How to get rid of chicken lice using traditional methods? What do you need to know about parasite prevention measures?

Poultry farming » Chickens

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Kira Stoletova

Lice in chickens is a problem that many breeders face, regardless of the number of flocks kept on the farm and the conditions under which they are kept. In the language of science, this problem is called mallophagosis. It is considered one of the most common diseases in the poultry industry.

Lice on chickens

To date, about 40 species of arthropods have been recorded that live on poultry. Their diet consists of feathers or down, as well as blood. The most common pest of this series is the louse. The complexity of solving the problem lies in the fact that parasites of several species can simultaneously live on one individual.

Mallophagosis is a dangerous disease, because chicken lice live on humans as well as on birds. To prevent this from happening, the fight against parasites must be carried out immediately using folk remedies and medications.

How to rid chickens of lice and fleas?

In order to fight harmful insects, there is no need to find out their specific entomological affiliation, since the reasons for their appearance and the methods of combating them are the same.
There are several pharmaceuticals and folk remedies that can save chicken flocks from trouble. However, almost all methods of treating head lice have one or two disadvantages:

• adults are destroyed, but eggs (nits) remain, which can provoke a relapse;
• some drugs remain in the bird’s body for a long time, which makes chicken meat and eggs unsuitable for consumption.

The first situation can be easily corrected. Repeated treatment carried out within the recommended time frame will destroy the offspring that have escaped the protection of the chitinous shell.

The next trouble is more difficult to overcome, but quite possible. You should use products that are safe for birds and humans. The sooner an infestation is detected and treatment is started, the easier it is to remove the parasites.

Measures to prevent down-eaters in chickens

To avoid infection of the chicken population with lice-eaters and feather-eaters, experts recommend a number of preventive measures, including:

• providing sufficient space to prevent the accumulation of a large number of individuals in a small area of ​​the chicken coop;
• daily treatment of the chicken coop premises using disinfectants;
• taking measures to prevent impurities, rodents and dirt from getting into the feed;
• organization of air exchange and ventilation systems in the room;
• ensuring timely change of bedding to prevent contamination of birds with traces of the droppings they produce.

Prevention of downy eating in chickens video

Feather eaters and lice eaters in chickens are parasites that live in the base of the feather and down cover on the surface of the skin of chickens. In addition to the negative impact that mites have on the health of poultry, the presence of lice leads to a decrease in egg production, slower growth and the formation of muscle mass in meat chickens.

If signs of insect damage to laying hens are detected in a timely manner, the treatment period does not exceed several weeks. However, in a neglected state, treatment against parasites can take up to six months. And it can be complicated by the presence of infection when the pathogen gets into areas of the skin damaged by the bird.

Therefore, it is very important to detect in time and begin to remove feather food from chickens. Don’t forget to subscribe to site updates to be among the first to receive the latest chicken news by email

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Correct use of insecticides

Aqueous solutions for bathing, spraying birds and premises are prepared strictly in accordance with the instructions in the attached instructions, they are used in compliance with all safety precautions. Sprays are sprayed under the wings and tail of the bird; a prerequisite is that the head must be covered so that the product does not get into the eyes and mucous surfaces of the chickens

The drops are applied to the withers, directly to the skin, and not to the feathers of the bird.

Treatment of chickens

It is extremely difficult to combat ectoparasites, fleas and ticks in chickens; they are light in weight and have weak immunity. You can try treating them with Nyuda spray for children or using traditional medicine.

Advice! Experienced poultry farmers advise getting rid of parasites on young birds only using folk remedies.

The fight against parasites in chickens with folk remedies goes back hundreds of years, and many remedies have been tested by chicken breeders in modern conditions and have shown good results.

Traditional methods of ridding chickens of lice, fleas and ticks

What to do to rid chickens of parasites and cure them with folk remedies?

Here is a selection of recipes that have long been used by our ancestors:

• A mixture of kerosene and bite in equal parts. A glass of this product is diluted into a bucket of water and the bird is bathed in this mixture.
• Strong alcoholic infusion of hellebore root. Half a glass of infusion is diluted into a bucket of water and sprinkled under the wings and tail of the bird.
• Infusion of chamomile. Rub directly into the skin of the chicken for ten days. This method of treatment is also suitable for chicken.
• Ash and sand baths. In general, they should be present in the chicken coop and on the run at all times. Chickens, bathing in them, will get rid of parasites themselves.

• A mixture of ammonia, kerosene and benzene in equal parts can repel any parasite with its smell.
• Powder or infusion of wormwood used in the chicken coop or on the feathers of chickens will repel parasites.
• You can add wormwood, tansy and chamomile to the litter for prevention and as a deterrent.

