Treating poultry lice naturally

[ZJchicks]

My goal is not to harm other animals on my farm when treating the birds.

 

[ZJchicks]

Also, please notice the spelling here:
Permethrin is the the chemical in the product you linked. It is not the same is "Pyrethrin"

 

[Beer can]

I use the deep litter method and wood ashes. My chickens do not have bugs so it must work. They say not to use de with deep litter. Deep litter is also healthier for the chickens when employed properly.
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/deep-litter-method.html

 

[ZJchicks]

I use the deep litter method and wood ashes. My chickens do not have bugs so it must work. They say not to use de with deep litter. Deep litter is also healthier for the chickens when employed properly.
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/deep-litter-method.html

I plan to employ this method as soon as the lice are gone. We recently added some birds and we are about to put them all in a new coop. After this issue is corrected.

 

[ZJchicks]

Ok I see what you're getting at. Permethrin is derived from pyrethroids. I don't know if it's considered chemically identical. I do know both are listed as being toxic to cats.
A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium and C. coccineum).

So back to the wood ash? Anyone?

 

[TheCarrollBunch]

Thank you for this post- Our chickens (3) have lice. We gave them all a DAWN dishwash soap bath on Monday as suggested by another person on this site. We will do again today and again on Saturday. We clipped off the feathers around vent that were egg infested and rubbed vaseline on the feathers and bare spots to smother any eggs left. We are cleaning coop daily (especially roosting area). Hoping to buy the Neem oil today as well.

 

[TheCarrollBunch]

Second bath today with DAWN. No live lice noted. Vasoline seems to have smothered the eggs. Most have fallen off.

 

[inkydew]

I'm searching for ways to eliminate lice on my chickens, which I found on them today.
I DO know DE works in their nesting boxes and coop floor to prevent the "ant parade" from entering. I powdered a chicken today with DE.

I did read that someone bathed his chickens in salt water and then, DAWN dishwashing liquid and finally, rinsed of in a water bath. Over 1 month, after cleaning coop and bathing chicken one more time, he saw NO MORE Lice. Will probably opt for the latter in a few days if DE didn't do it.

 

[shortgrass]

 Hi junebuggena, ZJchicks and Teila,

The DE truly only works well as a deterrent, but it can be used generously and without limitation. However to rid an infestation pyrethrum/pyrethrin and neem oil is a very safe alternative, along with the wood ash mentioned by Teila. Most of these products can be purchased at your feed and seed vendor or TSC, and here is an Amazon link;

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=poultry+powder&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=62250056724&hvpos=1s1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5763322942080438166&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_8qlp7b88js_b  

And here is a Walmart link for the neem oil; 

http://www.walmart.com/tp/neem-oil

X2

There ya go, my secret lol... Neem oil

DE will help prevent, Neem oil will kill and prevent any more. All natural, awesome stuff.. You can spray down the roosts with it too, its systemic, so it causes the insect ingesting it to have a "malfunction" of sorts; they csntveat, can't reproduce, literally starve to death.

There are a few different forms you can get it in. Neem OIL, which is the best, IMO... It still has the active ingredient, azadirachtin, in it; THATS the bug killer. Clarified hydrophobic extract has had the azadirachtin removed, so its only useful for antibacterial and mite deterrent. Neem CAKE can be fed to them or used as a soil amendment. No harm to it at all, just leftover pkant material from processing.. Last but not least, straight Azadirachtin. The kind we use us called Azamax..it is PRICEY. That is used on crops, not chickens.

This is what I NEVER run out of...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0012...s=neem+oil&dpPl=1&dpID=51YdGuMKAKL&ref=plSrcI


Edit* 1 tbsp per gallon of water and it needs a sticker/spreader...a couple drops of Dawn dishsoap does the trick

 

[TheCarrollBunch]

All three of our chickens had lice. We first pulled off all nits that we could. We then bathed in dawn dish soap and gave them a "blow dry". We finalized by smothering nit area with Vaseline. Did the same routine two more times over a week and all gone!