Hello from the good ol’ “Show ME” state.... where yesterday, my good chicken-friend showed me LICE o

[sevenpines]

Hello from the good ol’ “Show ME” state.... where yesterday, my good chicken-friend showed me LICE on my chickens!!! One was stepping very carefully, and then losing balance. Upon inspection, I see crawlies on her.... whitish to tannish transparent creatures and what my friend said are egg sacs near the vent. I’ve already scoured this site (have been a member (and a chicken owner) quite a while actually, but always forget to sign in) .... Anyway, nice to meet you all and read all the helpful posts~ I thank you for your experience and for sharing. Tracy Jones

 

[Debs Flock]

Hi there! I'm also from MO. Welcome to BYC! Hope the lice isn't too difficult to get rid of.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Oh no....buggies!! Lice are more common than you can imagine. And they are the worst in wet weather, although can show up even in drier times. Wild birds are big time carriers of lice, so it's not always in how you keep your coop. Some Lice are the biting kind and will suck the chickens blood and other kind are the chewing kind. I get the chewing kind a LOT around here. They chew the feathers right off the bird and eat the dead skin cells.

The best thing for treating this is lots of dust bathing by the chicken itself. The dust and dirt smothers the lice. You can also add DE to the dust bathing area as this stuff will cut the exoskeletal system of the bugs. Poultry sprays like Poultry Protector are all natural oils that will smother the bugs as well, Permethryn sprays are very helpful as well. Make sure to get all sprays and powders on the skin and at the base of the feathers as best as possible. You will need to displace the feathers to do this by blowing or gently pulling them back. Spray or powder your roost bar well as bugs love to lay their eggs under the roost bar and come out at night to feast on the birds. Get the bedding out of the nest boxes and powder or spray them as well.

Good luck with your flock, their bugs and welcome to our roost!

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC!
I hope you get rid of those bugs sooner, rather then later.

 

[Flufferes]

Nice to meet you, sevenpines! i hope you can get rid of those vermin, TwoCrows has given you some excellent advice!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

@sevenpines - Welcome! Pretty much almost everything I know about chickens and chickens keeping I got from BYC. You did good finding us. No lice so far for me, but I suspect it's only a matter of time. There's a great thread on liquid permethrin spray that is very helpful on this topic. Recommend you read it from the beginning.

Permethrin spray

Most of all... WELCOME!!!!

 

[drumstick diva]