Prevention

To protect your chickens from this scourge, you need to keep the chicken coop clean and maintain order every day. Litter and excrement must be constantly removed and taken out of the premises to a specially designated place where chickens do not have access. No heaps on the walks or in the corner - this is a breeding ground for the disease and a headache from long and tedious treatment, which can last up to six months. In addition, you need:

• Regularly treat perches and feeding areas with boiling water so that lice and feather eaters do not have a chance to linger in the chicken coop.
• Remove uneaten food residues so as not to create a favorable environment for parasites and not to create dampness.
• Do not allow poultry to come into contact with wild birds, which are quite capable of carrying parasites on their plumage. Walks should be covered or covered with netting.
• Do not exceed the area standards for keeping poultry. Crowding leads to lightning-fast infection from each other and through the litter.
• Ventilate rooms regularly, even in winter, since dampness and stagnant air are the most attractive environment for ectoparasites.
• Install ash and sand baths on the paddocks and in the chicken coop, keep them clean and change the contents as they become dirty.
• Buy food only from trusted manufacturers.
• Conduct a preventive visual inspection of birds to identify individuals with behavioral abnormalities - itching, tearing out feathers, sad, emaciated, and so on.
• Disinfect the premises once every three months using Butox or its analogues.
• Do not visit your chickens wearing clothes and shoes that you have worn in someone else’s chicken coop or at a market where they sell animal feed.
• A chicken family newly arrived on the farm must be kept in strict quarantine for a couple of weeks.
• Getting rid of rodents, which may well bring the disease on themselves.

Can chicken fleas and lice settle and live on humans? No, they can't! Of course, they can jump or crawl onto a person while interacting with an infected bird, and in some cases even bite; they will not stay on a person for long.

A person's lower body temperature and thicker skin will not allow them to feel comfortable. The parasites will prefer to leave the inhospitable host and die, unable to obtain food for themselves on the human body. Other animals such as cats, dogs, pigs, cows are not suitable for chicken parasites. But they have their own.

It is easier to prevent any disease by following established standards than to treat it for a long time and carefully.

Effective chemistry

The larger the problem and the larger the flock, the more relevant are the chemicals originally developed to combat avian fleas and lice.

Treating only flea and lousy individuals with the selected antiparasitic drug is not an option. All livestock are treated, including birds of younger age groups. If the same room contains livestock of different species, then all neighbors (cows, goats, sheep...) of the chickens must also be treated.

List of popular antiparasitic agents:

1. Bars and Stronghold are compositions originally for canines and cats. Can also be used on birds.
2. Combat and Raptor are aerosols that can also be used to treat bird plumage.
3. Cucaracha is a liquid product produced in ampoules. Method of use: spraying.
4. Dana is a powdery preparation for dusting feathers.

In fact, these are not all effective drugs that are widely used in private poultry farming. There are many more of them.

Preventive actions

It is not always possible to prevent the invasion of mallophages

But if you pay due attention to prevention, the risk of parasite infection can be reduced to zero

To prevent livestock from becoming infected with chicken lice, you need to:

1. Place containers filled with a mixture of fine sand and ash in the chicken coop. Birds should always have the opportunity to take dust baths.
2. Protect the poultry house from rodents (mice, rats).
3. Do not allow domestic chickens to come into contact with wild feathered relatives (sparrows, pigeons, crows).
4. Regularly clean the shed and the surrounding area, frequently change the bedding and remove droppings, and control the humidity level in the room.
5. Carry out antiparasitic treatment of the chicken coop and the entire livestock 1-2 times a year.
6. Wash and disinfect feeders and drinkers weekly.
7. After visiting someone else's poultry house, change clothes and shoes so as not to carry larvae or adult mallophages.
8. Periodically inspect chickens for the presence of feather eaters. If parasites are found on at least one chicken, disinfest the entire flock and the chicken coop.
9. In the autumn-winter period, add vitamin and mineral supplements to the feed to help strengthen the birds’ immunity.

Newly acquired laying hens should not be allowed into the chicken coop without prior antiparasitic treatment with chemical or folk remedies.

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Can lice eaters parasitize humans?

Mallophages on the human body or head cannot exist and reproduce. Human skin is thicker than chicken skin, making it difficult for the parasite to bite through it to provide itself with food. In addition, the pest's paws are not able to firmly grasp the hair or epidermis, so the larvae or adults will be washed away during the first bath.

The danger of ectoparasites for people is that they are carriers of helminths and bacteria that cause severe infections. Pathogenic agents can enter the human body through a single bite.

Children and the elderly are at risk: since their top layer of skin is thinner than that of young and middle-aged people, it is easier for parasites to bite through it.

Chicken lice can bite a person, infecting him with dangerous diseases.

The likelihood of infection with worms, salmonellosis, encephalitis, brucellosis, spirochetosis, Newcastle disease and other dangerous diseases increases when eating meat and eggs of infected chickens.

Peredot: description of what it looks like

This tiny insect, 2 to 3 mm in size, settles on the body of poultry. Due to their rather small size, it is difficult to determine why poultry feathers fall out, pecking occurs, and the bird itself becomes restless.

