Many chickens will come into contact with lice once in their life. Especially in summer, the small parasites can form a real pest where they are frequently present on the chickens. The different types of lice can cause the chickens a lot of itching and irritation. It is therefore good for a hobby chicken farmer to be well prepared for this. Firstly, it is good to know whether you are dealing with lice, red mites, mites or fleas. In addition, you must recognize the symptoms in the chickens so that you can treat the lice in time. In addition, there are various ways to reduce the chance of getting lice.
Difference between parasites
Lice are common parasites in chickens. Lice are often annoying to the chickens, they cause irritation and can cause anemia or bald patches. However, lice are less harmful to the health of chickens than many other parasites, such as red mites or other mites and fleas.
Lice
Lice are small bugs that can sit between the feathers or on the skin of the chickens. Lice can be seen with the naked eye and
have six short legs. Lice live on the feathers, blood or skin flakes of the chickens. Because lice crawl slowly, they cannot easily reach people. If they do end up on humans, they can cause irritation and itching, but they will not survive long.
Mites or red mites
However, lice in chickens are often confused with the well-known red mite, which can even be fatal to chickens in the long run. But red mites are actually not real lice, but mites. Other names for the red mite are therefore red bird mite or bird louse mite. The difference between mites and lice can be recognized by the number of legs. Mites have eight legs, while lice have 6.
Fleas
In addition to lice and mites, fleas can also parasitize the chickens. Fleas are also visible to the naked eye and have 6 legs. Unlike lice and mites, fleas can jump. As a result, it often happens that fleas also bite people, which can cause itching and bruising. The fleas, like lice and nits, cannot live on humans.
Types of lice
Chickens can have different types of lice. They can suffer from brown body lice, feather lice, down lice, goniodes, wing lice and chicken head lice.
Brown body louse
This louse feeds on chicken dander. This irritates the skin which leads to itching and stress in the chicken. The brown body lice is mainly around the cloaca, or anus, and on the belly of the chickens.
Feather lice
Feather lice are common in chickens. Unlike brown body lice, feather lice are easier to detect in chickens by carefully checking the feathers. The lice are in between the feathers and live on the keratin, the protein that makes up feathers. Feather lice can damage and fall out the feathers. Itching can also cause irritations and bald spots.
Down locks
A down louse is a very small louse that sits at the base of the chicken’s feathers. You can distinguish them from feather lice by their size, as feather lice are larger than down lice. Furthermore, down locks do not occur on the head and wings of the chickens.
Goniodes
Goniodes are very large lice and are often on the belly of the chicken. Here, the goniode, like the other lice, causes itching.
Wing lice
As the name implies, the wing louse is near the wings of the chicken. The lice often choose the warmest spot, namely under the wing of the chicken. The louse eats the dander on the skin of the chickens.
Chicken head louse
Chicken head lice is on the head and neck of the chicken. Because the chicken cannot reach it well, it is often more difficult to recognize. The chicken does not get bald spots on the head. However, skin irritation can occur, which can be seen when the chicken is viewed closely.
Recognizing lice
Lice are difficult to see between the feathers of the chickens. If you examine the chickens properly, a number of species will certainly be recognizable, but often lice are easier to recognize by monitoring the chickens and their behavior. Lice symptoms in chickens can include:
- Fidgety chickens that display more aggressive or different behavior
- Lots of flakes between the feathers
- Pecking with the beak between the plumage
- Feather dropouts and bald spots
Unlike mites and fleas, lice are usually not found in the night shelter. Lice generally also stay on the chickens during the day, because they cannot survive long without the chicken.
Influence of lice on the health of chickens
If left untreated, lice can affect the health of the chickens. Itching and scratching can cause bald patches to make chickens more susceptible to infections. In addition, the lice can in some cases cause anemia in the chicken.
To treat
Lice are generally easy to treat. There are various remedies for sale against lice. Because all lice belong to the same order, the anti-lice agents work against all types. Anti-lice agents often consist of sprays containing pyrethrin or piperonyl butonixide to be applied to the chickens. After 4 days or more, nits hatch. Repeating the treatment two or three times also kills the new lice. Make sure that all chickens are treated so that they cannot infect each other again. Because the anti-lice agent can also get into the eggs, it is best not to eat the eggs for up to 7 days after the treatment. It is wise to also clean the loft, because lice are sometimes left behind. All feathers and litter in the loft must be cleaned up and the loft itself can be cleaned with diluted chlorine and possibly treated with the anti-lice agent.
Prevent lice
Preventing lice is not always possible. Still, there are ways to deter lice. Especially when several preventive measures are taken, this could reduce the chance of lice in the chickens.
Dust bath
Chickens like to take a dust bath. This is very beneficial for combating lice. The fine sand causes the lice to suffocate. Therefore, make sure that there are sufficient options for taking a dust bath. When chickens are free to roam, there are in most cases plenty of options. Otherwise it is wise to place a container with white sand, possibly supplemented with anti-lice powder, in the run. Place this on a covered part, so that the dust bath does not turn into a mud bath after a rain shower.
Diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth consists of small siliceous dried algae. Diatomaceous earth can be mixed in a dust bath, the chickens then ensure that the skin and feathers are treated with the diatomaceous earth. The sharp pebble-like material can then prevent the lice and nits from nesting on the skin or feathers.
Tobacco stems, ferns and tansy
Lice do not like certain plants such as tobacco stems, ferns and tansy. Planting these frequently in the chicken coop can help prevent lice in chickens. You can also dry the plants and spread them in the loft.
Garlic
Lice also dislike garlic smell. Giving a clove of garlic can therefore have a preventive effect against lice. It is also possible to put a clove of garlic in the drinking water of the chickens.