Hello I just need to know of Pyrethrum based spray is safe for chickens to treat lice?does garlic spay actually kill live as my new hens have a Iove problem!thanks if anyone could help!Jo
I wouldn’t consider pyrethrum based spray safe for treating chickens directly. You can buy a dog flea powder at the supermarket for under 10 Dollars which works a treat on chickens. The Warehouse sells this powder, too. It is pyrethrum based, too, but as it is a powder, not a spray, it won’t make the chickens’ feathers wet and get to the lice that live close to the skin. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) also is effective against lice. Hold the chicken upside down by its legs and give a good dose around the vent area. Repeat after 10 days to kill newly hatched lice. Both DE and the Dog Flea Powder are effective against mites as well but in that case treat chickens at night while roosting so that the powder is still on the birds when the mites come out at night to suck blood from the chickens. Lice spend their whole lifecycle on the birds, mites live in the cracks and crannies of chicken coops. Have a look at http://www.poultrycentral.co.nz if you have more questions.
February 17, 2017 at 12:33 pm
Hello I just need to know of Pyrethrum based spray is safe for chickens to treat lice?does garlic spay actually kill live as my new hens have a Iove problem!thanks if anyone could help!Jo
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February 17, 2017 at 3:41 pm
Hi Jo-Ann,
I wouldn’t consider pyrethrum based spray safe for treating chickens directly. You can buy a dog flea powder at the supermarket for under 10 Dollars which works a treat on chickens. The Warehouse sells this powder, too. It is pyrethrum based, too, but as it is a powder, not a spray, it won’t make the chickens’ feathers wet and get to the lice that live close to the skin. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) also is effective against lice. Hold the chicken upside down by its legs and give a good dose around the vent area. Repeat after 10 days to kill newly hatched lice. Both DE and the Dog Flea Powder are effective against mites as well but in that case treat chickens at night while roosting so that the powder is still on the birds when the mites come out at night to suck blood from the chickens. Lice spend their whole lifecycle on the birds, mites live in the cracks and crannies of chicken coops. Have a look at http://www.poultrycentral.co.nz if you have more questions.
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