So:

• Tiny parasites that live on the body of poultry are nothing more than “chicken lice”. The scientific name of the disease is mallophagosis, and small parasites are mallophages.
• These insects do not have wings, and the body has a flat, slightly elongated shape. The body is divided into segments. Insects lead a parasitic lifestyle.
• Dark stripes can be seen between the segments. The body is characterized by a light brown color with a yellow tint.
• To stay firmly on the insect's body, mallophages are armed with tenacious jaws and three pairs of legs. Parasites do not feed on the bird’s blood, but consume feathers and down, discharge from pecking wounds, and dead skin particles. For normal functioning of the parasite, a humidity of about 70-80% is needed, as well as a temperature of up to + 30 degrees.
• The eggs of the parasite can only be seen under a magnifying glass, since their size is no more than 1.5 mm. The female lays eggs on the feathers or down of the bird, after which, after 6-18 days, depending on the conditions, the larvae are born. Before becoming an adult mallophage, the larva molts 3 times. Each molt occurs after 12-18 days.
• The parasites are highly fertile, as the female lays 10 eggs every day.
• The parasite can live on the body of poultry for about 30 days, and outside the body - no more than 6 days. Mallophages spend almost all their time on the body of poultry.

Types of chicken lice

All types of chicken lice can be divided into 2 conditional subgroups - blood-sucking parasites and those that feed on keratinized skin scales, feathers and down.
Infection of chickens by down feather eaters is called “mallophagosis”. In total, about 2,600 species of insects have been studied, almost all of them parasitize domestic and wild birds. Attention! Mallophages (down-eaters) have only one host, they do not cause any harm to animals and humans, they are dangerous only to birds.
In our latitudes, only 22 species of lice from two subgroups are particularly dangerous. However, in most cases, domestic chickens are affected by feather eaters, blood-sucking insects, as experienced poultry farmers note - this is a rare problem.

How to remove ticks from chickens

This insect is a real disaster, how to deal with them if it hides in the most secluded places of the chicken coop, where even strong solutions are out of reach.

This problem faces not only amateur poultry farmers, but also industrialists. The saddest thing is that the folk method in the form of sand baths does not help (there are no ticks on the chicken during the day, or few). At the moment, biologists are searching and no treatment has yet been developed.

Chicken mite

Folk remedies such as garlic, vinegar, yarrow, lavender, etc. (the list goes on for a long time) do not help.

You can treat the chicken coop with the drugs listed above, as well as:

• "Acromed";
• Medifox;
• "Avicin";
• "Medilis".

The poultry farmer can be consoled by the fact that with the onset of cold weather, the mite goes into hibernation (it can remain hungry for 12 months). However, with the arrival of warmth, it intensifies its activity. There is information that when searching for how to deal with ticks, flypaper was used and the insect was actively sticking. But as a remedy for fleas and fluff eaters, Velcro is completely unsuitable.

A very good method is firing with lamps. However, it is only acceptable for metal structures.

As one of the methods, it can be proposed to completely empty the chicken coop of birds for a year. However, this does not guarantee that the imported young animals will be “clean”.

Statistics show that there are no longer tick-free farms. Its distribution area is so large that it becomes impossible to completely cure the population. Arachnologists are constantly searching for ways to combat this scourge.

If the product is not intended, then the active substance passes into the blood, meat and eggs and the high-quality product turns into poison.

It is important not to use drugs (even as an experiment) if they are not intended for these purposes. For example, insecticidal smoke bombs (“City”, “Yamal”, “Quiet Evening”) work well against insects, but they “do not kill the red chicken mite”

Don’t know what to feed laying hens to help them lay eggs better? The answer is here: https://inkubatorinfo.ru/ukhod/kak-uvelichit-yaycenoskost-kur.html

By observing the habits of the bird, looking closely and listening, you can easily determine who lives on the bird. If you do this in a timely manner, it becomes easier to deal with parasitic insects. By organizing baths, you can prevent fleas, lice eaters, and feather eaters from entering your poultry yard. Frequent cleaning, changing bedding, treating cages, nests and perches will help regulate the number of mites until they are eliminated.

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What is the danger of lice and fleas?

Lice and chicken fleas are parasites that feed on the blood of their prey. The most common species among chickens are the red chicken mite and the chicken flea. They can appear not only due to the pollution of the chicken coop, but they can be spread by other animals, such as wild birds flying nearby. Both types of bloodsuckers primarily cause severe irritation and anxiety in the affected chickens; the birds constantly itch and pinch themselves under their feathers. Over time, they scratch the upper layers of the epidermis and tear out their own feathers.

As the parasite damage increases, the chickens stop laying eggs and actively moving, and soon they begin to develop anemia and anemia - this can be seen by the pale comb. Following this, they begin to become exhausted and the final stage is death. Besides this, the most terrible fact is that, like fleas in chickens, lice are carriers of infections. First of all, it can be brucellosis, salmonellosis, trypanosomiasis; in rare cases, causative agents of plague and encephalitis were found with them. Absolutely all chicken fleas and red chicken lice are carriers of helminth eggs and when bitten, the likelihood of infection with worms is very high.

