Quail Lice Treatment

In the United States, poultry farmers raise domestic quail for their meat and eggs, mostly from birds descended from a Japanese breed called Coturnix japonica. Poultry lice, the same lice seen in the domestic hen, can overrun a covey (flock) of quail causing the birds to lose weight, decrease egg production and suffer a lessening in meat-grading quality. When infestation occurs, you can see the adult lice crawling on the bird's body and clusters of lice eggs around feather quills. You need to chemically treat your flock for the comfort of the birds and the financial health of the farm.

  1. Treating the Birds

    • Mississippi State University Extension Service suggests spray solutions of permethrin EC, malathion or carbaryl in the treatment of poultry lice on quail. These pesticides kill the adult lice without harming the birds when liquefied in the correct amount of water according to printed directions. For example, dissolving 6.5 fluid oz. of 10 percent permethrin EC or 1.5 lb. of 25 percent malathion wettable powder in 10 gallons of water will both provide treatment for 250 to 300 adult quail. Mix 3/4 lb. of 50 percent carbaryl wettable powder with 10 gallons of water to offer the identical coverage.

      Spray your birds completely while they are in the pen or quail house, wetting through the feathers to the skin. Because lice tend to start and congregate in folds of skin or feathers, be careful to soak the quail's vent (the body area containing the uro-genital organs) more thoroughly. If only one bird is infected, treat the entire flock because lice quickly transfer from bird to bird. Apply a second treatment about a month after the first as a prophylactic measure and to eliminate any lice that hatched after the first treatment. If the quail are to be used for food, be aware of drug withdrawal times before processing.

    Treating the Quail House

    • "Sanitation and cleanliness are the keys to lice and mite control," according to the experts of veterinary preventive medicine at the Ohio State University Extension. They recommend spraying the walls, floors, nest boxes and roosts with the same chemical treatment used on the birds to prevent re-infestation. Repeat this treatment after two weeks, if needed. Keep domestic quail away from wild quail to prevent transfer of lice, and do not allow unnecessary human traffic through the quail house to reduce stress on the birds. Quarantine any new birds for two weeks before introducing them into the flock to guarantee they are free of parasites.

    Additional Steps

    • If chemical spraying does not contain your flock's lice infestation, Ohio State University Extension suggests contacting a veterinarian to treat the quail with anti-parasitic medications such as ivermectin. The vet will want to physically examine and re-treat the birds if necessary.