Unsecure chicken perches

[peepie]

Poor little Pecky - after the beak experience yesterday, I brought her inside to have some special treats without the others getting their beaks in. As I was chatting to her I noticed a little creepy thing near her eye. I parted some of her feathers and found that she has hundreds of creepy crawlies and lots of eggs stuck to her feathers at the bottom. There was absolutely no indication outwardly although she has been a bit quiet but I put that down to beak issues and the fact that she had been through a moult recently. Her feathers look better than they have in months and she's got no nasty looking patches or anything. I dusted her with louse powder (well rubbed her quite vigorously with it to get it to the bottom of her feathers) and then went to check the others who seem clear but I've done them as well. I'll give the eglu a good clean in the morning when it's light but it was only blitzed on Sunday with new bark in the run and everything so shouldn't be too bad.

 

How often should I repeat the powder and how long should it take to have effect? I'd rather not use the eprinex although I will get some if the powder doesn't work rapidly as it's not fair to leave her all itchy poor thing.

 

I feel so awful as if I've neglected them but they have been cuddled every day as normal with lots of extra porridge in the cold weather and extra protein since Pecky's moult. Bad, bad mummy.

[Egluntyne]

I'd treat her with Johnsons Anti Mite & lice)Spray. * Not licensed for use on poultry in UK

 

The powder is more of a preventative than a cure.

 

An egg withdrawal period applies.

[peepie]

Thanks. Will pop to the pet shop tomorrow for some. Wondered if that might be the case.

 

xx

[peepie]

have bought the Johnsons stuff and came home at lunch time to spray her. At that point I could see the little blighters running round on her skin anywhere I looked. Just been and lifted her out of the eglu to have alook now and can't find any living ones on her. They were all showering off into the basket I stood her in. I'm not joking but hundreds of dead ones must have fallen off her in about 3 mins!!

 

It says to repeat again in 3 days so I'll keep doing that. Hopefully she'll be a bit happier tomorrow. Does anyone know how long it takes for eggs to hatch as there are still a lot of thoses on the base of her feathers.

 

Thanks

Sarah

[The Dogmother]

You will need to repeat it roughly a week later to catch their breeding cycle. It's also best to use a preventative product as well - have a look at this thread