Chicken lice - how to get rid?

Poultry is one of the main sources of meat on the market, but chickens can be sick with the most common diseases: infectious and non-infectious, congenital and parasitic. Diseases caused by parasitic arthropods living in the body of their host can, to one degree or another, disrupt the function of the whole organism. Therefore, the questions: how chicken lice appear, how to get rid of them, worry many poultry farmers.

Important! Pediculosis in chickens is very detrimental to their health. First, egg laying is reduced, and then the weight of the bird. If adult individuals can easily tolerate the disease, then the chicks mainly die, as they are poorly protected, and can not fight pests themselves.

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Chicken lice fighting them

External parasites of poultry live on or inside the skin and feathers. The presence of lice (poohoedov and peroedov) depends on the conditions of their transfer from bird to bird. If at home the problem with parasites is less acute, due to the small number of age groups, then in large production poultry farms, where the population is large, the probability of the spread of insects is much increased.

Important! Given these features of breeding birds, it becomes clear that at the first sign it is urgent to look for a safe but effective method of how to get rid of chicken lice.

Lice, as well as lice, are exclusively parasitic insects and have the following symptoms:

• The body is small (from 0.3 to 6 mm in length), highly compacted and divided into three parts. The color is light red.
• There are three pairs of legs with specially arranged claws (1 claw for each foot). This arrangement of the paws helps the parasite to firmly cling to the hair of the animal.
• The antennae are hidden in special holes.
• The head of chicken lice is wide, lunate.
• The oral apparatus is piercing-sucking, in the form of a short proboscis. The animal blood is absorbed by the parasite with the help of strong muscles of the pharynx, as well as the oral cavity. Saliva penetrating the wound prevents blood from clotting.

Important! About 40 species of lice are known to infect chickens. Parasites weaken birds, causing severe itching. In addition, some insects can carry pathogens of dangerous diseases, for example, anthrax, tularemia and others.

The parasites multiply continuously and develop very quickly (one generation in about a month). Therefore, the remedy for chicken lice should be quick and effective.

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How to determine the infection of chickens with parasites?

It should be noted that chicken lice and the fight against them may arise as a result of:

• Poor feeding.
• Deteriorating conditions of detention.
• Contact with sick animals, such as wild birds.
• Decreased immunity.

It is not difficult to notice the signs of the disease:

• In poultry infected with parasites, skin irritation appears.
• They constantly brush their feathers and scratch themselves.
• The main manifestations of pediculosis are the presence of yellow-brown parasites on the feathers of a bird with sizes from 1 to 5-6 mm, as well as a decrease in body weight, nervousness and an unexplained drop in productivity.

Important! To detect parasites, it is necessary to sort out the feathers of poultry, as well as inspect the anus of chickens.In these places, very often there is a likelihood of the appearance of both fleas and chicken lice, in addition, pets can be hit by ticks.

To see small parasites, you need bright lighting and naturally, good vision. For additional lighting, you can attach a light to the head.

Important! To control infected birds in production flocks, select 20-50 heads at least 2 times a month from all parts of the premises. For inspected birds, carefully inspect the legs, head, and anus. If the found parasite cannot be identified immediately, then send the insect to the laboratory or entomologist.

Blood-sucking parasites (chicken mites, bugs) that attack birds for food only are much more difficult to detect, since it is necessary to check the walls, cracks, perches and all the secluded places where insects can hide.

All the material of the nests, the dust accumulated in the room, can be checked, decomposed in a white bath to detect parasites.

Important! The number of lice on a bird, as well as the severity of the course of the disease, directly depends on such external factors: humidity, chicken breed. If the chicken breed has a short beak, then the bird will not be able to clean itself of parasites, and thus, the number of insects will increase rapidly.

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How to get rid of chicken lice in the barn?

Measures against parasites are very diverse. Insecticides are widely used - drugs from chicken lice that cause the death of harmful insects.

Important! Made preparations can be in the form of ointments, solutions, sprays.

Insecticidal preparations are also available in the form of soluble powders, water-dispersed liquids, emulsifiable concentrates. The preparations are intended for use in the form of a spray solution or aerosols.

