Red Lice

[Davea]

My hens have red lice and it's been going on for 3 weeks now. I have a closed run so no other birds can get in and there are mouse traps everywhere so I have no idea how they got them in the first place.

I've been using a treatment containing Cypermethrin and Diflubenzuron. It certainly kills them and the coop floor is a sea of red in the mornings. I spray the coop walls, inside and out, the run, dip the hens in the solution, everything get covered. But still the red mites always come back. What am I doing wrong? Can anyone help?

As I am writting this a mite is walking across my screen

 

[Eggcessive]

Is that a combination insecticide? Have you been cleaning out all of the bedding and nest boxes before spraying? I am familiar with permethrin, just not the one you are using. Is it safe for poultry? Mites are carried by mice and rats, and sometimes can be brought in in straw. Mites are difficult to completely eradicate. Their eggs hatch every 5-7 days, so I would treat the chickens every 7 days. A coop cleanout should be done. Then spray roosts, empty nests, walls, floor, etc. Permethrin 0.5% spray treats the coop for 30 days. I like Martins or Gordons brand of Permethrin10 concentrate in pints or quarts, which then is mixed with water 1 tsp/5 ml per quart of water mixed well and used in a spray bottle or garden sprayer. Permethrin Gardstar garden dust may be better for the chickens, so as not to chill them. Put some in a sock and dust them every 7 days.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...7Lc2FJ1YmmreiTmLexLaJSRiE2LHze8XBUna-nEgQHAhj

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...MI2rmMlrDCiAMVAUn_AR3ygQT1EAQYAiABEgJGkfD_BwE

 

[1motorpsycho]

Is that a combination insecticide? Have you been cleaning out all of the bedding and nest boxes before spraying? I am familiar with permethrin, just not the one you are using. Is it safe for poultry? Mites are carried by mice and rats, and sometimes can be brought in in straw. Mites are difficult to completely eradicate. Their eggs hatch every 5-7 days, so I would treat the chickens every 7 days. A coop cleanout should be done. Then spray roosts, empty nests, walls, floor, etc. Permethrin 0.5% spray treats the coop for 30 days. I like Martins or Gordons brand of Permethrin10 concentrate in pints or quarts, which then is mixed with water 1 tsp/5 ml per quart of water mixed well and used in a spray bottle or garden sprayer. Permethrin Gardstar garden dust may be better for the chickens, so as not to chill them. Put some in a sock and dust them every 7 days.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...7Lc2FJ1YmmreiTmLexLaJSRiE2LHze8XBUna-nEgQHAhj

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...MI2rmMlrDCiAMVAUn_AR3ygQT1EAQYAiABEgJGkfD_BwE

Is that a combination insecticide? Have you been cleaning out all of the bedding and nest boxes before spraying? I am familiar with permethrin, just not the one you are using. Is it safe for poultry? Mites are carried by mice and rats, and sometimes can be brought in in straw. Mites are difficult to completely eradicate. Their eggs hatch every 5-7 days, so I would treat the chickens every 7 days. A coop cleanout should be done. Then spray roosts, empty nests, walls, floor, etc. Permethrin 0.5% spray treats the coop for 30 days. I like Martins or Gordons brand of Permethrin10 concentrate in pints or quarts, which then is mixed with water 1 tsp/5 ml per quart of water mixed well and used in a spray bottle or garden sprayer. Permethrin Gardstar garden dust may be better for the chickens, so as not to chill them. Put some in a sock and dust them every 7 days.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...7Lc2FJ1YmmreiTmLexLaJSRiE2LHze8XBUna-nEgQHAhj

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...MI2rmMlrDCiAMVAUn_AR3ygQT1EAQYAiABEgJGkfD_BwE

I am in my 12th? year and have never experienced this! I have been using Gordon's. Huge problem. Even switched to a plastic coop! I really need to dip them again.
As a dog groomer, I saw more fleas this year than I have in a decade. I am late in connecting the dots. Mites are horrible this year. Treatments are flying off the shelves.
The only thing that saved me (knock on wood) was taking the hens to a mite free home for 2 weeks (the die after no food) though the eggs can live on.
These threads remind me that the battle is not over.
Before I figured out what the problem was, the girls were in the coop literally screaming and off the roosts. They were on the floor at 2am. They were likely being eaten alive.
Today, I was cleaning out a bin that I was going to use for a few chicks and saw lice nits! I feel it will never end.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do not dip chickens for mites or lice. Gordon’s or Martins permethrin 10 concentrate is diluted with a certain amount of water (according to directions) to spray on chickens, around 15 ml or 1/2 ounce per 5 pound chicken. It is not meant to be a dip. It can be a good way to kill your chickens. Someone recently mixed the permethrin concentrate wrong, and the chicken was near death. A safer treatment is to use the garden dust in a sock, and dust the chickens at 7-10 day intervals at least twice to break the life cycle. The permethrin spray is a better alternative to use on the coop, nests, and roosts once bedding is gone.

 

[1motorpsycho]

Do not dip chickens for mites or lice. Gordon’s or Martins permethrin 10 concentrate is diluted with a certain amount of water (according to directions) to spray on chickens, around 15 ml or 1/2 ounce per 5 pound chicken. It is not meant to be a dip. It can be a good way to kill your chickens. Someone recently mixed the permethrin concentrate wrong, and the chicken was near death. A safer treatment is to use the garden dust in a sock, and dust the chickens at 7-10 day intervals at least twice to break the life cycle. The permethrin spray is a better alternative to use on the coop, nests, and roosts once bedding is gone.

Thanks for the warning. I do get that but this infestation was like you cannot imagine. Yes you definitely have to really read up first. It's much more diluted than using on the premise. It worked for me and 0 out of 7 showed any signs of illness. I soaked for about 30 seconds and concentrated on their vents and under their wings. And with that, I would only treat the area without the chickens present until it's all dry.
What is wild is that dogs are coming into my pet grooming shop completely infested with fleas as well. I think this year has thrown some of us for a loop!
You're not gonna love this one but I also spread cedar chips in their pen. Remember they were gone. They are fine and happy right now. It's been about 2 weeks. I haven't seen anything on them at all.