Can chickens catch fleas and how do you go about treating them?

Question

We have 14 hens and we have started to get bites on our feet, similar to when the cats had fleas but we no longer have any animals other than the hens... we have not found any actual fleas as yet and if so need a chicken friendly cure .... thank you

Answer 1

Yes they can and do catch fleas.  You will need to go to your local animal store or farm shop and ask for flea powder specifically for poultry.  Your dog or cat flea powder might be poisonous to them.

Answer 2

In short yes they can catch fleas and other parasites such as red mite, and lice. They can catch them from other birds and animals they come  in close contact with.

First thing would be to give the coop and thorough clean and disinfect and apply fresh clean bedding.

The next step would be to apply anti-parasite powder (specifically for poultry) to each hen around the neck, under the wings and on their back towards the tail end.

Ensure that your hens can have dustbaths as this is their way of staying clean and prevents parasitic build-up. If there are dustbaths already in place apply some of the anti-parasite powder to this and it will allow the hens to apply it to themselves too.

I dust my hens occasionally with the powder throughout the year to prevent parasites but in the warmer weather the mite and lice can be very stubborn, you just have to continue to treat and keep the parasites to a minimum.

Answer 3

chickens can get mites and lice.  Also, general bugs can bite them if their housing isn't clean enough.

you can get dusting powder from your local farm store (or vet if they are chicken friendly).  I would clean out and disinfect their house too using a poultry disinfectant (farm shop again)

might be one for the vet though

Answer 4

Technically, any living thing with active blood flow can catch fleas (it's the blood they are after) and be bit.

This may be a good case for the vet.

Answer 5

I'm not sure about fleas because I have never seen our chickens with them but I do know they can get lice(NOT the same as human head lice). You can check by holding the chicken upside down by its feet and looking under the wings where they attach to the body and also the vent. They are obvious and are whitish in color but visible. Treat them with Sevin dust from hardware store of grain store. Just sprinkle on their vent and under the wings. Clean out the chicken coop as well and sprinkle it around on the floor and roost as well. Also, they will get on you and bite but they are not going to live on you as they do the chickens. They are not head lice.