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I've been putting DT and woodashes in the entrance of the run where some of the chickens dustbathe. But most of them bathe randomly outside, so it won't help them. For the most docile I have also used a mix of turmeric and lemon tea essential oils in olive oil to coat the places where I could see nits. But they are very hard to spot especially if the chicken doesn't stay still.In this article I came across this info too:
Diatomaceous earth (DE) can be used to achieve louse control. A safe and effective way to apply diatomaceous earth is to mix it with sand and allow the birds to dustbathe in the mixture. Mix ~6 cups of food grade DE with ~25 lbs (½ bag) washed play sand in a plastic container (swimming pool or concrete mixing bin) (Fig. 4).
Thought it might help Blanche after the poisonous treatment. I don’t know if she lays eggs anymore, but you should discard them after using fipronil/permetrin for your own health.
One thing I've noticed is that some of them now keep the dust they put on during the bath, for several hours. I think it's probably linked to the lice.
I will dust all of them with pyrethrin again next week and I will do another dusting tonight for the chickens that seem to still be really itching, Nieva and Léa.
Blanche doesn't have the strength to bathe, she can't even shake. So I dusted her again with pyrethrin. I still see lice on her, but one at a time. Nothing compared to the hundreds that were there. She hasn't laid for about a year now. I would not use Fipronil on a laying hen or a healthy one because of feces. Blanche doesn't eat anymore so almost nothing comes out.
It was a good surprise, a law proposal presented by the green party that nobody expected to pass ; but unfortunately they excluded kitchen utensils - teflon and tefal, non sticking coating for pans. And it's not acted yet, it has to be voted by the senate which seems very unlikely as it is.******
Today was on the news your government is going to forbid the use of PFAS for consumers (cosmetics and clothing). Such a good thing. Id wish my government was that wise too. But here they always choose short time profit over health.
Last weekend there was a tv program where they interviewed backyard chicken keepers and people who do lab research. Lots of people were sending in eggs to check on PFAS from all over the country. It seems that 40% of the eggs from backyard chickens are contaminated to a dangerous level if you eat an egg daily. And the places with high levels of PFAS often were not where they would have expected it.
Tintin the adopted, spoiled brat with 2 mothers.
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So Blanche is still hanging there. Unconscious most of the day but when she is awake I now carry her to the parts of the garden covered in hay. I lift some of the hay and she eats a few bugs and worms. It's the only food she takes now. She pretends to scratch a bit and she sometimes has a grab at what the younger pullets dig up. It's better than staying in the crate all day, but then she falls asleep after about ten or twenty minutes.
So we must again ask ourself if it's not the time to make her go.