Can't shake these feather lice

[ErinG]

One and a half year old BO has had this problem ongoing for 2 months visibly, everyone else looks fine. Her feathers are dull and in that bare patch there are feathers there, but they are chewed to the shaft.
I have dusted with permethrin, then again 9 days later. Dusted with Sevin and again 10 days later. Cleaned (vacuumed out even) the coop and sprayed it down with Oxine (not sure if that was the best chemical to use). She is still shaking her head and getting chewed on.

Enough! What is my best plan of attack? I'm ready for a topical application - I despise dusting them and they hate it too. Just Ivermectin Pour on? Or should I piggyback it with something like Advantage as well? Then again in 10 days, or two weeks?

Help me, I feel like a chicken slum lord when anyone comes to visit, and of course she is the most outgoing, so there is no hiding her!

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd give Adams (flea/tick spray) or Frontline (for dogs/cats) a try. Just go by the appropriate weight for you bird (cat dose most likely).

Have you always retreated around day 10? You always need to do that, because eggs can hatch and survive in that time span...

 

[ErinG]

Yes, begrudgingly. Did I mention I really hate dusting?

Thank you.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
You are not a chicken slum lord. With all the dusting you've done, they shouldnt have lice. Sevin dust kills them practically on contact and you properly redusted 10 days later to kill newly hatched nits. Have you picked your chickens up and visually seen the lice crawling on them, even after dusting?

 

[ErinG]

I have never actually seen the bugs at any point.

But her bald spot has progressively grown and new areas are beginning. So something is still there. And she's still shaking her head.

 

[ErinG]

I've been researching today and several people have posted that they had tried many things to get rid of external parasites, so I'm wondering if whatever it is is resistant. I'm just ready to be done stripping the coop, torturing my chickens, spending money on things that aren't working.

I'm wondering what has worked for others that had trouble getting rid of lice with the standard treatments.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:

Yes - I believe you did...lol
And sorry I didn't read better earlier about you having redusted at day 9. I used Ivermec (paste) AND sprayed Adams on a bantam rooster we picked up at a farm that had mites and lice. I retreated with the Adams at day 10, but he appeared clean. He's still clean to date. In hindsight, I probably did overkill, and am probably lucky he didn't get sick. But I attempted dusting him, and ended up with more on me than on the bird - I hate the dust.

 

[ErinG]

I worry about doing too much too, especially since she is compromised at this point from being eaten alive. I was thinking though that maybe I could treat with Advantage, then a few days later with ivermectin and repeat both in 10 days of the first treatment to spread the effects out on her liver, etc. But still be hitting the bugs from different angles. Treat everyone else with just one of the chemicals. Clean the coop out twice in that span as well.

I guess it could be worse. I could have head lice.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
How do you know she has lice then? I've dealt with feather lice and they are easily seen, they crawl fast across the feathers too. I believe you're dealing with something else...possibly a molt, maybe there's some feather picking going on that you havnt seen. I'm leaning towards molt, especially at 1.5 year old.

 

[ErinG]

Here is her neck in May. The feathers were chewed on at this point, but not stripped. These are not true bald patches - the feather shafts are still there. She is not losing feathers. I'd be surprised if she was being pecked - well because the feathers are still present, but also because she is head honcho. I would feel better if I had seen bugs, but I don't know what else would chew on feathers besides something that would be treated with Sevin powder regardless of what it is. What do you think?