All this can spread not only to other animals and birds on the site, but also to humans through the bites and meat of slaughtered birds. Eggs laid during the hatching of fleas and lice are not recommended for consumption, since the chemicals that were used enter the yolk of the egg through the circulatory system. If a person is sensitive to such drugs, an allergic reaction may be caused.

Development cycle and lifestyle features

Unlike other types of fleas, avian fleas will not be able to live for long outside the body of the “host”. Therefore, they try to gain a foothold in the occupied territory as strongly as possible so that they do not have to move in the future. A great option is to settle down near the roost. For example, the mat is an ideal place to hide before jumping.

Temperature conditions greatly affect parasites. They will be able to withstand temporary inconvenience by jumping to another target. They do not live on humans because the level of body heat is low and the thickness of the skin is too thick to bite through, so chicken fleas do not live on humans.

Fleas may appear in a chicken coop if:

1. Sanitary and hygienic conditions are not met: lack of ventilation, unsanitary conditions, bedding is not regularly cleaned.
2. The room has high humidity and temperature.
3. No disinfection is carried out.

This suitable atmosphere promotes rapid reproduction. Once in comfortable conditions, the flea colony will grow within two days. Females lay eggs every day, scattering the offspring around. Thus, expanding the boundaries of the settlement territory. Due to this, the enclosure is teeming with white flea eggs of microscopic size.

Soon the larvae will develop, turn into sexually mature individuals and the life cycle will begin again. The flea lives up to one and a half years; life expectancy is affected by nutrition and microclimate.

Lice symptoms in chickens

As a result, the picture is complemented by wounds and bald spots. The bird also has no appetite. Hence exhaustion and low productivity.

Other symptoms:

• Reddened and flaky skin in places.
• Baldness. This sign is the result of lice eating the plumage.
• Retarded growth and development. This sign is typical for young animals.
• Staying awake at night. Even one individual with no sleep serves as an alarm bell.
• Livestock waste.

This is what an unfortunate lousy chicken looks like...

Birds are most susceptible to parasite attacks after molting. Why? The fact is that lice love to feed even on fresh, soft fluff.

The appearance of parasites in chickens may not be noticed at the early stage of development of the disease, but when the lice multiply, the signs of head lice significantly affect the well-being and behavior of the bird.

Veterinarians note the following symptoms of lice in chickens:

• Decreased appetite to the point of complete loss;
• Significant decline in bird body weight;
• Reducing egg production parameters when breeding laying hens;
• Irritated skin with red spots under the down;
• The feathers are not even and have holes;
• The bird begins to look restless, attempts are observed to peck parasites from the body;
• The mucous membrane around the eyes is irritated.

If chickens are infected, their growth is reduced and their condition quickly worsens, since due to loss of appetite, the young do not receive the required amount of vitamins and minerals.

To detect parasites on a bird, it is not necessary to call a veterinarian - you can do it yourself. More often, lice live in those areas of the body where the skin is delicate - under the wings, in the anus, around the eyes, etc.

When the degree of infection is insignificant, fluff eaters practically do not make themselves felt: they do not affect the health, behavior and appearance of the carrier. But with intensive reproduction, the presence of parasites can be determined by the condition of the skin and plumage of chickens.

Chickens infected with lice develop bald spots.

• ruffled feathers;
• inflammation, redness, wounds, scratching on the skin;
• holes on individual feathers;
• necrosis and peeling of individual areas of the epidermis;
• partial loss of feathers;
• baldness in the anal area, on the head, neck, chest and abdomen;
• swelling of the eyelids, clouding of the cornea, purulent discharge from the eyes.

Infection with mallophages is evidenced by the restless behavior of chickens, which constantly scratch their beaks and paws, trying to remove insects from themselves. When parasites actively multiply, laying hens suffer loss of appetite, decreased body weight, and exhaustion, which negatively affects egg production.

Pediculosis incidence peaks in autumn and spring.

The following factors contribute to infection and rapid reproduction of parasites:

• poor livestock care;
• unsanitary conditions;
• dampness in the chicken coop;
• poor diet;
• keeping a large number of chickens in a cramped poultry house;
• lack of free range;
• ignoring preventive measures.

Chicken lice can also appear after contact between birds and wild birds or rodents that carry ectoparasites.

Laying hens should be kept in direct sunlight or an incandescent lamp for 10-15 minutes if lice are suspected or for a routine examination. Mallophages love warmth, so they will certainly crawl closer to the light source and be clearly visible. In laying hens, you need to examine the skin under the feathers in the most vulnerable places where there is a concentration of down feather eaters: on the neck, cloaca, belly, and skin under the wings.

Signs of bird infestation with parasites

As a rule, in the initial stages of chicken infection with skin parasites, symptoms do not appear. This greatly complicates diagnosis. But after an increase in the number of insects, the following signs of invasion appear on the bird’s body:

• loss of appetite;
• slowdown in growth and development of young animals;
• reduction in weight and egg production in adult laying hens (in some cases, egg production drops by 70% or more);
• restless behavior of the bird;
• constant attempts to scratch the back and wings with the beak;
• ruffled and pale feathers;
• the presence of small wounds on the body and anemia, which is clearly visible on the bird’s crest and earrings;
• vulnerability of birds to various diseases, which are then difficult to cure due to weakened immunity.

