Chicken lice are a common pest that can infest backyard and commercial flocks. An unchecked lice infestation can cause anemia reduced egg production weakness, and even death in severe cases. That’s why it’s crucial for chicken owners to know how to identify, treat, and prevent lice.
What Are Chicken Lice?
There are over 50 species of lice that can live on chickens. They are flattened, wingless insects that live their entire lifecycle on the host. Chicken lice have mouthparts designed to feed on feathers, dead skin, and scabs. They lay eggs called nits on the feather shafts.
The most common lice species are
- Body lice – Found on the skin, mostly around the vent, breast, and thigh areas.
- Shaft lice – Smaller than body lice and lay individual eggs along the feather shafts.
- Northern fowl mites – Microscopic mites that cluster eggs around feather shafts.
- Red roost mites – Feed on chickens at night then hide in coop crevices by day.
Chicken lice only infect chickens and pose no threat to humans or other animals
How Do You Know If Your Chickens Have Lice?
It’s important to regularly inspect your flock for signs of an infestation:
- Excessive preening and feather picking
- Loss of feathers, bald patches
- Pale combs and wattles
- Clusters of eggs (nits) on feather shafts
- Visible lice crawling on skin and feathers
- Decreased energy, drooping wings
- Lower egg production
- Anemia, weakness, lethargy
Catching lice early allows for quicker and more effective treatment.
How to Get Rid of Chicken Lice Naturally
Natural lice treatments can eliminate an infestation without using harsh chemicals. Here are some effective options:
Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
DE is a natural mineral dust that kills lice by absorbing oils from their exoskeleton. Apply DE powder generously to affected chickens while avoiding eyes. Also use DE in dust bathing areas. Reapply every 2-3 weeks until lice are gone.
Essential Oils
Oils like peppermint, tea tree, lavender, and thyme can repel and kill lice. Add a few drops of oil to water in a spray bottle. Lightly mist chickens avoiding eyes, nostrils, and mouth. Focus on vent area, under wings, and around neck. Reapply weekly.
Garlic
Garlic has antiparasitic properties. Feed chickens chopped garlic or add garlic juice to their water. You can also make a garlic spray. Mix garlic juice, water, and an essential oil. Spray chickens and coop. Reapply weekly.
Apple Cider Vinegar
The acids in ACV kill lice and also make chickens’ skin less hospitable. Add ACV to drinking water or spritz diluted ACV onto affected areas. Can be drying so don’t overuse.
Keep Coops Clean
Thoroughly clean the coop to remove debris where lice can hide. Remove old bedding, scrape droppings, hose surfaces. Apply a natural premix spray before adding new bedding. Prevent reinfestation by cleaning regularly.
Dust Baths
Give chickens access to dust baths with DE or wood ash to suffocate lice. Chickens will use dust baths instinctively when needed. Provide at least 2-3 times per week during an infestation.
Chemical Lice Treatments
If natural options haven’t resolved the infestation, chemical products may be warranted. Use caution and follow all label directions carefully:
- Poultry dusts containing pyrethrin insecticides
- Permethrin sprays and washes
- Ivermectin pour-on or orally dosed
- Carbaryl poultry dust (Sevin)
Withdraw eggs and meat before use as directed on the product label. Never use products intended for other animals.
How to Prevent Chicken Lice
Good prevention habits can help avoid infestations:
- Quarantine new chickens for 30 days before introducing to flock
- Check for lice during quarantine and treat if needed
- Provide frequent access to dust bathing areas
- Practice proper biosecurity like handwashing and changing clothes/shoes
- Clean the coop regularly
- Avoid borrowing items from other flocks
- Don’t bring in wild birds
- Check chickens weekly for early signs
Catching lice early makes treatment much easier. Inspect feathers around vent, under wings, and neck areas.
Can Humans Get Chicken Lice?
No, chicken lice only infect poultry. Lice are species-specific parasites. So human lice cannot live on chickens, and chicken lice cannot infest people or other animals. You may feel crawling or bites if handling infested chickens, but lice won’t live on or reproduce on humans.
Lice are a common challenge for backyard chicken keepers. An infestation shouldn’t be ignored since it can lead to anemia, lower egg production, weakness, and potentially death. The key is early identification and prompt treatment. Natural options like DE, dust baths, essential oils, garlic, ACV, and thorough coop cleaning can eliminate lice without using harsh chemicals. But if natural methods fail, chemical products may be required as a last resort to save the flock. Prevention is also important through quarantines, frequent inspections, good sanitation, and biosecurity. With quick action, most lice infestations can be managed successfully.
Chicken lice – how to spot them
Lice are often found on hens that are debilitated or unwell; healthy hens are very good at keeping them at bay by preening and dust bathing and for this reason not every bird in your flock will necessarily have lice if you find them on one.
It’s worth bearing in mind that hens with damaged or overgrown beaks may find it harder to keep their feathers clean.
Live adult lice are visible to the naked eye and are golden in colour, approx. three millimetres long, and lay white eggs (nits) on the hen. Lice are easily spotted running on the skin under the wings and around the base of the tail; they survive by eating feather parts, dead skin and blood.
Lice lay their eggs, also called nits, in clusters on the skin and around the base of feathers, and these clusters are very hard to remove without plucking out the feather.
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FAQ
What kills chicken lice instantly?
Diatomaceous earth and wood ash can be effective at killing and preventing parasites in your chicken coop and dust bath area. Diatomaceous earth is a natural product made from fossilized algae which is safe for chickens but deadly to mites and lice.
Will chicken lice go away on their own?
No, chicken lice will not go away on their own. They require treatment to be eliminated from a chicken flock. While chickens can use dust baths to help manage lice, this is not sufficient to eradicate an infestation.
How do you treat lice in chickens?
Every 3-4 months chickens can be treated with maldison or pestene. If you find active lice or mites you should repeat the treatment in a week.
Can chicken lice spread to humans?