Run own systems

[BUFFS]

we have a bird that moulted during the really cold weather and now has a lovely new plumage,however,ive just been inspecting them,to make sure they are 100% and the one who moulted has some small,look like tiny maggots by the vent,i have dusted them all with louse powder,do i need to put anything else on the birds as the others are clear at the moment?,was this caused by her system being run down by the moult?..all advice welcome...

[Suechooks]

I haven't seen lice but don't think they look like maggots . I thought they were little greyish scuttling things. Is the area round her vent mucky or broken skin? I'm thinking fly-strike but it's the wrong time of year for that. Sorry I think I've been more hindrance than help.

[BUFFS]

my wife,who could see them better,says they were about 1/16" long and light brown colour and round the vent area,but not on vent itself,little wrigglers she says that they scuttled out of the light as she moved the feathers to look,id forgotten my glasses,so i could not see them clearly,just hoping louse powder will work........

[RichmondHens]

Never come across maggots by the vent before. Lice are amber coloured insects, fast moving, which scuttle out of sight pretty fast. With a heavy infestation they cement their eggs (nits) to the feather shaft close to the vent (some people mistake this for dried white poo) but you cannot see the eggs move. Like Sue, if it were warmer I would suspect fly strike, but it is not the season for this. Are you sure they were not just large lice?

When you get a louse infestation, do make sure to dust all birds, even the clean ones, and all again 4 or 5 days later to catch the hatching ones. Once all birds are clear, you can then step down to inspection and dusting every couple of weeks.

A thought - they do move more slowly in cold weather so could be mistaken for something else.

[BUFFS]

having a mini heatwave now with temp about 6/7,will put more powder on on friday and more on the underside to catch any hiding down there,thanks for all the help,id be lost without you folks....ps..do i cover all the bird with powder or just all round back end?

[RichmondHens]

Lice are a bugger and all chickens get them from time to time. Just make sure you check/dust regularly and give the birds constant access to a dry area to dustbathe in.

When you powder make sure you rub well into the skin. I actually tip my birds upside down (they will object if not used to it but soon know what's going to happen and are happy to be "pampered"). With heavy birds you can get them across your knee this way. The main problem areas tend to be around the vent, between the legs and in cocks around the tail (above and below). For some reason I find cocks to be more prone to getting them - maybe it's because the lice know that by infesting the male they get spread around more easily via mating.