Causes and symptoms of chicken lice, how to remove them and what to do for prevention

Insects living on the body of farm birds are a real disaster for owners. Due to the rapid reproduction of parasites, the entire population of chickens becomes infected with chicken lice in a short time, which damages the health of the birds and reduces their productivity. Therefore, it is important for the breeder to notice the problem in time and help the birds get rid of annoying insects.

What do chicken lice look like?

These are small insects of a dark brown or yellow-brown color, no more than half a centimeter in size (usually about 2 millimeters). The body of chicken lice has a flattened shape, with claws at the ends of the legs. On the head there is a proboscis, with the help of which parasites feed on blood, and mandibles (jaws). It is difficult to see insects among the plumage with the naked eye.

Chicken lice reproduce by laying eggs. After emergence, the louse grows quickly and within a few days it becomes capable of reproducing. Insects live for about a month, feeding on the blood of the bird, scales of the hostess’s skin, as well as down and feathers. There are many different subspecies of chicken lice.

Causes of infection

A chicken can pick up parasites from a sick relative, as well as through contact with wild birds or rodents. Provoking factors are insufficient cleanliness in the chicken coop, dirty plumage, excessive crowding of birds, and decreased immunity of birds.

Symptoms of parasites

It is not difficult to notice the onset of the disease. When lice appear, the following symptoms occur:

• chickens become restless, begin to itch, peck at their skin, and therefore wounds and bald spots form on their body;
• birds lose their appetite, lose weight, and lay poorly;
• the skin of chickens becomes red and flaky, birds begin to go bald;
• sleep is disturbed.

Roosters develop a bluish comb color.

Diagnostic rules

In order to timely detect lice infestation in chicken livestock, you need to inspect your pets every 4-5 weeks.

Armed with a flashlight, you should carefully examine the bird’s head, neck and back of the head, the area under the wings and near the anus, and the chicken’s legs.

How to get rid of chicken lice?

If feather-eating parasites are detected, it is not recommended to delay the start of treatment. It is necessary to immediately treat the chicken coop (the birds are transferred to another place), and then begin to rid the chickens of lice.

In an advanced stage, treatment is carried out with medications; at earlier stages, folk remedies give a good effect.

Pharmacy drugs

The necessary medications are purchased at a veterinary pharmacy. In order to remove parasites, it is recommended to use:

1. Sprays (Clean House, Frontline, Beafar). Before starting application, it is necessary to clean the surface of the chicken from any contamination. Then the treatment is carried out over the entire body of the bird against the feathers, which need to be lifted until the skin is exposed. You need to spray the bird until it becomes wet. It is important to ensure that the spray does not get into the chickens’ beaks or eyes. Products such as Stomazan, Neostomaza and oxamate emulsion are contraindicated for laying hens and should not be used 30 days before slaughter.
2. Drops (Frontline, Bars). Depending on the area of ​​infection, the product is applied either to the entire body of the chicken, or only to the withers of the bird. In this case, the drops should not fall on the feathers, but on the skin of the chicken, for which the feathers must be carefully pulled apart. Drops should not be used more than once a month. The use of such products on chickens and sick chickens is prohibited. Drops are added to a warm drink for young animals.
3. Aqueous solutions (Tetrix, Executioner, Butox). They are applied similarly to sprays by spraying the skin of chickens. For the treatment of chickens, Promectin is recommended, which is diluted with water and poured into drinking bowls.
4. Special powders (Deltamethrin). Such products are rubbed into the skin of chickens.

Any procedure is carried out twice. The second time - 1-1.5 weeks after the first.

No parallel coop processing chicken treatment will be meaningless.The room where the birds are kept must be thoroughly cleaned and washed, and then sprayed with insecticides. In this case, there should be no birds in the chicken coop for 2 hours after treatment. When working with the product, it is recommended to wear special clothing, a mask and gloves. After two weeks, the treatment is repeated.

For spraying the chicken coop, it is recommended to use Peritrum, Karbofos, Butox, Sevin, Drucker, Diazinon, Tsifox, Entomozan Super, as well as some products that are used to treat the birds themselves (for example, Butox). Solutions must be prepared strictly according to the instructions.

If possible, spraying with insecticides can be replaced by steam treatment of the chicken coop.

It is carried out using a special unit, or by calling special services that have the necessary devices.

It’s a good idea to use insecticidal smoke bombs (Peshka-B) to disinfect the chicken coop. Treatment should be carried out in the absence of birds. One checker is intended for 250 cubic meters of space.

Before you let the birds into the chicken coop, you need to lay out new bedding, add fresh food and pour clean water. To repel parasites, herbs such as tansy, wild rosemary, wormwood or chamomile are scattered.

Folk remedies

Usually used in the earliest stages of the disease. To remove lice, vinegar, kerosene (alone or mixed with gasoline and alcohol), and herbal decoction are used:

1. Vinegar is diluted with cold water in a ratio of 1:3 and sprayed on the chickens using a spray bottle.
2. Kerosene is used in the same way, only it is not diluted with water.To repel ticks, you can add a little ammonia to kerosene and apply a few drops of this product to the back of the chicken’s neck.
3. It is recommended to make a mixture of kerosene, alcohol and gasoline in equal proportions. This mixture is rubbed into the skin of chickens.
4. The herbal decoction is prepared as follows: take 300 grams of tansy, chamomile and wild rosemary, pour 6 liters of boiling water, cook for 15 minutes. Allow to cool and spray the birds with this product.

In addition to the products used, you can use sand-ash baths.

They are also good as a preventive measure. A container with sand and ashes is placed on the territory of the pen or chicken coop, and the chickens themselves will fuss there. Sometimes purified sulfur is added there (bought at the pharmacy).

What products should not be used?

Some remedies help against chicken lice, but harm the bird itself. Others do not cause harm to birds, but accumulate in muscle fibers and eggs, after which, when they enter the body of people, they cause intoxication.

To remove chicken lice, the use of endrin, chloradane, heptachlor, benzene, and hexachloride is prohibited.

When using approved chemicals, it is important to observe their dosage, since exceeding it can also affect the quality of chicken meat.

Possible consequences for chickens

Chicken lice have a negative effect on the health of birds. Insect bites are especially dangerous, causing severe itching in the chicken, since when bitten, parasites release special substances into the victim’s blood, and thus can introduce any disease. If you don't help chickens get rid of lice, they can die.

How dangerous are chicken lice to humans?

Chicken lice do not live on humans, but they can climb onto a person and bite him.To get rid of parasites, you just need to wash yourself with ordinary products. It is not the insects themselves that pose a danger to people, but their bites, since lice can be carriers of various infections. Chicken lice bites cause allergic reactions in some people.

Prevention

To prevent the appearance of parasites, it is necessary to take the arrangement of the chicken coop seriously. It should be spacious enough and have a fence that prevents sparrows and rats from getting in there. The chicken coop and aviary require regular cleaning.

Proper nutrition of birds also plays an important role. The food must contain all the necessary microelements, vitamins and minerals. When purchasing new individuals, you should definitely make sure that they are not infested with lice or carry out preventive treatment.

Is it possible to eat meat from infected poultry?

Since chicken lice can carry diseases, you should not eat the meat or eggs of infested chickens.

Chicken lice cause great discomfort to the bird, have a negative impact on its health, and if left untreated can lead to death. Therefore, it is very important to monitor the health of birds, create good living conditions for them, and pay attention to the quality of food.