On this page
How to identify it
- Lice are small, wingless, flattened insects with broad heads, seen moving at the base of the feathers when the feathers are parted.[1][2]
- Look for clusters of eggs (nits) glued to the feathers; body lice are commonly found around the vent, breast, head and under the wings.[2][1]
- Different lice favor different spots: the fluff louse lives in the fluff under the vent, the wing louse among the wing feathers, and the chicken head louse on the head and neck.[1]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Northern fowl mite | Mites have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed on blood, while chewing lice are small, flat insects that feed on feathers, skin scales and scabs.[1] |
Where it lives
Lice and mites are the most common pests of poultry in Florida, where the major lice are the shaft louse, fluff louse, wing louse and chicken head louse; UNH Extension covers them for New Hampshire's small flocks.[1][2]
Biology and life cycle
Lice usually spend their entire lives on one host and are highly host-specific, so they rarely pass from wild birds to chickens; in backyard flocks they spread from hen to chicks during brooding.[1]
A female can glue as many as 60 eggs to the feathers; the eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days, and development from egg to adult takes about 30 days.[1]
Damage and signs
- Infested birds show skin irritation, damaged plumage and poor condition; young birds may die from secondary infections, and in older hens the main effect is fewer eggs.[1]
- The shaft louse is the most serious louse of chickens and can spread to ducks, turkeys and guinea fowl housed nearby.[1]
- Sources differ on how they feed: UF/IFAS says chewing lice don't suck blood, though they may take blood from irritated skin, while Kentucky Extension says the body louse and shaft louse feed on blood and other fluids; both agree heavy infestations irritate birds and cut egg production.[1][3]
Health risk
Poultry lice are host-specific and spend their lives on birds; neither source reports them infesting people.[1][2]
Control
Prevention
Check birds regularly by parting the feathers around the vent, under the wings and on the breast and head.[2][1]
Sanitation
Because lice rarely leave the birds, treating the coop itself does little for lice.[1]
Pesticides
Lice are controlled with sprays or dusts applied to the birds; use only products labeled for poultry, and plan a retreatment, since products for use on birds generally don't kill the eggs.[1]
Common questions
- What are the tiny bugs crawling at the base of my chicken's feathers?
- Small, flat, fast-moving insects at the feather bases, with clusters of eggs glued to the feathers, are chewing lice.[1][2]
- Can chicken lice live on people?
- They are host-specific and spend their lives on birds; neither source reports them infesting people.[1][2]
Sources
- UF/IFAS Extension (EDIS), “External Parasites of Poultry (ENY-290/IG140, P. E. Kaufman; reviewed July 2022).” web.archive.org/web/20251220211336/edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IG140 (accessed 2026-10-17). Archived copy (Internet Archive, captured 2025-12-20); the original page https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IG140 returns 410 Gone (publication retired from EDIS).
- UNH Cooperative Extension, “Common External Parasites of Poultry (Small Flock Poultry Management fact sheet, T. Savage; copy hosted by UConn Department of Animal Science).” animalscience-cahnr.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3396/2022/06/articlesByFaculty_2_1732435862.pdf (accessed 2026-10-17)
- University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension (Animal and Food Sciences), “Common External Parasites of Poultry (ASC-206, J. Jacob and T. Pescatore; revised September 2017).” web.archive.org/web/20241116021457/afs.ca.uky.edu/sites/afs.ca.uky.edu/files/ASC206.pdf (accessed 2026-10-17). Archived copy (Internet Archive, captured 2024-11-16); the original page https://afs.ca.uky.edu/sites/afs.ca.uky.edu/files/ASC206.pdf returns 404 (file removed).
- iNaturalist, “Menacanthus stramineus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/236895 (accessed 2026-10-06)