Small houses are kept on almost every farmstead in the private sector, it is very convenient and profitable, because at low cost you will be provided with fresh egg and meat. However, there are many diseases that can quickly reduce the number of birds, so it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive measures and, noticing the first alarming signs, immediately begin treatment. Today we’ll talk about a problem like chicken lice. How to remove these parasites and prevent re-infection? About it - further.
What is this parasite
Livestock farms, regardless of size, must be prepared to protect their livestock from any misfortune. Far from the most harmless are lice in chickens. How to remove these parasites, they will not always be able to tell you in a veterinary clinic, since there are not so many specialists in this field. Therefore, today we ourselves will seek ways to deal with them.
In fact, these are widespread bird parasites that are found in any representatives of the feathered world. Often they can be found even on canaries and budgies. However, it is on farms that they breed at tremendous speed and can cause serious damage. In large quantities, infection with lice leads to the death of birds, a decrease in egg production and the spread of dangerous infectious diseases.
Features
In fact, blood-sucking parasites in pets do not pose such a threat as lice in chickens. Practically every farmer knows how to bring them out without harm to the bird. This is a complex and specific process, however, all the procedures have long been worked out, and therefore do not present a problem for an experienced poultry farmer.
What is the difference between lice in chickens? How to remove these parasites, we will tell a little lower, but for now let's look at the "enemy in the face." They are small and hunched, flattened laterally and jumping very well. Because of this, to catch and crush them is almost impossible. They are protected by a strong chitinous cover, and in the plumage of birds they feel very comfortable and breed at great speed.
First of all, you need to make sure that lice are really common in chickens. We can tell you how to remove these parasites, however, these methods will be powerless if you are dealing with chicken mites. Unlike lice, they are red (brown lice), and the legs of ticks are widely spaced apart.
How to deal with parasites
In fact, if you do not exterminate them, then your chicken coop will become a place of mass death of a bird. Fleas are also dangerous for humans: they carry many diseases and helminth eggs. There is always a chance of being bitten by a flea that carries encephalitis. But helminths carry almost all fleas. That is, it is extremely important to fight parasites, and the chicken coop must be carefully cleaned of pupae and larvae.
Prevention
How to prevent infection of birds with bloodsucking insects? First of all, you need to quarantine every new bird, inspect it before you transfer it to the general house. If the economy is small, then it is worth examining all the hens every month. Be sure to install bathtubs for bathing birds in the house. Pour in them is wood ash and fine sand, as well as Pyrethrum powder.
If you are attentive to your household, it turns out that the chicken lice and fleas are not such a big problem. We will also tell you how to deal with a large number of insects, but for now, let's learn how to protect the house from uninvited guests.
In winter, when the bird almost does not leave the house, it is necessary to bring chlorophos into a dry litter. For example, you fill a part of the area with a layer of sawdust or dry leaves and add the mentioned product to it at 2 g per m 2 . Digging in such a litter, hens will disinfect feathers.
Drops against fleas
There are a lot of them in pet stores, and any of these tools will help you in the fight against misfortune. Therefore, if you are thinking about how to get rid of chickens from lice, you can start by analyzing products for cats and dogs. The most important thing is that it does not enter the digestive system of the bird, then it will not be able to harm it. The most effective drops are Stronghold, Frontline, Bars, Advantage.
The most effective remedies
Do not forget that it is impossible to process the chicken coop with the bird, first you need to bring all the livestock to a separate room, then process the feather of each separately, and only then, from the sprayer - the floor and perches, nests, walls and ceiling. In two days it will be possible to ventilate the room, remove the litter and lay a new one, replace the hay in the nests.
The most economical and effective tool will be the Butox drug - a tool based on the Deltamethrin insecticide. Using one ampoule, you can prepare 4 liters of a solution that treats both the bird and the room.
Other industrial insecticides
There are a lot of them on sale. This is an insecticaricidal powder, which is produced by many manufacturers. For example, "Barrier". For optimal results, spray 1-5 g of powder onto chicken.
If you prefer insecticidal sprays, then the best option for you is Beafar and Front Line. Each bird needs to be processed individually, spraying the spray against the feathers until they get wet.
For large farms, there are preparations for oral administration. For example, a product from TM NVESA "Promectin". Most often it is used in poultry farms for young animals and broilers. Drink the drug in the morning, adding to water.
Ancestral Experience
In fact, there are many ways to get lice out of chickens using folk remedies. They have their pros and cons, but ultimately you choose. Kerosene is very effective. It kills adult insects and dissolves larvae chitin. Kerosene is drip applied to the plumage of birds and process the entire room. Processing should be repeated after a week.
This is not the only way. Someone will argue that vinegar is the best option. Its effect is similar to kerosene. For processing, a 6% solution is required, it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1.5 and the birds are treated with the resulting mixture. The procedure should be repeated after a week.
Methods that have sunk into oblivion
Peasants have long been faced with such a problem as hen lice. How to remove these parasites by folk methods, they learned from practical experience, choosing primarily toxic substances. So, sulfur was widely used, which was sprayed throughout the house. But it is poisonous, so today its use is not justified. A little later, sulfur was replaced by dust. However, this method should also be treated with extreme caution.
Herbal medicine
Herbalists used to be able to observe nature and use this knowledge for the benefit of man. Speaking about what parasites are chicken lice and how to get rid of them with folk remedies, one cannot help but recall the bunches of aromatic herbs that our grandmothers collected and hung in poultry houses and cowsheds. This is an effective method of controlling parasites. First of all, wormwood is good against lice and fleas, swamp rosemary and tansy have proven themselves well. Herbs are harvested in the summer and harvested for the whole season, and then hanged around the chicken coop and scattered on the litter.
To summarize
Getting rid of chicken fleas is only part of the task. The most important thing is to prevent their reproduction in the chicken coop. Of all the above, the most tested and effective method of solving the problem is to maintain cleanliness in the house. Even there are parasites that will get inside with new hens or stray sparrows, their reproduction can be avoided, because larvae and pupae are constantly removed from the premises.
All insecticide treatment methods that have proven themselves in large poultry farms are often too time-consuming and completely redundant for small farms. Therefore, it is easier for farmers to regularly clean the chicken coop, cover it with fresh sawdust and hang fragrant bitter herbs like wormwood.