Help - Wilma has lice

[Lizzie]

Morning all
I was checking Wilma yesterday and found lice crawling all around her vent and what I understand now to be clusters of eggs at the base of her feathers in the same area.

We have doused her in louse powder last night, but she still has some lice crawling around this morning.

My question is, how do I get rid of the egg clusters ? I was going to gently bathe her bottom area with mild diluted hibiscrub and try and get them off her, dry her thoroughly then re-apply lousing powder before doing the rest of the girls too - is this is ok ?
I will clean out the house and treat later.

I have not experienced this before aren't they horrid !!

Best wishes

Liz

[Redwing]

yes, give her a bath - a proper full on bath if you can so the lice dont run for dry ground dog flea shampoo is good for this

Once she is dry another dusting is a good idea as you say

[laurmurf]

frontline or Xeno (double strength) sprays are very useful too

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I ended up snipping off the feathers with the egg clusters on . Delicate operation requiring two pairs of hands .

[Falkor]

Just make sure the louse powder has an "active" ingredient to make sure those lice get gone!!! And repeat in 5-7 days to kill off any remaining eggs/hatchiees

[Lizzie]

What a day !
Poor Wilma had a nice hibi scrub bath but even when the egg clusters were soaked, they would not budge. We cut the clusters off (husband did !) without cutting the feathers, but the clusters near to her vent, we did end up cutting off the feathers too to make sure all gone.
Definately signs that the lice were dying after last nights treatment but as she stood in the sink, very relaxed and calm, lice were crawling around her eyes !
Dried her thoroughly with the hair dryer (she loves this too) and doused her again with lice powder before moving on to the next three.

Olive has some lice but not so many, Alice none but Violet also bad with egg clusters. All three treated thoroughly with louse powder.

If we don't cut off the clusters, will they drop off with the louse powder ?
We intend to re-treat all of them next Saturday and I will clean out and treat their house again also.
I feel very bad to find these as had religiously been treating all my chooks with red mikte powder / louse powder. Will never let this happen again
How long does it take for the lice to build these egg clusters ??

Many thanks for your help, I will order anything additional I need now

Best wishes
Liz

[Lizzie]

I have applied Barrier Louse Powder - does anybody know if this contains an active ingredient to deal with their lice efficiently ?

Many thanks
Best wishes
Liz

[Egluntyne]

tbh it is more of a preventative than a cure.

I suggest that you tey Johnsons Anti Mite Spray'. ** Not licensed for use on poultry in UK, so there is an egg withdrawal period. The manufacturers suggest 48 hours I beleive. It is available at pet shops, in the budgie section.

It works on both lice and mites and is effective.

You will need to repeat the treatment to catch any eggs which hatch later, if they have managed to withstand the onslaught.

[Lizzie]

Me again, sorry but further advice needed please
Evidence this morning that Wilma still has some live lice on her but definately no where near as many as Friday (only saw two)

However, my dear husband has made a trip over to our vets and picked up fornt line which we will spray under wings and back of neck first thing tomorrow (4 hands better than 2 and he is off to work now).
I will repeat this as instructed in two weeks but also re apply louse powder on Friday in case of any new hatchlings !!

My real conern are these egg clusters things; I have been advised to pluck the offending feathers and burn them but I don't want to hurt or distress the girls further.
If I cut them out will I be eradicting them (ie, is the part of the feather below the skin surface effected ?)
My vet said that they would be sore if plucked, the advice came from the guy where I bought my newbies from so obviously and he has been very helpful with previous problems but not sure if I can do this

I want to get rid of the egg things in the best way but do not want to hurt the girls.

Please help
Worried chook mum

[Falkor]

A bath might help shift them at this point but as I discovered bathing and drying a chook can take some time

I have found that they tend to fall off in the end once the beasties are dead. Providing you kill them they kind of dry out.

[Egluntyne]

I'd snip them off with round ended scissors. Plucking them will distress the hens, cause spots of blood to appear and then you might have a pecking situation on your hands.

Don't fret too much. The Frontline should do the trick.

[Lizzie]

We tried soaking them off Wilma on Saturday, but they wouldn't shift.
Wilma is very placid and happily sat in the sink (she started to nod off bless her). Violet on the other hand will not be as good and will get stressed.

Many thanks for the help and advice.
We will snip off what we can and leave the rest to drop off

What an experience !

Best wishes
Liz

[Claret]

Don't worry too much about the egg clusters; as soon as they hatch, the critters will be killed if you spray as recommended by Egluntyne.

Any treatment containing Permethrin - *although not licensed for use on poultry in the UK* - will get the little cralwers, but you will need to repeat at weekly intervals until they have all gone.

I'd also recommend speaking to your vet with regards to a prevention programme, just the same as you would for your dog or cat.

[Lavenders_Blue]

You probably know what you are doing by now - but I'll add my recent lice experience which may help.

I found lice on my girls a couple of months ago. I dashed straight out to the local animal/farm store who sold me some Barrier Louse Powder. I did question it at the time as the tin says it is a repellant, but they assured me it would work.

Two applications later and the hens were still crawling with the beasties, so I got some Johnson's Anti Mite (not licensed for poultry in the UK), two thorough sprays a week apart and they are now clear. I check them every week now to catch any new lice early on, but touch wood, all has been well so far.

I now dust the barrier powder around the coop to make it smell nice, but I'm not sure it's good for much else!

Oh and I didn't worry too much about the egg clusters, just keep zapping with spray until you see they have all gone.

[Lizzie]

Thanks ever so much for your advice Lavender Blue; I sprayed under their wings and at the back of their necks with front line on Tuesday and judging by them charging around the garden and keenness to go to bed now think the little blighters are fully under control
Friday will be the next installment for just cutting out what we can of these egg cluster things, without stressing the girls too much. Only Violet and Wilma have them
It has been an experience and I will be regularly treating them as I used to.
Hope your girls are all ok too.

Thanks again

Liz