? Thanks in advance!

 

[lvie]

Seeing those photos makes ya wanna go buy all the bottles in the store. Wow, that looks ruff. I just use sand and ashes and the bird take care of themselves. No issues at all. Oh and no straw, as I find that holds a lot of bugs. Keeping their coop clean helps too.

Yep - thats what I did - until Northern Mites showed up on my flock! Then I used the DE to dust everything - structures, and the birds. I do that at least once every two weeks to make sure they are gone.

 

[Folly's place]

Sooner or later every flock that goes outside and is exposed to wild birds, will get mites or lice. Just be ready to find the problem, and treat appropriately, so you don't have nice hens die, like I did one winter. I still feel guilty; didn't see the problem until the third bird died! Permethrin spray concentrate is available at my local TSC, and it's by far the easiest treatment method! I check many of my birds at least every couple of weeks, and this fall after having mites in the flock, I'm checking every few days. Mary

 

[casportpony]

Sooner or later every flock that goes outside and is exposed to wild birds, will get mites or lice. Just be ready to find the problem, and treat appropriately, so you don't have nice hens die, like I did one winter. I still feel guilty; didn't see the problem until the third bird died! Permethrin spray concentrate is available at my local TSC, and it's by far the easiest treatment method! I check many of my birds at least every couple of weeks, and this fall after having mites in the flock, I'm checking every few days. Mary

Sorry you lost some

, but know you're not alone, I have also lost a few to mites

.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Thanks for the information! Where do you buy Permethrin-based spray? Thanks in advance!

Tractor Supply carries Gordon's

Gordon's instructions for poultry = ~19 ml/gallon



https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/002217-00853-20130129.pdf





And it can be found online sold as






And probably many more. 10% permethrin is what you're looking for.

-Kathy

Edited to add:

https://www.drugs.com/vet/permethrin-10.html



This says 1:99:

 

[MarySue]

I had a parasite infestation this year. I treated this girls with Permethrin dust one time thinking that would do it.
A little while later I realized that I had Scaly Leg Mites, then about a week later I found the nit clusters. Topping everything off we had Coccidiosis and round worms. Its been a tough year. According to directions from my vet, I treated with Ivermectin (I used the paste on bread) two complete rounds. He said that only treats mites. Then I got Permethrin concentrate. I pulled out all the bedding, all the nesting materials, and got a leaf blower and blew out everything. I took a rake and a shovel into the run and raked up every stray feather and piece of wood etc and loaded it up and hauled it out. Then I sprayed nesting boxes, coop walls, floors, roosts. I sprayed the roosts out in the run and the dog house interior they use as a rain cover. Anything wood and I soaked it. I added ash, sand and Diatomaceous earth to the run and worked them into the dust baths. I bathed everyone of them (27) in a Permethrin dip. And this entire process was repeated every 7-10 days. I think I had to do it 3 times. It takes 7-10 days for any nits to hatch and start the process over so you have to retreat at least once in that time. Mine were so infested it took a while and a ton of hard work. Finally I now just periodically add DE to the nests and sprinkle Poultry Dust (Permethrin) to the dust bath area and the dry area in the dog house. They are horrible creatures!!!! I am so very grateful I didn't have the Red Mites on top of everything else.

 

[Catus]

I had only theoretical knowledge that chicken do have various parasites, but I had never seen any until this summer. I bought a beautiful and good natured rooster. A few weeks later I picked him up and noticed some white clumps on his vent area feathers. I looked closer and saw the poultry lice crawling around! So, this is how I unintentionally introduced external parasites to my flock. He had already infested most of the pullets and hens... Quick search in Internet suggested thorough bathing (one with added salt and another with dish-washing liquid) and diatomaceous earth. The latter I don't have and I even don't know if and where I could buy this here, so I tried bathing.
Bathing was not that bad as I had feared and the rooster and ladies didn't mind much, but each of them pooped on my lap while I blow-dried them (luckily I had towel under them). I also cleaned the coop after they were bathed. Pullets that had not yet mated required only one bathing, but rooster needed three times (some days apart) to get rid of lice. After this event all my chicken picked up dust bathing, while before only three older hens used to dust bath.
So, it is important to check all the new flock members for parasites, this is how they spread from one flock to another.

 

[casportpony]

Did you know that there are several types of lice, and that they can have more than one type when infested, so it's important to check their entire body.

Quote: -Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I'm guessing these are the "Cuclotogaster heterographa, the head louse,"







And two videos:


-Kathy