yet another question about bugs . . .

[fargosmom]

Should I just assume our girls have lice? They're nearly 5 months old now, and they've been outside for at least the last couple of months. I don't see any real signs of infestation - I think - they're not scratching or shaking their heads, that I can tell, and their feathers are incredibly shiny. But I was looking at one's vent and noticed one white clumpy thing (smaller than a grain of rice) stuck in her fluff. Could this have been eggs? It seems from reading various threads here that lice and mites are pretty much a given with chickens . . . am I right? And if so, who votes for DE, Sevin or Permethrin - and why?

I'm really paranoid about using chemicals, but I also hate bugs!!

 

[Attack Chicken]

Sounds like you got lice. Just the other day I went over to my friends to dust their birds for them. The cornish had a very BAD infestation of lice. I mean clumps everywhere on her feathers. No feather was clean. Since it was such a bad infestation I used Sevin dust. A couple days after she was alot more perky. I have to do again on Monday or tomorrow. Since your case isn't that bad DE should be ok.

 

[fargosmom]

I know this topic has been beaten to death

but -
what's the best way to use it? Dust the house, the run, the birds . . . all of it? And should I change out the shavings in the house? Any specific instructions would be most appreciated, since this is my first time tackling this project. Looks like my next day off is fully booked!

Oh . . . and thanks a bunch for the advice!!

 

[Lollipop]

To determine if your fowl have lice/mites, pick a couple off the roost at night and examine under their tail and around their vent with a flshlight. If you see any minute bugs scurrying for cover, you`ve got them. If one has them, they all do. Clean out the coop and dust everything with sevin including the chickens. DE is good for maintainance, but lacks the strength to stop an infestation. In severe cases, it may be necessary to dip all of the birds in a bucket of Adams flea and tick dip, mixed as directed. Good luck.........Pop

 

[Judy]

Good advice from lollipop. You may be able to get away with DE if you find little upon checking at night. Many on here keep the coop dusted with DE. Some good info in FAQ section. It is not a chemical in the sense of something they absorb; it works by scratching the bugs' bodies and they dehydrate to death. Permethrin and Sevin are chemicals in that sense, but probably the way to go for a severe infestation, which it does not sound like you have. Ivermectin (also a wormer) also works. In my mind it's kind of an escalating scale of "evil chemicals," in that order, with DE the least evil. There's a "poultry dust" available around here which is pyrethrins and permethrin. I haven't had to go beyond the level of poultry dust yet, and mine free range so are exposed to plenty of wild bird mites/lice. I do keep DE sprinkled around the coop and where they dust bathe. I have read that wood ashes also help, in the dust bath.

 

[fargosmom]

Thanks everyone! Guess I'll be cleaning the coop Monday.

 

[silky ma]

After full clean out of hen houseyou can Dust them with food grade DE or use the other products others have said to use.

I have under 20 silkies and personally I go the organic way...I dip them in ivory soap /warm water mix and dry them with a hair dryer.
After bathing i check the vent area pull of any egg clusters and lather the area with veggie oil then blow dry, place in a clean penned off area to rest. I also dust shredded veggies with brewers yeast to help boost the diet. Everytime i do this I
will dust the yard area --nite time--with DE.