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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/chick-lice-retreat

Why do chicken lice treatments need to be repeated after about 10 days?

The treatment does not kill the louse eggs, so new lice hatch.

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  1. Adult lice return from the soil every 10 days
  2. The treatment does not kill louse eggs ✔
  3. One treatment reaches only the wing feathers

Why: Louse eggs are glued to the base of the feathers. A second treatment catches the lice that hatch after the first one.

Huh, didn't know that: Lice live on the bird for months but survive only about a week off it.

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What do you call an egg that goes on adventures? An eggsplorer.
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References

Answer: The treatment does not kill louse eggs. Louse eggs are glued to the base of the feathers. A second treatment catches the lice that hatch after the first one.

  1. Lice of Poultry, Merck Veterinary Manual www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/arthropods-in-poultry/lice-of-poultry
    Eggs are not killed, so insecticidal treatment should be repeated after 10 days.
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  2. Lice of Poultry, Merck Veterinary Manual www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/arthropods-in-poultry/lice-of-poultry
    eggs are glued to the base of feathers.
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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