Danger of chicken fleas
All pet and bird owners are familiar with the problem of fleas in chickens in a chicken coop. Despite the fact that cats are often the habitat of these parasites, chicken fleas are also a common and unpleasant problem that needs to be paid special attention to.
Chicken fleas
Chicken fleas are very dangerous not only for birds, but also presents problems for humans how to get rid of them forever. Parasites are carriers of dangerous diseases: plague, brucellosis and salmonellosis, therefore, they not only bring chickens and turkeys to exhaustion and death, but are also able to transmit worms to a person. It is necessary to fight them first of all to preserve human health. You will learn further about how fleas appear in chickens, how to get rid of them quickly and what else these "roommates" are scary about.
On the features of the appearance of chicken parasites
Laying hens and chickens can get lice and fleas from other birds. It is not difficult to find out what ordinary chicken fleas look like, because they have the same structure as all other species. So, fleas in poultry have a small body up to 2 mm in size, in lice up to 5 mm, and are also equipped with strong long hind legs that help fleas to jump. The parasite has no wings, and its entire body is colored chocolate. Another feature is that fleas in chickens can resemble a small dark hanging mole, which can be seen in any photo. The peculiarities of chicken fleas are in some nuances.
- They only choose bodies for life turkeys, chickens and chickens.
- Parasites are thermophilic, therefore they are not able to withstand temperatures below 40 ° C.
- Insects have a peculiar mouth that bites through extremely thin skin. This means that fleas are not dangerous for a person who does not keep bird cages in the house.
- For food, they choose only the blood of broilers, chickens and hens.
- Clusters of parasites are often located in places of the bird where there is little or no feathering.
- The female parasite does not leave the selected prey until eggs are laid in it. To do this, the female "shoots" eggs with the help of special muscles. The larvae that appear immediately the next day look like small worms. They are distinguished by their rapid growth and increase, but they cannot be dangerous if they are not in a warm chicken coop. The larvae feed on dry blood, droppings, hay and any other waste found in the chicken coop.
- Chicken fleas breed every day, and the female covers the entire area with eggs around her.
- An active worm develops for several weeks, after which it becomes an immobile pupa. In this state, the parasites can calmly stay for several months, until a new chicken appears on the horizon.
The life span of fleas in a chicken coop sometimes reaches more than one year.
Symptoms of the problem
How do you know if your birds have been hit by chicken fleas? Initially, it is almost impossible to do this, because due to the small size of chicken fleas, they become almost invisible under the abundant plumage. In the case when you see lice on the exposed parts of the body of birds, then you need to sound the alarm: this means that your turkeys and chickens have already been affected by several hundred or thousands of parasites. Sometimes flea clusters on the face are similar to moles or growths. Fleas appeared in the chicken coop how to get them out quickly?
If the bird does not get rid of the parasites, then:
- she will constantly feel pain and burning at the bite sites;
- the level of egg production will decrease significantly;
- the bird will be infected with other concomitant infections;
- this will lead to anemia, exhaustion, death of all birds: chickens, turkeys.
If a person does not get rid of the parasites in the chicken coop in time, then the death of the birds cannot be avoided.
Chicken flea control methods
Fleas from domestic chickens can be bred in several ways, which include the use of chemicals at home and folk methods. The first methods of disposal include the method of using chemicals. It is necessary to treat birds and the room in which they live with insecticides. There are many drugs available, each suitable for a specific case.
You can force the chewing lice to die with the help of similar means intended for pets, the only thing that should not be allowed is the penetration of the poison into the body of birds. The best chemicals are:
- Natural natural drops from Beaphar, which are made in Neem oil: the product can be used to treat fleas in poultry, but it should be remembered that the duration of the protection provided is only a month, so the procedure is repeated over and over again over time.
- Drops from Hartz based on a methoprene insecticide: the use of the product is not suitable for young birds due to the high level of toxicity - the drug is rubbed into the head and neck, and the result can be expected the next day.
- insecticides (like Tetrix, Get, Tsifoks), which need to cover the room: processing should take place even when there are no birds.
It will also be appropriate to treat with powders and powders like Deltamethrin, aerosols (Butox, Raptor, Kombat), injections, pyrethroid solutions, natural drops (Advantage, Dan, Bars). The use of traps and flea repellents in a chicken coop or shed is completely useless.
It is necessary to choose one or another treatment depending on how infected the birds are, and also for which of the birds the medicine is chosen. You can discuss the effectiveness of the funds with a veterinarian, it is he who will tell you the best of the existing medicines. The best method of struggle is treatment with natural medicines. After the measures taken, turkeys and chickens need to be switched to a different diet, composed of fortified foods. Any treatment should be accompanied by enhanced nutrition and systematic checking of birds for pests.
Prevention measures
What to do with fleas in the chicken coop, how to get rid of chicken fleas and also how to treat the birds, no longer causes any difficulties. In order to prevent another parasite infestation, it is important to regularly carry out prophylaxis, which is easy to do at home. So, for prevention, follow these tips:
- no chemical treatment will help if you do not change the litter in the nest or chicken coop: fill it with dried parts of plants, tansy, wormwood, juniper will do;
- use ash baths for processing animals;
- treat animals and the house regularly with appropriate chemicals.
In the case when it was not possible to prevent the appearance of chicken fleas, it is necessary and important global pest control... It is important not only to resort to processing each bird in the room, but also to process the whole chicken coop. Observe the sequence: at the very beginning, process the birds, and only after that their habitat, in order to completely eliminate all crumbling and escaping parasites from the surfaces of the chicken coop.
The same measures must be followed for the treatment of all nests and litter so that fleas disappear from chickens. To do this, you need to properly, stir them, pollinate, moisten them, leave them to lie for a couple of hours or 2-3 days, in order to wait for the death of not only existing adults, but also the offspring of parasites. It would be appropriate to burn all the trash away from your home. The building should be ventilated for a couple of days, after which the birds can be populated. Repeat these precautions periodically every few weeks.
Using folk remedies
You can fight chicken fleas not only using traditional methods, but also using folk remedies. Many poultry farmers use alternative medicine to eliminate parasites. So, you can remove fleas from the chicken coop with folk remedies using wormwood, ash and tansy. The simplest means is considered to be hanging or laying out these plants in the hen house. The aroma of herbs is so strong that it is able to expel chicken fleas forever. In addition, you can use a decoction of tansy. To prepare it you need:
- pour boiling water over the plant, observing a ratio of 1 to 3;
- leave the broth to infuse overnight;
- in the morning you need to process the room with the resulting liquid, wipe all surfaces: from walls to floors.
There is not enough knowledge of how to fight folk remedies from annoying parasites, it is important to correctly apply knowledge in practice and more than one method. Thus, chicken fleas are relatives of lice - a truly serious and dangerous problem, the treatment of which must be immediate and thorough. Remember that any disease associated with parasites is dangerous, first of all, for you, because the removal of fleas from chickens should be of high quality, and the processing of the premises is complete as in the photo.