Mites/lice problem

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Mites/lice problem
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Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 9:02 am Post subject: Mites/lice problem
Is there anything other than Diatom and mite/lice powders that we can use? We've got Tabitha living in the kitchen atm as she's being picky with her food, has lost weight and has lice/mites. We've dusted her and dusted her and still the buggers are there.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 9:08 am Post subject:
Could you frontline her? Just use the same dose you would with a cat, by weight, under each armpit. It's pretty strong stuff, though, so if she is laying, you will need to chuck the eggs away for a couple of weeks - I don't use it on birds that I am selling the eggs from, but sometimes if you can't shift them ...

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 9:13 am Post subject:
Garlic helps. It's not a cure but definitely a preventative. There are harder chemicals like spot on but I don't recommend using unlicensed medicines. If it's mites you should give your housing a good scrub with Jeyes or paint the inside with creosote, kill the little bleeders where they spend the days.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 9:19 am Post subject:

I've started smearing a thick layer of vaseline around two or three inches at the end of the perches, as well as putting diatom in the perch sockets - it's old fashioned, but it does work well. I wouldn't use frontline unless everything else hasn't worked.

The other thing I use - and the vet prescribed it for me - is eprinex, which is a spot-on that is used on dairy cattle. It worms as well as controls biting lice and mites. It's flipping expensive for a handful of birds, though; if you know a friendly cattle farmer, Jools, you could perhaps scrounge a bit. Again, tiny amount under each wing - .2 or .3 of a ml in total.

Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 9:26 am Post subject:

We've got some Frontline for cats, but she's a lot lighter than them. Perhaps get the one for kittens?

She's not come back into lay after her winter break yet, so no worries about the eggs.

She's sleeping in a plastic cat box in the kitchen with minimal bedding and plenty of Diatom in it.

She doesn't touch her feed, so we've been trying loads of different foods. Trouble is, what she eats one day, she ignores the next!

But yesterday she did have all of the mushroom risotto that I gave her, and today she's having plain rice with some garlic powder, oregano, seaweed and grated parmesan.

Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 9:29 am Post subject:
No, don't know any dairy farmers.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 10:34 am Post subject:
There is a lot of Northern Fowl Mite at the mo (for some strange reason). Ive got it in 3 houses, and have been trying to get rid for 4 weeks now. I started with Ivermectin, and am now preparing to cut off infested feathers and shampooing the birds.

Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 10:40 am Post subject:
We asked about Ivermectin spot-on at Countrywide. The lady said that we'd have to get it from the vet and that it kills a lot of animals which put us off a bit. How do you tell the difference between the different mites and lice though?

ninat

Joined: 01 Feb 2009
Posts: 606
Location: Scotland

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 10:41 am Post subject:
The lice may be an indication that her immune system is trying to deal with something else. Thay seem to take advantage when a bird is run down.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 10:57 am Post subject:

red mite are usually only seen in housing - under perches, in corners. Run a clean piece of kitchen roll under perches etc - if there are smears of blood its red mite.

Northern fowl mite tend to gather in groups on bird. Look for dirty looking feathers, and peer at the roots of them. If its NFM you will see lots of tiny creatures....

Normal chicken lice are bigger, easily seen - almost same size as human head lice. Straw coloured, fast moving. Their eggs look like clumps of icing sugar (if its a bad infestation).

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 11:25 am Post subject:

ninat wrote:

The lice may be an indication that her immune system is trying to deal with something else. Thay seem to take advantage when a bird is run down.

That was my thought too. I suspect the underlying cause is something else.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 11:31 am Post subject:
Ivermectic can be very bad for collies. There's something called harkamectin, that is the same thing - people use it for pigeons and a lot of people use it for chickens, although (like frontline) it isn't licensed, which is why you need a prescription for it) here If you use frontline, just use a half-sachet.

Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 11:39 am Post subject:
Thanks everyone. We'll give the frontline a go when Rob gets back from work.

GigerPunk

Joined: 28 Oct 2011
Posts: 23

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 12:09 pm Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

Only found a few traces of red mite in one of the coops so far, so suspect not that - perch ends are well dusted with diatom (and some louse powder for good measure), but will try adding some vaseline as well.

Not sure on the Chicken Lice/NFM aspect, I've been told I have superhuman eyesight anyway, so what I class as easily seen isn't necessarily the case for most.
What I have seen on her is probably 1mm or smaller and a golden brown colour. Couldn't say if they're like human lice or not as have been fortunate enough to never have seen any.
Yet. [touch wood]
Guessing just from the colour though that we're probably looking at Chicken Lice? (What colour are NFM?)

Jools wrote:

Thanks everyone. We'll give the frontline a go when Rob gets back from work.

Well, that's my evening sorted then.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 12 12:30 pm Post subject:
Jools, if you are close to me (I'm about 5 miles from Raglan), you can use some of our Noromectin. Also a spot on for cattle that we use on our chickens. We have not had red mite, lice or louse in 4 years and we use either Eprinex or Noromectin. (I think they are both the same thing - just different brands)

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