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

[RichtmanRanch]

I just found lice on one of my hens earlier today. They have been losing feathers for about 2 weeks. Thought they were molting at first, but no pin feathers to be scene. So I went to my local feed store and bought DE and Ytex Gardstar Garden/Poultry Dust,2 lbs. I cleaned out all the bedding and nest boxes just this past Wed. So 3 days before I first discovered the lice. I just used the DE at this point. I dusted all the hens, the floor, the roosts, and the nest boxes. I also added a pan with playground sand and DE. Should I have deep cleaned it again today too!!! It's winter here in MN so using a diluted solution is not feasible until the spring. My god I hope its gone by then!

I have read all the posts, clearly there are mixed feelings on DE. But most people seem to support the poultry dust. Can anyone speak to how they have used permethrin? The bottle says half of it will treat 100 birds! Dang. I only have seven. Anyways, do I sprinkle it on the birds, plus the whole coop, like I did the the DE? Could it hurt them if I accidentally used too much?

They have a covered run and don't go out much as its dang cold here. But I put lots of straw down in the run to keep it warm for their feet, but they also like to scratch around in it. Do I need to take all that out of there? Can lice survive in the cold temps? It has been below freezing here for weeks and will continue to be. This is my first time with lice. Thanks!

 

[casportpony]

I just found lice on one of my hens earlier today.  They have been losing feathers for about 2 weeks.  Thought they were molting at first, but no pin feathers to be scene.  So I went to my local feed store and bought DE and Ytex Gardstar Garden/Poultry Dust,2 lbs.  I cleaned out all the bedding and nest boxes just this past Wed.  So 3 days before I first discovered the lice.  I just used the DE at this point.  I dusted all the hens, the floor, the roosts, and the nest boxes.  I also added a pan with playground sand and DE.  Should I have deep cleaned it again today too!!!  It's winter here in MN so using a diluted solution is not feasible until the spring.  My god I hope its gone by then!

I have read all the posts, clearly there are mixed feelings on DE.  But most people seem to support the poultry dust.  Can anyone speak to how they have used permethrin?  The bottle says half of it will treat 100 birds!  Dang.  I only have seven.  Anyways, do I sprinkle it on the birds, plus the whole coop, like I did the the DE?  Could it hurt them if I accidentally used too much? 

They have a covered run and don't go out much as its dang cold here.  But I put lots of straw down in the run to keep it warm for their feet, but they also like to scratch around in it.  Do I need to take all that out of there?  Can lice survive in the cold temps?  It has been below freezing here for weeks and will continue to be.  This is my first time with lice.  Thanks!

Don't worry about using too much on them, they'll be fine.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Richtman Ranch, lice are MUCH easier to get rid of than mites. Just dust your birds a couple of times to make sure you get any hatched eggs. They don't really live off of the chicken, so doing a treatment on the whole coop again probably isn't necessary.

 

[RichtmanRanch]

Richtman Ranch, lice are MUCH easier to get rid of than mites. Just dust your birds a couple of times to make sure you get any hatched eggs. They don't really live off of the chicken, so doing a treatment on the whole coop again probably isn't necessary.

Good to know. Do lice damage feathers? All my ladies feathers seem to be breaking and the look tattered. One hen lost a bunch of neck feathers over night! Not sure if she is molting too. However I didnt notice any feathers on the ground under the roost she sleeps at. If she is itchy is she eating her feathers? They are all 9 months old and it is winter! So why would they be molting now? Sorry for all the questions. I have had layers on and off for 4 years and there is still much I dont know. Thanks.

 

[Folly's place]

Lice do damage feathers, and cause anemia by drinking blood from the young 'blood feathers' as they are damaged. UGH! Mary

 

[moms3cuties]

I just found lice on one of my hens earlier today.  They have been losing feathers for about 2 weeks.  Thought they were molting at first, but no pin feathers to be scene.  So I went to my local feed store and bought DE and Ytex Gardstar Garden/Poultry Dust,2 lbs.  I cleaned out all the bedding and nest boxes just this past Wed.  So 3 days before I first discovered the lice.  I just used the DE at this point.  I dusted all the hens, the floor, the roosts, and the nest boxes.  I also added a pan with playground sand and DE.  Should I have deep cleaned it again today too!!!  It's winter here in MN so using a diluted solution is not feasible until the spring.  My god I hope its gone by then!

I have read all the posts, clearly there are mixed feelings on DE.  But most people seem to support the poultry dust.  Can anyone speak to how they have used permethrin?  The bottle says half of it will treat 100 birds!  Dang.  I only have seven.  Anyways, do I sprinkle it on the birds, plus the whole coop, like I did the thte DE?  Could it hurt them if I accidentally used too much? 

They have a covered run and don't go out much as its dang cold here.  But I put lots of straw down in the run to keep it warm for their feet, but they also like to scratch around in it.  Do I need to take all that out of there?  Can lice survive in the cold temps?  It has been below freezing here for weeks and will continue to be.  This is my first time with lice.  Thanks!

I use the product called poultry protector and you can buy in feed stores or sometimes even Walmart's. It's main ingredient is citric acid and it seems to kill them without using a insecticide on my organically fed chickens!!

.. I have used that on even as many as 20 chickens at one time. I would spray their fluffy butts and under the wings and of course anywhere that I saw the lice had been. "Poultry Protector"- white bottle with a yellow label on it. See a link for it on Amazon below if you can't find it in the store.

https://www.amazon.com/Manna-Pro-0502035355-Protector-16-Ounce/dp/B000HHLR3A

 

[laurelbrookhens]

We have ashes from our fireplace. I heard somewhere that you can dust the ground outside the coop and that will allow the birds to take a dust bath and get rid of mites. Is this true?

 

[mobius]

Wood ash is great as long as the wood is untreated, unpainted etc. But instead of sprinkling it, put it in a dust-bathing area or mix it with earth or peat moss in a rubbermaid tub...that is what I do!

 

[Beekissed]

We have ashes from our fireplace. I heard somewhere that you can dust the ground outside the coop and that will allow the birds to take a dust bath and get rid of mites. Is this true?

Not really. I once dusted some old birds that came back to me with a lice and mite problem several times in straight wood ash and it never fully rectified the problem....they kept coming back. I didn't fully rid the birds of the lice and mites for good until I got some pyrethrin dust(the organic version of permethrin and safe to use on all animals, particularly food animals) and gave them a good dusting. All it took was one time of that and I've not had any recurrence of lice or mites in any of my flocks since then. Each year the roosts and nest boxes get a dusting of that dust right before winter.

Just regular dusting in good, clean soils seems to be enough of a preventative for most chickens, without the addition of wood ash. The finer the dust of that soil, the better it works.

 

[mobius]

Aww, Beekissed, I thought that worked for you but I guess I didn't read far enough...dang it...thanks for the correction and additional info!

I still think wood ash might be a partial preventative measure?

Lol, I was so sure this ingredient was an essential part of chicken keeping! Course mine like regular dirt!