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

[Folly's place]

Frontline is good stuf, but not in their coops or on them. It's not approved for any livestock species.
Mary

 

[Thunder344]

I currently have lice on my chickens. I bought some poultry spray to treat them, going to see how well that works. From everything I've heard, permethrin is bad for chickens and that there are better substances out there to use. Is this true?

 

[Folly's place]

Wrong! Permethrin is effective and fine for chickens, approved for them with no egg withdrawal.
Mary

 

[casportpony]

I currently have lice on my chickens. I bought some poultry spray to treat them, going to see how well that works. From everything I've heard, permethrin is bad for chickens and that there are better substances out there to use. Is this true?

Curiously, where did you hear that?

Same yourself some time and money, return the spray, and purchase a permethrin spray or dust.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/gordons-permethrin-10-livestock-and-premise-spray-8-oz

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-chemically-resistent-pro-sprayer-32-oz-cr-32

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/y-tex-gardstar-garden-poultry-dust?cm_vc=-10005

 

[Painted Calls]

Curiously, where did you hear that?

X 2

 

[ChickandDuckMomma]

I was using Ivermectin for both mites, lice, and intestinal parasites. Now that I've found permethrin spray, it's by far the best for lice and mites! So easy to use, and effective, and cheaper than the permethrin powder. I sometimes add some wood ashes to their favorite dusting spots, but generally just look at the birds and treat if necessary. Go out at night with a flashlight and look at vents while the birds are roosting. Any mites of lice on even one bird, and the spray comes out. Mary

Ya know, I would love to try the ivermectin for parasites. These assholes are buying up all the medicine for this covid stuff! It is crazy! TSC cannot even special order it because the manufacturer is out of supplies. Meanwhile, everyone with animals that need it are gonna get sick and die. So sad.

 

[Painted Calls]

Ya know, I would love to try the ivermectin for parasites. These assholes are buying up all the medicine for this covid stuff! It is crazy! TSC cannot even special order it because the manufacturer is out of supplies. Meanwhile, everyone with animals that need it are gonna get sick and die. So sad.

I just bought some at my local TSC a few weeks ago. Maybe try a different one?

 

[Sappsa]

I’ve never had a problem and I’ve had chickens for 8 years. I feed garlic once in awhile to keep bugs away and put diatomaceaous earth in the nesting boxes and coop.

 

[-Flash-]

Can you drown lice?

 

[-Flash-]

And would this work?
This are the instructions from the link: https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2017/10/controlling-poultry-mites-with-herbs-in.html

• Mix 2 cups of salt into 2 gallons of warm water.
• Soak the hen for 10 minutes, then soak her for five minutes in a tub of 2 gallons of warm water with 1/2 cup of Dawn dishwashing liquid and 1/2 cup of white vinegar mixed in.
• The lice should drown and float to the top.
• Rinse her well and dry her thoroughly.

(Or rooster)