Also, general symptoms can be supplemented by individual signs of bird infection with a specific type of parasite. Thus, in the case of parasitism of bird eaters, small bald areas appear on the body, the size of which is constantly increasing. If red mites appear, the hen refuses to return to the nest.

Bald patches are a sign of parasite infestation

How to fight: effective methods

The owners are faced with difficult tasks: to preserve adult birds and young birds, and to prevent the spread of parasitic infection to other chicken coops. Treatment of mallophagosis is a long, complex process: to completely destroy “chicken lice” it takes 3–4 months, often six months.

Veterinarians recommend a combination of synthetic drugs and formulations based on natural ingredients. The use of chemicals gives a noticeable effect, rather destroying parasites. Traditional methods are more effective for preventing infection and repelling parasites.

Drugs

Sick and healthy individuals are treated, and the premises must be disinfested. At the initial stage, it is difficult to determine which of the chickens is infected; the best way out is to use antiparasitic compounds to combat peri-eaters in all individuals.

The drugs are sold at a veterinary pharmacy. The doctor will select a remedy based on the symptoms and the degree of infection of poultry. Compositions against lice and ticks in domestic animals are suitable for the treatment of mallophagosis.

Effective poultry treatment products:

• Frontline.
• Stronghold.
• Celandine.
• Insectol.
• Arpalit.

Features of application:

close the beak or tie it, treat the back area with the selected insecticide

Particular attention: bald areas; the optimal distance for applying the spray is from 15 to 20 cm from the feathers; repeated treatment is carried out after a week: toxic compounds cause paralysis in adults, but have almost no effect on egg laying. Before this period, you should not spray or lubricate the backs of chickens/chickens: the birds may die;

To kill feather eaters in chickens, it is prohibited to use the drug in the form of a spray; spraying of the composition is carried out over all feathers, not only on the affected areas

If the treatment is not thorough enough, the parasites move to areas where the drug did not reach and develop further; Chemicals alone are not enough: the optimal result is achieved by combining sprays, anti-lice drops with home methods of fighting against lice.

Effective compositions for disinfestation of chicken coops:

• Cucaracha.
• Executioner.
• Tetrix.
• Battalion commander
• Dichlorvos.

For disinfestation of premises where hens and chicks are kept, preparations against fleas, cockroaches, ants, and bedbugs are suitable. The selection of the composition depends on the degree of infection of the chicken coop. If there is an abundance of parasites, drugs with a high degree of toxicity are required.

Processing rules:

put on a respirator, thick overalls, transparent plastic glasses, rubber gloves; prepare the working solution according to the instructions

Particular attention is paid to the concentration of the composition: many drugs show high effectiveness in a certain environment at an optimal concentration. The packaging of the drug indicates how many milliliters or grams of the product to dissolve in water for disinfection of premises; remove food, take out bowls and feed troughs, throw away wooden products where parasites or their eggs could be preserved; take out the litter, destroy (burn) or take it to a landfill; thoroughly clean the chicken coop from chicken droppings, leftover feed, and straw; treat perches, walls, floor with working solution

When using the composition in the form of a spray or aerosol, slowly go through every centimeter; for disinsection of a chicken coop, a solution prepared on the basis of an emulsion concentrate is preferable: the consumption of an aerosol or spray will be too large, several cans will be needed, which increases the cost of treatment against “chicken lice”; close the doors, wait until the vapors are absorbed into all the cracks; After a certain time, ventilate the room.

Folk remedies

Effective agents for the treatment of mallophagosis:

• baths made of wood ash and sand. A simple way to get rid of parasites, especially before there are too many of them. Combine ash and clean sand, pour into a trough, place in a chicken coop or in an aviary (depending on the time of year). Chickens happily “bathe” in the dust, feather eaters suffocate and quickly die under the layer enveloping their feathers;
• use of medicinal plants. Prepare a strong infusion of chamomile (take 4 tablespoons of dried flowers for 1 liter of water), boil for 5 minutes, drain, rub into the feathers and skin of adult hens and chickens. Powder made from twigs, leaves of wormwood and pyrethrum (a type of chamomile) repels parasites.

Bird symptoms and treatment

When a poultry flock becomes infected with periodontal beetles and other skin infestations, the productivity of laying hens first decreases. Egg production decreases by approximately 15-20%. This sign is the first warning sign.

Symptoms and treatment methods depending on the type of lesion:

Traditional methods and prevention against parasites

A universal prevention option would be to install an ash bath in the poultry farm with the addition of sand, sulfur, and lime. To repel insects, hang bunches of dried mint inside, and place onion and garlic peels in the corners of the chicken coop.

