Mites & Lice on Birds

I can't find any discussions posted on this subject on the forum. I may have referenced it in the whitewashing a coop and some other places, but nothing seems to be dedicated to this subject...at least nothing lately.

I just (like 2 days ago "just") brought bird lice (little whitish, fast, skinny insects that hate light) into the house on a cleaned incubator that I am using for lockdown. I must have put it down to dry outside in a place where a wild bird came to visit. We have too many sparrows, so undoubtedly that's the source. I am not seeing any lice elsewhere, just around and on this incubator. Undoubtedly inside now as well. Unfortunately, I have new peachicks hatching in this incubator, so the lice have brand new blood. :( So, an instant infestation.

So now, I am looking for an acceptable solution. I don't like ivermectin use on birds as much as it works well according to the mighty inyernet & people that I know who dont mind chemical use on their birds. I've also read that as much as it is off label (but popular) use, it should not be used on new chicks. So, no matter what, natural is the way to go.

I have garlic water (the sulfur repels) ready to go (3-4 finely cut up cloves in 1.5 L water, let sit 3 hrs). This will be there to drink & I may use it for a topical spray too. I have fine garlic powder that I can put into the feed. I can give a dust bath of play sand, coffee grounds (see imbedded post), ash and maybe some herbs of powdered sage, oregano, thyme & mint. I suspect they will eat these if any particles are intact, 🤔). I WILL NOT use DE with my birds because it can harm their delicate lungs. I also will not promote the practice. There are other much safer alternative alternatives. Peppermint essential oil may also harm birds, so be aware of that when it is recommended.

I still have hemp mats that I can put in as bedding. This will repel the bugs (they hate it), and keep the cage dry.

I found some other ideas that include dipping birds in a vinegar-water solution and more. I think that if I can find lemons soon enough (I wish I had lemons on my little tree!), I might try the lemon rind spray idea.

I will post the links of what I've found below on both mites & lice.

So first of all:


https://www.birds4hobby.com/2020/08/method-for-eliminating-bird-lice-by-garlic.html?m=1


Happy reading. 😬

Comments

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning thank you so much for all the info! I have bookmarked it all for later reading. I have not had an issue with mites or lice on any of my birds yet but I'm pretty sure it is inevitable. I want to be ready and prepared to deal with a problem before hand.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Well, what I've done so far is put down the hemp mat in a clean cage & made a dust bath of play sand, ash, coffee grounds (more added tomorrow), powdered garlic, powdered sage, oregano, thyme, & ground cloves.

    I will be giving them ACV water for a few days. On Friday, it will get hotter, so I will switch it to garlic water. The older pea, just across the partition, has garlic water as a preventative & a dust bath of the same mix above.

    I put fine garlic powder in the feed for both. I wish I could remember where I got such fine powder. It's like icing sugar or cornstarch.

    I may do a dunk of birds, but don't want to chill them. Once it gets hot, I may try that. I can spray them with garlic water at their vents & under the wings.

    I'm not confident that I have done enough, but it's better than nothing.

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

    I keep a dusting of Diatomaceous earth in my coop and run -- have for years, and have never had a problem with my girls getting mites, lice, etc. Maybe they wouldn't be getting lice without the DE -- I have no way to be sure -- but I don't use any other treatment, so at the very least, it's not hurting anything.

    DE can be expensive, so I buy the 50-pound bags of food-grade DE from the local feed store. Still pricey, but lasts a long time and is much cheaper per pound to buy in bulk than it would be to buy in the smaller bags you find at Tractor Supply and etc....

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @Merin Porter It can cause issues in their lungs, so I have chosen not to use DE. I know that I am not in the majority, as it is promoted extensively on online blogs and there is rarely a caution given.

    We did give the little birds a soak. They really relaxed in their mini spas. Lol We didn't see any sign of pice on their feathers or under their wings, etc., beforehand and none floating in the water afterward. We did this as a precaution due to their age, that they are being kept in the house, and because the older one has no parasites.

    All are doing well so far, being noisy & enjoying chickweed as we drop it in here & there throughout the day.

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

    That's interesting! Are there tell-tale signs of lung issues from DE exposure that I should be looking for?

