Lice are a common parasite that spend their entire life cycle on the body of their host. They tend to congregate in the tail feathers of infected chickens and lay clusters of eggs that hatch into more lice. The skin irritation that occurs, as they feed on dead skin scales, annoys and agitates infected chickens, disrupting their normal activities, and causing them to lose weight and even die. Since lice can easily spread to your entire flock, you must act quickly to contain and eliminate the problem when it appears.
Instructions
Lice Prevention and Treatment
1. Start with proper flock management. Good sanitation is the best way to avoid lice infestations. Make sure your coop is clean and dry by removing food scraps, waste and soiled bedding on a daily basis. Clean perches and nest boxes with soapy water whenever they get dirty, and avoid overcrowding by allowing at least 10 square feet per chicken in the coop.
If you add new chickens to your flock, separate them for two weeks to find out if they have lice or other contagious conditions. Wild birds can also be lice carriers, and they should be kept out of the coop. Inspect your flock frequently to improve your chances of catching problems before they become a crisis.
2. Begin treating the coop. Lice can only survive for five days off the chicken, but they're prolific breeders. To completely eradicate them, you'll need to treat the coop at the same time that you treat the chickens. You can apply a coating of Malathion or Nicotine Sulfate roost paint to the surfaces in your hen house, or use an organic, non-toxic product such as Orange Guard.
Mix 4 tablespoons of 57 percent Malathion liquid with a gallon of water or use a 40 percent solution of nicotine sulfate. After putting your chickens out in the yard, and removing their food and water, coat every nook and cranny of the coop with one of these solutions, including perch sockets and any felt on the roof. Don't forget to replace the nest box bedding when you do this. Apply the solution again in 10 days to eliminate lice that have hatched from the eggs.
3. Treat the chickens. To eliminate lice from your chickens, you can use diatomaceous earth, sulfur or Sevin dust with a rotary hand or puff duster. Non-toxic, food grade diatomaceous earth is ideal since it kills lice by desiccating them.
Grab a chicken by its legs and turn it upside down so its back rests against the ground. Shake the powder under its wings and tail, and along its body and neck, including the ear canals. Sprinkle it over the back as well and rub it in to maximize penetration.
You can also use Eprinex in a dosage of .5 cc (ml) per large adult chicken by squirting it on the back of your chicken's neck, between the shoulder blades, for maximum effect. Your birds will be unable to rub it off if you apply it here.
Pyrethroid spray is effective, when you apply it to the vent area, as this is where lice tend to congregate. As with the coop, you'll need to treat your chickens again in 10 days to eliminate lice that hatched from eggs left after the first treatment.
Related posts
Lice are a common parasite that feed on chickens. As they move about the body, they eat dead skin scales and annoy the chicken, causing it to lose weight and even die. Lice can hitch a ride on wil...
Remove mites and lice from chickens in three easy waysWhether you have urban backyard laying hens or a rural chicken coop, lice as well as mites and other unwanted critters may show up, and there...
Healthy ChickenIf you are a novice at raising chickens, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the wealth of information regarding their health. The fact of the matter is that no two people raise...
Help keep your chickens mite-free with a few simple steps.An important part of keeping a chicken flock healthy is to get rid of mites and lice. These parasites, which hide in your chickens' feathe...
Chicken lice is a term that includes at least six different species of chewing or biting louse that infest chickens. The lice spreads through the flock through close-quarter contact with infected...