Tar, which is used to coat the paws of chickens and perches, helps against mites. To prevent parasitic infestations, the chicken coop is regularly cleaned, food and drinking water are changed in a timely manner. The bird is examined more often.

Tar helps against ticks

Danger to humans and other animals

Staying among infected birds for a long time without protective clothing inevitably leads to multiple bites.

Chicken pests do not take root on humans, but there is a danger of an allergic reaction and infection: encephalitis, worms, brucellosis, salmonellosis.

Treatment: instructions on how to get rid of it

At the moment, there are two known methods of treating poultry for periodontal infestations:

1. Using various chemicals.
2. Traditional methods.

In both cases, treatment is quite labor-intensive and long-term. Depending on the extent of the damage, complete expulsion of ticks can take from ten days to several weeks.

This is because the feather eater is very “tenacious”, and also, as happens with ordinary ticks, it can sit out for quite a long time and wait for the future victim in the litter, crevices of the poultry housing building, and garden tools. At the slightest appearance of characteristic symptoms, it is necessary not only to immediately begin to treat the bird, but also to carry out high-quality disinfection of the chicken coop and all equipment used.

Before you start treating the entire chicken coop and floor, of course, the birds need to be removed from there. Old litter with bacteria and elements of wooden structures must be removed and burned to prevent a relapse.

Disinfection

Treatment should be carried out even when you notice at least one chicken suspected of having this disease. You need to act immediately and not put it off “for later” to prevent the mites from spreading throughout the room and to other chickens. It is necessary to treat the chicken coop, outdoor pen, and equipment with the drug. Do this with special care so as not to give the insects the slightest chance of survival.

Nowadays, the following substances are used for disinfection:

• Cyodrine. Water 25% emulsion;
• Entobacterin or oxalate. Aqueous 2% suspension;
• Chlorophos. Aqueous 0.3–0.5% solution;
• Karbofos. Effective insecticide.

Sand-ash baths

There is one very ancient, but effective method of ridding birds of feather eaters. Sand-ash baths will be very useful for chickens infected with the pest. Birds “bathe” in them with pleasure. In order for chickens to be able to cleanse themselves of parasites, it is necessary to mix carefully sifted sand with wood ash in equal proportions. Before doing this, you should get rid of any foreign objects that may be in the ingredients. Such as, for example, small pieces of glass, wire, nails, so that the birds do not get hurt. Ash can be used from any burnt wood or leaves. For better effect, polychloropylene or chlorophos is added to the mixture. Based on 1.5–2% of the total volume of ash.

After bathing in such improvised baths, birds create a thin layer between their skin and feathers. The living environment for pests becomes unfavorable and they die.

Drugs

The most effective remedy for feather eaters is considered to be treating birds with various medications. At this time, there are external preparations used in veterinary practice that affect the life cycle of the parasite, affecting the functioning of the nervous system. And this leads to quick death.

Quite effective means for treating domestic animals and birds are the following drugs:

To treat the room where poultry is kept, as mentioned above, a liquid called “Karbofos” is used. If there are few chickens, you can use products that are used to treat lice in humans. For example, Nyuda spray, etc. It is worth noting that the previously listed drugs do not kill eggs laid by parasites. Therefore, in order to destroy young feather eaters that appear from previously laid eggs, the treatment of the birds is repeated 7–10 days later. The diet table for laying hens at home can be found here.

Folk remedies: fight with your own hands

Just a few decades ago, there were no modern effective drugs for treating chickens from peri-eaters, and proven folk methods were used:

• Kerosene diluted with water or vinegar. Suitable for adults only. The mixture is shaken and applied to the feather cover of the chicken;
• A mixture of kerosene, ammonia and benzene. This drug is also contraindicated for young animals;
• Sand and ash baths. The mixture is placed throughout the walking area for young and adult birds;
• Chamomile decoction. A universal remedy. Treatment with this drug is especially suitable for chickens. There is no risk of poisoning them;
• Powder from ground dry wormwood. Wormwood is especially afraid of fleas and ticks. And after several procedures, the parasites escape. This remedy is used to treat chicks.

Disinfection of the chicken coop

Having discovered parasites on chickens, they treat not only the chickens, but also the poultry house. All surfaces are disinfected, including the flock’s favorite places. But first, the inhabitants are evicted and a general cleaning is carried out.

Preparations for spraying chicken coops are divided into 2 categories. Some can be used in the presence of birds, others cannot. The last category is cheaper in cost, but requires a lot of effort and time. The approximate consumption is 0.5 liters of solution per cubic meter of treated area.

Having discovered parasites on chickens, they treat not only the chickens, but also the poultry house

Preparation for disinfection, washing

With a large number of birds, it is difficult to treat each bird with medicine. Therefore, the spray method is used. After preparing the solution, wait until the birds calm down and sit on their perches. Then they carefully spray the birds, trying not to scare them away.

Further actions:

1. The chickens are transferred to a clean room.
2. Throw away unsuitable bedding, litter, leftover food, and droppings.
3. Wash the internal structures of the chicken coop.

