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

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.

Effective treatment

Despite the large number of folk recipes, it is recommended to give preference to pharmaceutical products. They are safer for health and effective in fighting parasites. This is especially true for the treatment of head lice in children. The “Paranit” line of products has proven itself to be excellent.

The products contain dimethicone and mineral oil. As a result of application, the lice's spiracles become clogged, oxygen access is blocked, and then they die.

A wide range of products allows you to choose the optimal solution for getting rid of parasites for people of all ages.

The product not only quickly and safely eliminates insects, but also has a number of other advantages:

• • convenient to apply and easy to wash off;
• • is not addictive;
• • non-toxic and does not affect the children's body;
• • optimal volume – 1 bottle of the bottle is enough for several treatments, so there is no need to buy the drug for each family member;
• • the line includes products for pregnant women and babies up to one year old (“Paranit Sensitive”);
• • Available in several forms - lotion, shampoo and spray.
• • Regardless of which product is used, after treatment it is necessary to remove dead parasites from the hair. (“Paranit Sensitive” does not require additional combing after using the product).

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.

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

Without parallel treatment of the chicken coop, treating chickens will be pointless. 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. A decoction of herbs 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.

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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).

Symptoms of chicken disease

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.

Typical symptoms of infection are:

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.

Infected chickens suffer the infestation even more severely - they grow slowly, show no interest in food and practically do not gain weight. If treatment is not carried out in time, infection with mallophages will cause the death of the bird.

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.

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.

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.

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 worth disinfecting your apartment and things?

This is not necessary, because lice do not live long without a person, so there is no need to call special teams for disinfection or treat everything with chemicals yourself.

Once the medicine has been applied to all sick people, a few simple things should be done:

• thoroughly wash all combs, hairpins and other hair accessories;
• wash things that were worn by the sick person several days before the start of treatment;
• vacuum floors and furniture, carry out wet cleaning;
• pillows, as well as soft toys, can be hidden in bags for a week or two, or even placed on the balcony in the cold season - this way the lice will die from lack of food or low temperature;
• You can also leave the apartment for a while and thereby deprive the insects of food.