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin
    edited July 2022

    I haven't looked into it much, but I prefer to be on the side of caution. I don't like the thought of breathing it in myself, nor the kids doing so, so of course the birds would be a concern in that regard as well.

    Sometimes things are popular (pushed along by bloggers who follow the fads while claiming they are experts...my pet peeve), but sometimes these fads aren't all the are claimed to be...pumpkin seeds for deworming as one other example.

    Here is an article that covers a bit of the controversy. There is also a link within the article that is to an herbalist's thoughts on using DE. The vet that gives his comments believes in drugs. I bet if you talked to any herbalist, including Doc Jones, you would learn of other herbal treatments and other methods that actually do work.

    https://the-chicken-chick.com/diatomaceous-earth-de-benefitrisk/

    The herbalist link here:

    https://the-chicken-chick.com/raising-chickens-naturally-diatomaceous/

    I have no doubt that what I tried would work to some extent. I just don't know the best method to completely eliminate them. I did many things at once. The chicks have no lice...but maybe they didn't somehow get to them while in the incubator? That's what I've been wondering.

    Prevention is always best of course and that is what I was after, that and possibly early treatment. None of the lice had appeared to have fed yet. They were still all pale.

  • jowitt.europe
    jowitt.europe Posts: 1,465 admin

    @LaurieLovesLearning thanks for starting this discussion. My hens do have red mites. I use all kinds of measures, clean, wash, spray chicken coop with Diatomaceous Earth, spread dried wormwood herb and oregano… Nevertheless they are there. Every two weeks I wash and clean and change and soak in water laying boxes… They are still there.

    i will watch the videos. May be I find and easier solution.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @jowitt.europe Thankfully, I have never had those (yet). I understand that they are one of the worst mites to get, I think for the fact that they are difficult to get rid of.

    Have you painted all surfaces so as to seal any holes they will hide in in the wood? Have you used linseed oil to coat perches? In the old days, people would whitewash/make real milk paint to seal everything. It is supposed to work really well. They would also coat perches with kerosene (not so healthy nor safe, but they did it).

    The northern red fowl mite will feed, and hide in any tiny cracks in the wood, not just on the bird. These actions will give less hiding places and make it less hospitable.

    What type of bedding are you using? They like straw (that's what I have because it is readily available and inexpensive, but am aware of the limitations & negatives of straw. Are you able to get hemp straw? It is inhospitable to insects. It is said that it repels them.

  • jowitt.europe
    jowitt.europe Posts: 1,465 admin

    @LaurieLovesLearning Thank you very much for your valuable advice. You are lucky that the red mite did not reach your area. Here it seems to be everywhere. The big farms get some kind of substance they give to birds, so that the blood of the birds turns to be poisonous for the mites. I am always careful about these strong chemical measures. I try to use as little wood as possible. I have changed all the laying boxes into plastic and clay ones. Actually they also sleep in these boxes. I use no straw, only wood shavings and hay which I dry when I mow my lawn - it is a herbal hay as my lawn is a wild flower lawn. I regularly change it, put everything into a black plastic bag and keep exposed to the sun, hoping that the heal will destroy the mites. I would burn, but in summer we do not use the stove and bonfires are not really allowed.

    I did not whitewash the garden shed. My chicken are in the garden shed. I am thinking of whitewashing it. for winter I will move the chicken to my greenhouse. I have a small coop which I will put inside the greenhouse. For the time being this coop is being sanitized by the sun and the rain. I removed the roof of the small coop and keep it exposed to the sun and rain, hoping that this will kill all the mites before winter.

    so whitewashing next!

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @jowitt.europe Those mites are present here, I just haven't seen the problem in my coops to date. I am very fortunate.

    I don't remember if I said or if it is mentioned in any of the links, but garlic water (in addition to regular water given for choice) might help. This is the alternative to the chemical controls. The thought is that it will make the bird taste bad to them. I know if works well on large livestock when a garlic mineral block is offered. Pests don't like biting them.

    If the hens sleep in these boxes, put insect repelling herbs inside the boxes. I've also heard to plant mint around the perimeter, however, I don't know if this will help in your fight or not.

  • jowitt.europe
    jowitt.europe Posts: 1,465 admin

    @LaurieLovesLearning thanks! I will definitely try garlic water. The boxes are full of oregano, lavender, mint. It looks like it helps.