Do chickens eat deer ticks?

[fzouk]

I am SOOOO happy to read this thread because this is exactly why I am getting chickens. I'm in the planning stages now but am trying to time it all to where they can be out when the ticks come out. I got Lyme disease last year and it was completely awful- I can't have my little daughter getting ticks on her and so the plan for chickens was formed. We had chickens when I was a kid and I LOVED them!

I am thinking of Hamburgs since they seem to be good foragers from comments I've read, with pleasant personalities to boot. Anyone agree with this decision? Disagree? I'd love to know!

Thank you very much, this is my first post on here and I plan to be back often.

Frances

 

[azelgin]

Fzouk. You will find all you need to know and more about chickens on this site. We got chickens to keep down the scorpion population around our house. I don't know if the chickens find any, because the scorpions hide during the day, but they do eat any bug the creepy little things might want for food. Chickens are great for bug patrol, because their eyes are only six inches from the ground! Think of all you would see laying on the ground if you were only a foot tall! Anyway, our scorpion population must be starving, because we hardly see them anymore.

 

[animal doctor]

No chickens don't primarily eat deer ticks but if there is not another option they will eat them to survive. To own chickens for that reason is just cruel and uncaring. Chicken feed is proper yet costly.

 

[CritterHill]

Ok, first off I posted this 5 years ago so your opinion is not exactly timely. Second, who said anything about not feeding them?? That's completely insane.

I was wondering if there could be a fringe benefit to owning them and letting them free range in my yard where the kids play. Why would anyone keep an animal and not feed it? Wow. Just wow.

 

[melina90]

Haha. I just read this. Don't think anyone who doesn't care to feed their chichens would care to seek advice on a site like this....Just saying

 

[warmheart]

My fiance and his son spent the warm weekend clearing brush piles in the yard where we free-range our small flock of 6 chickens. NO ticks! We didn't have chickens in the yard last year-- and we got tons of ticks on us, our dogs, and cat back then. Chickens are great!

 

[RTFchickens]

Ok, first off I posted this 5 years ago so your opinion is not exactly timely. Second, who said anything about not feeding them?? That's completely insane.

I was wondering if there could be a fringe benefit to owning them and letting them free range in my yard where the kids play. Why would anyone keep an animal and not feed it? Wow. Just wow.

 

[RTFchickens]

Hi fellow chicken lovers! I'm so glad to have just joined the BYC group! We are just starting our chicken adventure. We have 2 week old Buff Orpingtons and Isa Browns. We recently got 59 acres that are covered in ticks! I'm glad to hear that my chickens will help our problem.
Thank you for all of your posts!

 

[ocap]

I got lyme disease in Missouri and I know someone who had it in east Tennessee, we have to fight the ticks somehow !!!!!

 

[Chickens R Us]

This is my second year with chickens I did not let them free range last summer. I felt they were to young so I used a chicken tractor, but I am free ranging them this year. No ticks on me or my dogs yet. One more benefit of raising chickens.