More advice please

[kathyd]

Apparently they're very common Chris, although I guess if you treat your birds regularly you can avoid them... I didn't know I was meant to do this routinely until now! I believe wild birds are carriers, and like headlice on kids they can also be passed from bird to bird once infected. I keep reading how you're supposed to stop wild birds mingling with your chickens, but I'm not sure how to stop that unless I keep them locked up indoors all day.

[RichmondHens]

You can't stop them, and it's better to let the chickens free range if you can anyway. They will be happier for it. A bit like children wouldn't catch stuff if you kept them locked away in a sterile bubble, but they wouldn't be happy - same for chickens and any other animal. Parasites are in and around all of us, some are troublesome, some you don't know exist. It's just a case of keeping on top of them and not letting them get out of hand. In the same way that you know that at some stage your kids will get headlice, at some stage your chickens will get lice too, you just have to be alert to the signs and treat as necessary, but it's not worth losing sleep over.

Some chickens seem to be more prone than others to picking up lice though and this can be down to a number of things. I find pure breeds are more susceptible than crosses or hybrids, and I suspect this is in part due to selective breeding over the years - sometimes a weakness creeps into the strain in an attempt to get the best feathering, best colour egg etc. All the birds I have had with lice "problems" over the years have usually been bought in pure breeds - my own Heinz 57s and home bred pure breeds generally seem more resistant.

Also underlying health problems can encourage lice infestation. Poorly birds preen and bathe less, and the lice quickly take hold. This is why it's good practice to handle and check birds regularly, for lice, weight loss or gain, injuries etc. These are not always obvious from just watching a bird from a distance.

[kathyd]

Well I certainly can't imagine keeping my lot indoors all day - I've had a real scolding this morning just for not letting them out of their (very extensive!) run and into the garden. And having an excuse to handle them regularly is quite nice really - I've tended to leave them be in the past if they've not wanted picking up - respecting their personal space I suppose - but now I've got a valid reason! Yay! I just need to learn to run faster for a couple of them .

[jessmorris]

Guess what???

Yup- we have a gal with lice. First one ever!

Darn...oh well- got to deal with it as best as poss.

Went to my vet today- and she gave me Rhodeo by green vet.
Is this what you've been using kathy?
It appears to have geraniol and pyrethrum in it.

I'm more than happy to use it freely now I've read your post RH- thanks for that.

Flipping expensive though!!!! ( 11.57E for 125g )
How long is yours lasting kathy? ( I have 18 chooks)

Hi Nicos,
why don't you get some when you are next over in the UK? Johnson's kitten/puppy flea powder is permethrin based (the synthetic pyrethrum) and is around £4/tub, though it has a carrier in it too it still seems to work quite well....Pets at Home do it..I'm not trying to advertise just know that Nicos will have limited time on her flying visit and needs a close by supplier!
JM

[OverWyreGrower]

Obviously, if your poorly bird isn't grooming, this won't work.... however, for everyone else, could you sort out a dustbathing tray, and lace it with the lousepowder, as well as some dry compost/sand? Then they are dusting themselves....

[Nicos]

She's not at all poorly!
In fact she's our best layer with 6-7 eggs a week which is why I don't really want to use anything with an egg withdrawal.
Jess- does the powder you recommend need egg withdrawal?
Thing is that they free range and have a choice of about 8 dust baths/mahoosive craters
If I put the powder into the dust baths and it rains on them, is that a waste of the powder???

[RichmondHens]

It's more effective put directly on the bird as when it's mixed in with soil, sand or whatever else is in the dustbath it gets "diluted", and best applied after dark as the powder has a chance to work through the night while the bird roosts.

[kathyd]

Nicos - unless my French is letting me down (not unusual ), it does say on the pack that after you've applied it yourself and got them clean, you can add it to a dustbath and let them dust themselves. However, they're talking about a 2cm I think - and at the price, I'm not sure I can afford that! As with you, mine have several baths around the place, and keep building more as the mood takes them, most recently in my polytunnel.. I think I'll stick to powdering their botties every 4 weeks as RH suggests .