After the measures taken, protective clothing (mask, gloves, body suit) is prepared to ensure human safety when working with insecticides.

Treating the chicken coop for parasites

The chicken coop is disinfected sequentially.
The chicken coop is disinfected sequentially, thoroughly spraying the interior space with a sprayer. Use insecticidal preparations of your choice:

• Entomazan is super.
• Stomazan.
• Diazonin.
• Butox.
• Peritrum.
• Sevin.

An alternative to aerosols is steam treatment or fumigation with insecticidal smoke bombs (for example, Peshka-V). The checker weighs 50 g and is designed for a room of 200-250 square meters. m.

To prevent parasitic infestations, use containers with ash and fine sand.

2-3 hours after completion of work, new bedding is laid out and fresh food is poured in.

There are no universal remedies that simultaneously destroy eggs and adult lice. Therefore, treatment is carried out every 10 days until the infestations are completely eliminated.

Prevention against lice

To reduce the risk of bird infection, it is recommended to use the following tips:

It is important to protect the chicken coop from rodents, wild birds and animals. To do this, it is necessary to eliminate holes in the walls and roof of the room.

For walking birds, you need to use mesh pens that can limit contact with other birds. Make sure the chicken coop is spacious enough. The barn needs to be kept clean. Feed new food and change bedding regularly. It is necessary to constantly remove leftover food and feathers, debris and dirt. To repel insects, you can lay out collections of plants such as wormwood, lavender, and tansy in the barn. Check your chickens monthly for insects.

It is known that it is easier to prevent the occurrence and development of a disease than to fight it.

To protect birds from parasites, a number of preventive measures should be followed:

1. Eliminate holes in the chicken coop through which rodents, carriers of the disease, can get to the chickens.
2. Birds should be walked in a specially designated area, covered on top and sides with netting to prevent interaction with wild birds.
3. Clean the livestock habitat in a timely manner.
4. Build the premises according to the number of birds, avoiding overcrowding.
5. Use dry lavender, wormwood, and wild rosemary in the litter as parasite repellents. To prevent chickens from eating such herbs, they are placed around the perimeter of the chicken coop, in places that are inaccessible.
6. Conduct a preventive examination.

Ways of infection of chickens

Chickens become infected with parasites through:

• bedding;
• low-quality feed;
• perch;
• street dust;
• from another chicken.

Roosters play a significant role in the spread of parasites throughout the chicken coop. They clean their plumage less often and do not tend to take dust and ash baths. Chickens can become infected with feather eater from their owners, even while sitting in cages and closed chicken coops. A person can bring parasites on clothes and outdoor shoes.

On a note! The probability of infection does not depend on age and breed; if periodicals get into the chicken coop, they will eventually settle on all individuals.

The rapid spread is facilitated by keeping poultry in poorly ventilated, damp areas, dirty bedding, exceeding maintenance standards and free range, allowing contact with wild birds. As a result of infection, chickens lose their appetite, become thin and lose weight. Young animals and chickens grow poorly, adult chickens reduce egg production. Decorative breeds of chickens lose their beautiful plumage, which is unpleasant for aesthetic chicken breeders.

Important! Using a magnifying glass, you can easily see small holes in the bases of feathers lost by chickens.

A chicken infected with parasites and weakened becomes easy prey for infectious diseases that enter the blood through bites or develop on wound surfaces. In the absence of timely treatment and preventive measures, mortality may begin very soon.

How to remove lice from chickens

To get rid of lice, it is necessary to treat the chickens and the room where they are kept. Inexperienced poultry farmers often do not know how to best treat chickens, so they waste time using various ineffective methods.

Experienced farmers can share their experience on how to rid domestic chickens of lice using folk methods or chemicals. Whichever method is preferred, they recommend processing the birds twice.

Repeated treatment is usually carried out 7 days after the initial one.

Chemicals

When it is necessary to treat chickens for lice, it is very important to select products that will not harm the birds. Numerous veterinary insecticides cope well with this task.

The most effective drugs of this type are:

1. Insectoacaricidal powder. Poultry farmers appreciate it for its ease of use. It is enough to apply 1-5 g of the product to the feathers and a pronounced therapeutic effect will not take long to appear.
2. Frontline, Beafar. Some farmers prefer such medicines in spray form. Therapeutic manipulation involves spraying the wings of the affected chickens so much that they become wet.
3. Promectin. This drug is intended for oral use. It is usually added to the drinking water that chickens consume daily. Most often, this remedy is used to treat young animals and eliminate lice in broiler chickens.
4. Butox. Another dosage form option is dry powder. A solution is prepared from it, intended for treating infected birds.
5. Neostomazan, Stomazan or 2% oxamate emulsion. Quite effective means, but they are contraindicated for laying hens or those chickens that will soon be sent for slaughter. This is due to the fact that their active ingredients (insecticides) can persist for some time in poultry meat or eggs.