Insecticides are also available in the form of a pulverulent preparation (dust) or baits. This type of product is usually ready for use.

The main chemicals used for the direct processing of poultry, bedding or shed are:

• Organophosphorus compounds.
• Synthetic pyrethroids.
• Pyrethroid insecticides.
• Carbamate.

Do not mix disinfectant and chemical insecticides for complex use. It is useless to use old, but ineffective inorganic agents such as sulfur and lime. If chicken lice have appeared - how to get rid of them should be determined based on current capabilities and an affordable budget for treatment.

Important! To combat parasites, preparations based on chlorinated hydrocarbon are prohibited for use, since this chemical compound can accumulate in both eggs and meat.

When using insecticides in order to get rid of chicken lice as soon as possible, observe the following rules:

1. Strictly follow the instructions on the packaging of the special instructions so as not to exceed the amount of the drug that is acceptable for use.
2. Avoid contamination of feed and water with chemicals.
3. When working with the drug, be careful and safety.
4. Collect all eggs before insecticide treatment. During spraying or aerosol spraying with the drug, make sure that the ventilation of the room works well.

Important! An inaccurate concentration or volume of the insecticide, its improper use, as well as contamination of the feed, water, soil or litter with the drug will cause pesticide residues to accumulate in the eggs or meat.

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How to apply insecticides?

In industrial poultry farming, labor-intensive methods that apply to individual chickens, such as treatment in a disinfectant solution or dusting, are unacceptable. The key to successful use of the drug and ensuring control is the ingestion of the insecticide in the direct location of the parasites. Therefore, most often, to get rid of chicken lice, aerosol preparations are used.

When spraying, you must adhere to the following methodology:

• Each bird should be subjected to the most thorough treatment, that is, it should be wet to the skin.
• The habitats of birds must be carefully treated with a remedy for chicken lice, so that insecticidal preparations get into all possible habitats of parasites.

Important! If laying hens are grown in cells, then the most preferred treatment method is spraying the drug under high pressure from the outside of the cell. Use other types of equipment. Most importantly, they would ensure that the insecticide enters the feathers and skin of the bird.

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Folk remedies for chicken lice

To remove lice with the help of folk remedies, use herbs and substances to which parasites are sensitive.

To fight, you can use:

• Ointments with mercury and pork fat.
• Wormwood and other bitter herbs.
• Plants with a specific odor that repel insects.
• Ash with added sand is an effective method against parasites. You can sprinkle bird feathers with wood ash.
• Dilute medical tar with 1 to 1 sunflower oil and process the feathers of birds.
• Kerosene also kills parasites.
• Use a mixture of sulfur, sand and ash to control parasites. Add wormwood and celandine to the mixture, and wipe off the bird with a few times.

Important! All these methods are suitable exclusively for home, private use, but not for industrial poultry farms.

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Prevention of the appearance of parasites

To avoid the problem of ridding poultry of parasites, regularly take preventive measures:

• Avoid contact of poultry with wild birds.
• In winter and autumn, at least 2 times a month, regularly inspect birds and process them if necessary. In each case, process the treatment of revealing chicken lice twice - with an interval of 7-10 days.
• After releasing the shed from the bird, carry out a complete cleaning of the room so that parasitic insects do not appear on the remaining feathers.
• For bird cages, check regularly with random birds, twice a month.
• Pour ash into the cage or house (where the birds are located). You can mix the ash and sand so that the bird bathes in the product.
• Whitewash walls with lime mortar.
• Do not limit the bird to space, let it walk freely to reduce the likelihood of parasites.
• The chicken coop should be constantly clean.
• Hang wormwood over the chicken coop - its essential oils will expel all parasites from the room.
• Change your bedding more often.

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Stock footage

Chicken lice - this is not very dangerous, but at the same time, this disease can cause a decrease in egg laying productivity and the death of chicks. Therefore, as soon as you find the first signs of the disease in poultry, proceed to destroy the parasites immediately. Use our tips and tricks for this purpose so that the disease does not affect your profits and the health of domestic chickens.