Bugs on chickens?

[rellikmalinois]

I posted this on backyardchickens as well but figured I could get help here too. We were slaughtering our first batch of roosters and found bugs. Lice? Recommended treatment?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ytiY7ZHANc

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I can't see the video...it is blocked by the schools clean video search thing.....

For lice on chickens, I use Eprinex cattle pour on. A couple drops under each wing, back of neck, a few over the thighs and several drops around the vent ( careful not to get it in the vent, basically put it on all the warm spots where the buggers congregate). For very large chickens, cochins, brahmas and Faverolles I use 3/4 to 1 cc total. For bantams, silkies etc, 1/4 cc to 1/2. If the infestation isn't as bad, you can use 1/2 cc for standards. I also pluck any feathers that have eggs stuck to them (looks like a white bunch of stuff clumped around the feather shaft) just to be sure they don't hatch on me later. I like to check 2 weeks later and 2 more after that during the worst part of the year. most of the year they do fine without any treatment.

If it is red mites, small round tiny, tiny little biting things, I have used powders like DE or Sevin. I think the Eprinex will work on them too, but the times I find red lice are always on babies that just hatched or on setting mamas....I don't want the eprinex to fume up the babies airways and suffocate them so I use the powders and they work for me in those situations.

 

[Animallovers1]

I always use DE once I had relly bad case of lice on a hen I rescued as in live everywhere use DE then the problem was solved

 

[Southern by choice]

Hard to tell from the video, but looks like the Northern fowl mite.
The fowl mite is hard to get rid of and takes diligence.
Remove all bedding. Treat inside areas... every nook and cranny. Treat outdoor areas with permethrins 40% repeat in 10 days.
If you have a bad infestation and really want to eradicate it quickly....
Mix up the 10% in warm water in a big plastic bin or bucket. Dip each chicken and hold them there also pouring over top til they are really soaked. chicken dipping!

I would also find the source of where they came in from.

Many years ago we brought in some chicks... I suspected they had mites... I should have gone with my gut and not got them!
Anyway... infected my building and we range our chickens over several acres....
I have a canine background and am pretty fanatical about keeping every animal parasite free. I used the same methods and scaled them to chickens.
I suggest the treatment of the property with the pemethrins because it is not residual, it kills by contact... once it rains it's pretty much gone. So safe for the land and animals. I wouldn't use anything long term as chickens eat bugs etc... not trying to kill off everything long term.

When we treated 10 days later we also re-dipped the chickens. We had about 150 birds. It was eradicated and we have never had them since.

You also do not have the long term withdrawal for laying hens or meat. It is very minimal. We also did this on chccks will no ill effect. Easier this time of year as it is hot. At least its not winter!

 

[farmgirl01]

I use Frontline spray on every birds and Sevin dust in the coops, nest and bedding. The above post is great advice.