Most properly selected veterinary drugs, when used correctly, do not contribute to poultry poisoning and the accumulation of poisons in its meat or eggs. If desired, poultry farmers can choose the optimal form of insecticide (drug solutions, sprays or powders) for their chickens.

It is recommended to remove lice from chickens with Butox 50. One dose of the product is dissolved in 4 liters of water. It is imperative to maintain the dosage so as not to harm the chickens. And the person who will do the processing must first put on gloves and a respirator.

Spray the chickens generously with the resulting solution. It is more correct to catch each chicken separately and cover their head while spraying.

During manipulation, special attention should be paid to the neck, abdomen and areas under the wings

It is also necessary to treat adult individuals so that in the future the chicks do not become infected again after contact with them. If such drugs are not at hand, as a last resort, you can use flea drops - Celandine, Dana, Bars.

The dosage should be selected based on the weight of the bird and applied to the skin of the chicken. However, it should be remembered that such insecticides do not kill parasite eggs.

Folk remedies

The fight against chicken lice can be done at home using traditional methods.

The lice and feather eater in chickens can be successfully eliminated using the following means:

1. Kerosene kills adult lice and partially dissolves chitin in larvae. Infected chickens are treated with kerosene, after which they are quarantined in a separate room. After 7 days, the treatment is repeated.
2. To combat nits, lice treatments should include vinegar. Before use, dilute 1 part vinegar with 1.5 parts water. The prepared solution is used to treat the skin and feathers of chickens. Repeated manipulation is performed a week later.
3. Some poultry farmers note that tar helped them in the fight against lice. They diluted it with sunflower oil (1:1) and smeared it on the chickens.
4. Baths made of sand and ash can be a preventive or additional method of control. It is recommended to rub this composition into the fluff. Or place basins with ash and sand in the chicken coop so that the chickens can give themselves baths.

In addition, medicinal plants that repel them can help in the fight against lice: wormwood, marsh rosemary, tansy. It is recommended to hang bunches of such herbs in the chicken coop or place them in the bedding.

Getting rid of parasites correctly

There are several ways to get rid of lice and fleas: they can be divided into chemical means, physical effects and means based on the experience of poultry farmers. In order for the treatment to be successful, it is necessary to take into account the size of the chicken coop and the number of chickens. It is necessary to strictly follow the instructions and observe personal safety rules when carrying out processing.

Chemicals

The most effective means to remove parasites are chemical ones. For the most part, they are safe as long as they do not get into the bird’s digestive system or eyes. If the chicken coop is small and there are 10-20 chickens in it, drops for external use such as Stronghold, Frontline, Bars, Advantage will do an excellent job, even if they are intended for treating dogs and cats. You can also treat each chicken separately with a solution containing an ampoule or powder with special peritroids. It is worth paying attention to other pets, especially birds, with which chickens may come into contact, in order to avoid re-infection.

Treating the chicken coop is also an important component of treatment, since parasitic insects often hide in cracks, holes, litter, nests, accumulated dirt, etc. This can be done using Karbofos liquid or concentrated aerosols Get, Tsifox, Cucaracha. Tools such as Raptor and Raid are less convenient and effective, and are also expensive compared to the previous ones. If there are a lot of affected chickens and they are kept in a large room, a good economical option would be the base for the Butox solution (1 ml per 4 liters of water).

The second good product for treating a large chicken coop is Deltamethrin powder. For chickens, it is used by spraying onto the feathers and rubbing onto the entire surface of the skin. To coat a large chicken coop with powder, you need a special dust sprayer. It is important that neither Deltamethrin nor Butox powder gets into the eyes and respiratory tract of the chicken, so the head is not treated for fleas and lice and the product is applied to each individual individually.

It is also necessary to deal with fleas and lice in the correct order - first, you need to treat each chicken for parasitic insects and temporarily relocate them from the coop. After this, you need to completely treat the chicken coop; there should be no chickens in it for 1 to 3 days after treatment, so that all fleas or lice and their eggs die. The final stage of the fight against parasites is general cleaning. It is necessary to clean everything - the floor from droppings, walls and cracks in them, perches, nests, feeders, completely change the bedding, get rid of garbage and ventilate the room.

Physical influence

Treatment with physical means is safer, but less effective. Rather, these are methods that delay the rapid spread of parasites. For birds, this means installing spacious troughs with a mixture of ash and sand; chickens bathe in it and partially get rid of bloodsuckers. The mixture must remain dry. For a chicken coop - this means treatment with boiling water or steam, cleaning the room from remaining food, dirt, droppings and other things.

Fighting with folk methods

To treat chickens for fleas and lice, vinegar is used, sometimes with the addition of kerosene, for wiping. Another mixture is benzene, ammonia and kerosene, which has a strong odor that repels lice and fleas. It can be used on both chickens and the premises. The smell from a wormwood broom is also unpleasant for little bloodsuckers and may prevent them from returning.

The best preventative measure is to keep the coop clean. If you regularly clean the garbage, change the litter and remove droppings, the larvae and eggs of lice and fleas will have nowhere to settle and will constantly be carried out along with the garbage.