Fleas in chickens: how to fight and get rid of folk methods, the best drugs

A very common problem that occurs with poultry owners is the appearance of fleas, especially in chickens. They are difficult to detect in the initial stages of the lesion due to their rather small size, and the reproduction of these parasites occurs at a tremendous rate. And if you do not take measures to rid the bird of fleas, this can lead to an outbreak of various diseases and a massive pestilence.

What is a chicken flea and how to detect it

Chicken fleas outwardly differ little from those that parasitize domestic animals and other mammals.They are quite small, often difficult to distinguish among the feathers with the naked eye. Fleas have a flattened body, about 1.5 mm long, covered with a strong shell. The color is dark - from burgundy to brown.

Thanks to their developed hind limbs and the ability to jump far, they quickly spread among chickens. Fleas attack birds in large colonies, which include hundreds of parasites. The flea is firmly fixed on the skin, this allows it to parasitize on the victim for a long time.

The most comfortable temperature for their life and development is +40 C degrees, so they will quickly die on the body of another animal or person.

Symptoms of appearance

In most cases, the lesion begins imperceptibly, the pests are almost invisible under the feathers. This is facilitated by the very small size of fleas. Only when the parasites crawl out to feed on open areas of the chicken body (head and paws) can they be seen with the naked eye.Outwardly, they resemble brown growths or clusters of moles.

And this, in turn, means that the colony of parasites on the bird has grown to hundreds, and possibly thousands of inhabitants. This distribution is already becoming dangerous to the he alth and life of the chicken. For the rapid reproduction of parasites, a combination of factors is needed, such as: lack of cleaning and preventive treatments, change of chicken litter, heat, high humidity.

Harms and symptoms:

• pain and constant itching from parasite bites - chickens begin to peck themselves and pluck feathers;
• restlessness and irritability, birds look disheveled, untidy;
• drastic weight loss with good appetite;
• appearance of bald patches on the feather cover;
• apparent drop in egg production;
• dark crusts, growths that appear near the eyes or comb, and under the feathers everything is literally “infested” with fleas;
• danger of infection with helminths, nervous and physical exhaustion, subsequent mass death of birds.

How to get rid of chicken fleas

To rid birds of small parasites, both proven chemical agents and effective folk methods are used.

Chemical means

Currently, there are enough chemicals on the market to fight parasites, which are used both for chickens and other animals. They are available in the form of drops, aerosols, powders, ointments and emulsions.

Butox

The chemical agent Butox-50 will help to remove fleas from chickens. This drug is used for external treatment of birds, as well as other animals. Butox is also suitable for disinfection of residential and commercial premises. It is a light yellowish oily liquid. It is characterized by a very effective action in the fight against various parasites.

It is doubly pleasant when choosing a drug that, for all its advantages, it is relatively inexpensive and easy to use, and a positive result will be noticeable after the first time.

The active substance of Butox is the pyrethroid deltamethrin, which is part of many well-known insecticides. It gradually accumulates in the body of parasites and has a strong effect on the nervous system, causing paralysis and death of fleas. What is characteristic, the insects die, and do not scatter after the application of the drug. To rid chickens of them, Butox is used for spraying birds, medicinal baths and treating chicken coops.

To prepare a solution for bathing birds, 0.9 liters of Butox are added to 1 ton of cool water. Then everything is well mixed, for uniform distribution of the drug in the liquid. After chickens, groups of 10-20 birds are driven through a bath with a medicinal solution.For spraying, the following concentration is used: 100 milliliters of the chemical is added to 100 liters of water and mixed thoroughly.

Then, the entire feather cover is well treated with a spray gun and allowed to dry. It is not necessary to rinse off the liquid after spraying. In addition to treating the birds directly, it is necessary to secure the premises in which they are kept. To do this, prepare a solution that is well sprayed with the entire chicken coop. The concentration is 20-30 milliliters of the drug per bucket of water.

Deltamethrin Powder

To get rid of birds from parasites, another effective chemical agent is used - deltometrine powder. It is produced under various names: Bas alt, Barrier and in various packaging, from 7 grams to 3 kilograms. The drug, with the recommended dosage and compliance with safety rules, is low toxic, not dangerous for warm-blooded animals and birds.

It is a grayish-white powder with a sharp, specific odor. For treatment, it is applied to the skin of a bird, spreading the feathers with your fingers, and the feather cover is directly powdered. Spraying birds with the help of dust sprayers is also used, the consumption is 10-15 grams of the drug per 1 chicken.

Powder is also suitable for treating an empty chicken coop - the consumption rate is 100-150 grams per 1 square meter of area.

Folk remedies

To get rid of parasites will help not only chemical, but also folk remedies proven by more than one generation.

Herbs

Healing and spicy herbs with a strong smell help fight bloodsuckers. But it is important to remember that folk remedies are effective only in the initial stages of infection, as well as to prevent the appearance of fleas. In case of severe damage, only chemical agents are effective.

The smell of herbs such as wormwood or tansy, lavender, rosemary, chamomile, depresses and repels fleas. They are added to bedding, scattered around the chicken coop, and bouquets (brooms) are made from them, hanging from the ceiling.

Decoctions and infusions

To fight fleas, decoctions, infusions of fragrant spicy and medicinal herbs are used. Wormwood has proven itself especially well. To prepare a decoction, take 50-60 grams of fresh plants ( although dry ones can also be used) and pour them with 1 liter of boiling water. Then they are steamed for 10-15 minutes and after cooling, they are rubbed into the skin of the chickens.

The method of preparing the infusion is as follows: take 30 grams of wormwood and tansy and pour 3 cups of boiling water. Then boil for 10 minutes, and then insist from evening to morning. After filtering and spraying them with a chicken coop, paying special attention to secluded places.

Ash

The most convenient and easiest way to prevent damage and fight fleas will be wood ash (in its pure form or mixed with river sand).In a chicken coop or a walking yard, containers (baths, basins) with a mixture are placed. Chickens, taking such baths, themselves get rid of pests that do not tolerate ash. Moreover, the chickens themselves know when it is time to "swim".

The owners will only have to periodically pour out the old ash and add a new one.

Consequences for chickens

Chicken parasites, especially in mass distribution, can cause significant harm - fleas are carriers of many diseases and contribute to parasite infection:

1. Brucellosis (or Bruce's disease).
2. Salmonellosis.
3. Trypanosomiasis.
4. Helminths.
5. Plague.
6. Sleeping sickness.

Danger to humans

This type of flea itself is safe for humans and other animals - they cannot bite through the skin and live at the wrong temperature. But if you come into contact with a bird that is infected with flea-borne diseases, a person can become infected.

Infection occurs both when eating meat, eggs of sick birds, and through tactile contact. And the consequences for a person can be very serious, even fatal.

Prevention measures

To maintain high productivity and he alth of chickens, owners need to regularly carry out flea prevention, including the following factors:

• need to protect the exercise yard with a net, avoid contact of domestic chickens with other birds, including neighboring birds;
• regular cleaning of the chicken coop, periodic change of litter;
• using folk methods to prevent the appearance;
• periodic "bathing" of chickens in ash baths, setting them in the exercise yard.

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