[SnooziSuzi]

Well, as some of you may know from my other thread I have slaughtered one of my meat chickens today ready for tomorrows dinner.

I've checked him and the others regularly for lice, looking for the little blighters scurrying around on their skin and also looking for egg clusters at the base of vent feathers but have found nothing.  On top of this I also dusted them all with diatom recently.

So what a surprise when I started to pluck the feathers and saw them; not grey like I've seen before but a kind of light brown colour??

There weren't a lot of them, but they can move fast and as I was plucking they were crawling up my arms and managed to get into my hair .  I came straight home as soon as the plucking was done and jumped right into a bath.  They were floating around in my bathwater and I had to shower off to make sure I didn't have any more on me.

My point is this; even if you can't see them, please treat your birds as if they do have an infestation as these things can get out of hand fast!

[Rubellite]

There weren't a lot of them, but they can move fast and as I was plucking they were crawling up my arms and managed to get into my hair . 

Eeeeeeyyyyukkkkkk!!!
This is one of those threads I wish I hadn't read as now I'm sitting here scratching

[chickenlady]

eeeeuuuuuuu! I just started scratching too! the same thing happens when we get a case of head lice at playgroup!  you just automatically start itching!

[hindy]

Me and a mate did exactly the same Suzi.
Killed and plucked a chicken yesterday. It was crawling with the lice you describe.
my mate got 4 of them a few days ago and is having to keep them seperate from the other birds.

[Hensington]

Souonds like Red Mite. They live inside the coop and come out at night to drink the chooks blood. They can kill a previously healthy bird. Easiest way to get rid is to treat your coops with REAL creosote. It's hard to get hol dof now but the substitute is useless and doesn't kill red mite.
Most of the powders etc I tried did nothing, only a good soaking with creosote has worked for me.
They live in tiny crevices, hundreds of them can live in the head of a posi screw! So make sure you get every nook and cranny.

[hindy]

Def not red mite

[SnooziSuzi]

No, deffo not red mite.  RM don't live on the bird, they live in cracks & crevaces inside the roost and come out at night to feed on them then go back as it gets light.

I consulted a book (The Chicken Health Handbook - well worth it if you buy it in my opinion) and they were both head and body mites.  The head mites live, as you would expect, on and around the head, and the body mites... well, I'll let you guess that one  

The head mites are slightly smaller than the body mites, which are more elongated.

I'm still scratching, but have had 2 baths since then so it's just psyco somatic!

[LivvyW]

Contains graphic photo!

We've been concerned our hens may too have lice.  Couple of questions Snoozi, could they transfer to us/you? Would normal bathing get rid of them?

We too have done close feather checks and just can't see any, but i'm sure they are scratching more than just preening. My main concern is the rawness around her vent.

If you don't mind taking a look and tell me what you think?

[SnooziSuzi]

Is that the only area she's balding?  If you can see other patches, for example on her back and wings then it's likely to be lice.

How old is she? Could she be going through a mini moult?  Sometimes young birds have a mini moult part way through the season.  It might just be that.

From the pic she looks like a hybrid, so my next observation may not be right but if she's losing feathers from her underside then maybe she's getting broody?

To be absolutely certain it's not lice you'd have to keep hold of her for a while and carefully, but quickly - they're fast little beggars, part her feathers to see if you can spot them before they scurry away.

Unfortunately, yes, they can easily transfer to humans - you would barely notice them climbing on you but you'd be itching soon after.  a very warm bath kills them as unlike human head lice which are not killed in water, they are unfamiliar with water.  After all, how many chooks do you see going for a plodge!

[LivvyW]

I don't think there are more bald patches, but our three other hens are similar, but not as severe.

She's just under two years old, and yes she's our only hybrid.

It's very much around her vent and a bit of her underside.

Is there a treatment i can buy over the net, do you know?

[Foxy]

Is in the same place on all of your birds?from the photo it looks like the feathers might have been "chewed" is that the same on all of them? Difficult to tell from the photo. It might be feather mite. Or simply rubbing their tummies when roosting.

external parasites

[cotton_cockerel]

Well, as some of you may know from my other thread I have slaughtered one of my meat chickens today ready for tomorrows dinner.

I've checked him and the others regularly for lice, looking for the little blighters scurrying around on their skin and also looking for egg clusters at the base of vent feathers but have found nothing.  On top of this I also dusted them all with diatom recently.

So what a surprise when I started to pluck the feathers and saw them; not grey like I've seen before but a kind of light brown colour??

There weren't a lot of them, but they can move fast and as I was plucking they were crawling up my arms and managed to get into my hair .  I came straight home as soon as the plucking was done and jumped right into a bath.  They were floating around in my bathwater and I had to shower off to make sure I didn't have any more on me.

My point is this; even if you can't see them, please treat your birds as if they do have an infestation as these things can get out of hand fast!

Haven't had my chickens for long and after you pick them up I always have about three or four of the lice/louse on them apparently they are the chewing variety and not the blood sucking but they annoy the hell out of me and are really speedy considering I hold the chickens at arms length and they manage to get up my arm and to my neck in a few minutes....I have a nit comb and have to check my little boy every time he picks one up.

They are small and flatish with a brown sort of see through body which you can see the organs inside like a small black dot, here is a link to them: Picture

I have tried the barrier louse powder but it isn't helping and I am at the end of my tether.... who can recommend a really good louser or oil?  many thanks Jo x

[Vember]

Hi Jo Welcome to the Hen House

I tend to use Frontline for any creepy crawlies on the birds, but it isn't licensed for poultry use stops the critters in their tracks though
If for what ever reason I don't have frontline available i use johnsons mite spray

There is loads of info here that maybe some help to you
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=5250.0

Sarah

[Boxfanman]

Barricade (Used on horses) is ok (licenced) for poulty lice too, spray birds and coop and this kills both redmite and lice.

[Aunt Sally]

How big were they ?  It could be Northern Mite Suzzi - they live on the birds.