Chickens with deer ticks

[Chickalishdelish]

Hello,

We've had a bad problem with deer ticks in our garden since we moved in. We live by woods though we try our best to keep them out, they always find a way and both humans and cats have had multiple tick bites, though fewer this year so far.

We've only had our girls a week, and today I noticed that two out of three of them have visible ticks - one on their comb and another on her wattle. This probably means there are others that I can't see. I've been dusting their coop every other day if I've done a mini-clean with DE, which is also in their dust bath and their nest boxes and roost also contains assorted fresh herbs (lavender, mint, thyme).

The girls are partly in the garden to do the job of hoovering up the ticks, but I don't wish for this to be the sake of their own health. Is there anything safe that I can put on them or can give them that may prevent ticks attaching? Is it safer to let the ticks that are there at the moment fill up and disattach themselves or should I be actively removing them with a tick tool? I've also read a little about using teatree oil but the conflicting dangers/benefits have confused me slightly.

Any advice would be really appreciated as I'm not finding a great deal of useful information through Google on this one. Cheers!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If you see them pluck them off, leaving them, if they are actually deer ticks, which are much smaller than regular ticks will cause lymes disease in humans and dogs, I don't know about chickens, I don't think they get lymes as they all would be crippled by the amount of lymes cases are in our area. Your chickens should get eating them, you must have a lot for them to be attaching to your birds.

 

[Abriana]

Definitely use DE, and you can even dust the actual birds too. Put DE in a sack and place the chicken in it, leaving her head poking out. Hold the top of the bag closed around the bird's neck and support the hen's body with the other hand. lightly bounce the chicken to fluff the DE through the feathers. You can also dust the chicken by hand but this method gets the DE all through the feathers. You can sprinkle it around and in their pen as well.

 

[Chickalishdelish]

If you see them pluck them off, leaving them, if they are actually deer ticks, which are much smaller than regular ticks will cause lymes disease in humans and dogs, I don't know about chickens, I don't think they get lymes as they all would be crippled by the amount of lymes cases are in our area. Your chickens should get eating them, you must have a lot for them to be attaching to your birds.

Hm, perhaps they are regular ticks then. They are certainly large enough to see and are the standard tick colour.
I am well rehearsed in the removal of them so I'll crack on with that at first light.
Yes, there are a few waiting to be discovered still. I think that they have been laying dormant for a while and probably have been waiting for something like a tasty little chicken to come along and attach themselves too. I'm hoping that the chicks will go some way to resolve the issue. It's partly because our house and garden laid empty for a number of years and so the garden became a tick paradise.

 

[Chickalishdelish]

Definitely use DE, and you can even dust the actual birds too. Put DE in a sack and place the chicken in it, leaving her head poking out. Hold the top of the bag closed around the bird's neck and support the hen's body with the other hand. lightly bounce the chicken to fluff the DE through the feathers. You can also dust the chicken by hand but this method gets the DE all through the feathers. You can sprinkle it around and in their pen as well.

Great, thanks. I was wondering if I could do that. I'll definitely give that a go. Is it ever possible to go overboard with the DE dusting in the coop? I know that it is suggested humans should only use in a well ventilated area, but I'm assuming chickens should be OK as long as their heads aren't dusted?

 

[Abriana]

Maybe, but I am not sure. Be real careful when using it too because you can damage your lungs, wear a mask, preferably. Probably they'll be fine, but yes, do not dust their heads, by all means! You could put it on by hand on their wattles and comb and put it on their head feathers, but do that by hand and watch the nose and eyes. I wouldn't use too much in the coop. Maybe only a cup, depending on the coop size. You can also use it in their feed to take care of internal parasites by the way, just in case you ever have that problem.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Great, thanks. I was wondering if I could do that. I'll definitely give that a go. Is it ever possible to go overboard with the DE dusting in the coop? I know that it is suggested humans should only use in a well ventilated area, but I'm assuming chickens should be OK as long as their heads aren't dusted?

DE is a respiratory irritant for humans and chickens and will do nothing as far as preventing ticks. I personally wouldn't use it. Generally ticks aren't a problem for chickens, so your situation is unusual, and I don't think it would be long term.

 

[vamiot]

DE is a respiratory irritant for humans and chickens and will do nothing as far as preventing ticks. I personally wouldn't use it. Generally ticks aren't a problem for chickens, so your situation is unusual, and I don't think it would be long term.

Can you still use it in their food ? And if so how much

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Can you still use it in their food ? And if so how much

From my understanding it only prevents bugs from living in the feed when mixed in. It does nothing internally for parasites and such.