Chicken Lice Treatment and Home Care Guide

Your chicken has been diagnosed with lice, a common external parasite in backyard poultry. The good news is that lice are treatable and most birds recover quickly once treatment begins.  Lice are small insects that live on the chicken’s skin and  feathers. They feed on feather material and skin debris.  While they are irritating for chickens, they do not infect people, dogs, or cats. Lice spread easily between birds,  so it is important to treat all chickens and the coop environment. 

What Signs Do Chickens With Lice Show? 

Common signs include: 

• Itching or excessive preening 
• Feather damage or missing feathers 
• Debris or tiny moving insects near the vent or under the wings
• White clusters of lice eggs attached to feather shafts 
• Restlessness 
• Decreased egg production 

Lice often gather around the vent, under the wings, and at the base of the tail. 

Treatment for Your Chicken 

Your chicken has been treated or prescribed treatment for lice. Because lice live on the bird, every chicken in the flock should be treated even if they do not appear affected.  The most common treatment is permethrin poultry dust or spray. 

How to treat your chickens: 

1. Wear gloves. 
2. Apply the dust or spray to each bird. 
3. Focus on areas where lice live: 
   • around the vent 
   • under the wings 
   • along the back and neck 
   • base of the tail 

4. Work the powder down to the skin. 

Repeat treatment in 7 to 10 days. 

This second treatment is important because it kills lice that hatch from eggs after the first treatment. 

Keep permethrin away from cats and human eyes and skin. 

Treating the Coop and Environment 

Treating the environment helps prevent reinfection. 

Steps to clean the coop: 

1. Remove all bedding and nesting material. 
2. Dispose of the bedding in a sealed trash bag. 
3. Thoroughly clean the coop, nesting boxes, and roosts. 
4. Apply permethrin poultry dust or spray to:
   •  nesting boxes
   • roosts
   • cracks and crevices in the coop 

5. Allow the coop to dry before adding fresh bedding. 
6. Replace with clean bedding. 

Environmental treatment should also be repeated in 7 to 10 days. 

Provide Dust Baths 

Chickens naturally control parasites by taking dust baths. Providing a dust bath helps prevent future lice problems. 

A simple dust bath can contain: 

• dry soil 
• sand 
• wood ash 

Place the dust bath in a dry area of the coop or run. 

Monitoring Your Flock 

Check your birds again in 10 to 14 days. Look around the vent and under the wings for: 

• moving insects 
• clusters of eggs attached to feathers 
• persistent feather damage 

Most infestations resolve after two treatments when both the birds and the coop are treated. 

When to Contact the Veterinarian 

Please contact us if: 

• lice are still present after two treatments 
• your chicken becomes weak or stops eating 
• you notice severe feather loss or skin irritation 
• egg production drops dramatically 

Early treatment and good coop hygiene help keep your flock healthy and comfortable. If you have any questions about your chicken’s care, please contact our hospital.