lice explosion

[petal]

found lice on the brahma cockerel? aaargghhhh! powder, johnsons bird spray, 50 very cross birds later...............

[Suechooks]

I did one pen of mine with Frontline yesterday - in view of this post I think I'll louse powder the other pen tonight! Just been reading on another forum about an outbreak too!

[petal]

thing is, we use powder regularly - that johnsons bird spray was amazing though - I checked later ad lice had all jumped ship! - got to keep treatment up though cos of eggs hatching in a few days....

[RichmondHens]

Now the weather has warmed up the lice are going to be breeding big time. They tend to target the cocks I find which is how they get spread about, transferred to the hens via mating. I have taken to using Johnsons spray too - but only on non laying birds and stud cocks. It contains pyrethrum, which although natural, is still toxic for a short period (that's why it kills the lice so quickly) but I certainly don't want it all over the eggs or on any meat birds. I still powder regularly which keeps them mostly at bay but I do find lice can be persistent on some of the older birds if I let the powdering slip a bit. With the awful weather we've been having it's been impossible to do them at night which is when I like to do it, easiest and quickest that way.

[chris]

So what's the recommended approach without an egg withdrawal period? Powder?

[RichmondHens]

Yes. Preventative powdering on a fortnightly basis and daily access to dust baths. If you do find lice on a bird you would need to repeat powdering after 4 days to catch any hatching eggs.

[chris]

Thanks. I saw some kind of lice type thing on one of mine - checked the others, but they seem clean. Dunno if it was just a beetle, or a lice - so will google. Small thin black thing.

*itching just thinking about it*

[chris]

Well according to this: I am blind, as I can only see brown smudges

[RichmondHens]

It's not a clear photo as the skin looks the same colour as the base feather/fluff but I think I can just see a louse where the top arrow is pointing. They are usually amber-ish in colour and scuttle around on the skin, faster in warm weather, to escape the light. The baby lice are much paler and sometimes hard to spot. The females are quite fat bodied and the males long and thin. If there is a bad infestation there are usually clusters of white eggs, or nits, cemented to the base of the feather shaft close to the skin (they need body heat to survive). Some people mistake this for poo, but a good way of telling the difference is to try and remove it. Dried poo will rub off very easily, nits are much harder. Kind people spend ages washing them off, I'm a meany and pluck the feathers out! Infestations can flare up in just a few days in warm weather so it's good practice to get into a routine of checking regularly.

[chris]

I tend to check my lot every week, once i've cleaned the coop out - thankfully the only "issue" I've found is dried mud to their breast feathers where they roll in the mud/what not It's easy though with so few I guess.. quick check of le botty, feet, legs feathers + skin, eggs, combs break and crop area, by the end of it they're wanting to get free heh

[petal]

with the sun out, mine are all lazing in dust baths and swearing at me when I go to see them.... I am not using collected eggs for 7 days, i had to do the johnsons spray as i discovered nasty creepie crawlies on the buff orpingtons bottom. I have been pulling bottom feathers out that have eggs on them...no wonder these chickens hate me!