stick ticks are back!

[agarnp]

I am distressed. I noticed my 10 month old RIR rooster with the tell-tale black spots on his crest this morning and i knew something was wrong when he excessively shaking his head abd scratching. Back in August i gave him Permethrin treatment as recommended on one if the articles in this forum for tge stick fleas or ticks. I cleaned & treated floor areas of run and where he roosts at night with a hen his age. She doesnt have any that i can see. I have 6 hens in a separate coop next to the tractor. The floors are dirt which i try to keep fairly clear of any poop, and a layer of pine shavings which i replace regularly. Ive been checking their food (pellets) and have not seen any bugs there. When I treated him this morning there were so many that the area bled a bit...I also applied a bit of antibiotic ointment...he seems to be acting normally although still shaking head and scratching. poor baby - its so hard to catch him, he puts up a fight but once we hold him he looked calm as i was treating the areas. I will spray everything down tomorrow when they are out foraging...I would have done it today but its been rainy lately here in Florida. I wonder if the dampness and the dirt floors or the fact that we are in the woods has not helped our situation...can I treat him again i a few days if i still see those buggers? Any other thoughts?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Look up and read about the lifecycle of the Sticktight Flea.
Very likely you will need to treat frequently, especially in your climate.

Not sure if this is the article you used or not, but it's informative https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...tight-fleas-in-poultry-with-permethrin.74325/

 

[agarnp]

Yes that’s the article-/thank you…just wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing it too much as the solution is strong. I will stay on top of it but it bothers me to have to deal with these bugs on my rooster and possibly infecting the hens but I gotta do what I gotta do

Look up and read about the lifecycle of the Sticktight Flea.
Very likely you will need to treat frequently, especially in your climate.

Not sure if this is the article you used or not, but it's informative https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...tight-fleas-in-poultry-with-permethrin.74325/

I did look at life cycle, made some notes and a plan - however we met

Look up and read about the lifecycle of the Sticktight Flea.
Very likely you will need to treat frequently, especially in your climate.

Not sure if this is the article you used or not, but it's informative https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...tight-fleas-in-poultry-with-permethrin.74325/

I did read article, looked up more info -made a plan. I did talk to a chicken keeper whose roosters looked in top shape..he said one of the things can be done is to apply oil to the bugs and it will stifle them and they will die…ever heard of this? He also said he heard dish-wash detergent would do this.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Vaseline would smother them, then you'd want to pick them off with tweezers.

 

[agarnp]

Vaseline would smother them, then you'd want to pick them off with tweezers.

ok I did that today- do i pick them off tomorrow? They didnt seem to come off easily today after I applied the ointment and the ones that did left small drops of blood- -Its so hard to do this but I am determined to get these things off my rooster.. I think we learned a lesson...dont buy your rooster from questionable sellers by the way thank you so much for your advice on this.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, you'll need to pick them off.
You may want to apply triple antibiotic ointment after they are removed to help heal the skin.