My hens have lice nits!

[BabeMj]

my hens have had issues with lice for a while and I’ve used permethrin and tried a bunch of things it seems to contain it but never rid of them. I saw they have nits near there vent area so I bought elector psp and I’m going to make a solution and spray it on my hens.

I have sand in my coop as there nesting area and was wondering do I need to spray the coop and get rid of the sand. Also any advise on how much I need to spray the hens will help

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Hello!
I heard that you can do an Elector PSP dip where you put some in a bucket of water then dip the chickens in it...That might do a better job at suffocating the mites
Yes you should get rid of the sand and do a thorough spray-down of the coop or else they WILL get it again..... Make sure once you do the dip that you DO NOT let them into the coop until it's all sprayed and cleaned out and fresh sand is put in.

Here's a video on how to do the lice/mite dip. Hope it helps!

 

[BabeMj]

Hello!
I heard that you can do an Elector PSP dip where you put some in a bucket of water then dip the chickens in it...That might do a better job at suffocating the mites
Yes you should get rid of the sand and do a thorough spray-down of the coop or else they WILL get it again..... Make sure once you do the dip that you DO NOT let them into the coop until it's all sprayed and cleaned out and fresh sand is put in.

Here's a video on how to do the lice/mite dip. Hope it helps!

Is this dip safe to do with elector psp? They were using permethrin for the dip?

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Use 9mL (about 2 tablespoons) of Elector PSP to one gallon of water. You can put it in a spray bottle and spray the vent area of each chicken, shaking the bottle frequently as you apply. If you have enough Elector, you can do a dip - just make sure you keep the dosage the same (if you are using 3 gallons of water in a bucket, you need to put 27mL of Elector in it).

Lice live on the birds, not the housing or the bedding (especially sand). You really don't need to treat the coop or sand if it is just lice (or Northern Fowl Mites for that matter), but you can if it makes you feel better. The only time you need to go nuclear (treat EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE) is when you have Red Roost Mites.

 

[BabeMj]

Okay thank you! Are red roost mites common? I have only seen lice running around on the hens

 

[BabeMj]

Use 9mL (about 2 tablespoons) of Elector PSP to one gallon of water. You can put it in a spray bottle and spray the vent area of each chicken, shaking the bottle frequently as you apply. If you have enough Elector, you can do a dip - just make sure you keep the dosage the same (if you are using 3 gallons of water in a bucket, you need to put 27mL of Elector in it).

Lice live on the birds, not the housing or the bedding (especially sand). You really don't need to treat the coop or sand if it is just lice (or Northern Fowl Mites for that matter), but you can if it makes you feel better. The only time you need to go nuclear (treat EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE) is when you have Red Roost Mites.

Also I only have 9ml of elector that won’t be enough to do a dip right?

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Is this dip safe to do with elector psp? They were using permethrin for the dip?

Elector PSP is organic
You can watch this video starting at 3:48 if you're still wary

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Also I only have 9ml of elector that won’t be enough to do a dip right?

Correct.

How many birds do you have? If it's just a few, you could use an even smaller amount. You don't need to mix a whole gallon if you won't use it all at once.

You could put 4.5 mL in a 1/2 gallon, or 2.25 mL in a quart. Only mix as much as you need. Put it in a spray bottle and spray the birds' vents (and if you have any birds with crests - polish, silkies, cream legbars...spray the crests as well), making sure to wet the skin/feathers thoroughly. A "dip" is not necessary.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Okay thank you! Are red roost mites common? I have only seen lice running around on the hens

Red Roost Mites (RRM) are more common in some areas than in others. The easiest way to spot them is to check the coop after dark (with a headlamp on) and look on and around your roosts. You can also take a white paper towel and run it along the underside of the roosts and see if you pick up any red spots (i.e. blood-filled mites). The mites hide in the cracks and crevices during the day and feed on the birds while they are roosting at night. That is why it's important to treat the housing and bedding if you have an RRM infestation).

 

[McChooky]

I had to use Ivermectin (4 treatments if I remember correctly)Some of my hens still looked very bad after the mites were gone because broken feathers only grow back after a molt)