Tiny Deer Ticks

[ChichiMama]

I keep finding tiny deer ticks on my chicken’s faces. It’s so upsetting. I have been drying out herbs and sprinkling them around, I have used essential oils, I have tried a natural spray.. I have sprayed around and in the coop. I have used diatomaceous earth. Their little faces are constantly picking in the grass...They can’t scratch by their eyes...it’s really gross. Two are only three months old. The other three are six months old... I use tweezers to pick them carefully out of their baby skin on their face and use coconut oil on it after... Bootsie loves coconut oil rubbed on his crop ... I have some Front Line for very small dogs... I thought that would work... I haven’t used it yet... I really love my chickens. The two 3 month old Cochin bantams, Bootsie, a rooster and Foofie, a frizzled hen, I’ve had since they were four days old... the other 3 are silkies, they don’t look pure... I am a new chicken owner. Learning as I go. Sadly, raccoons broke into the one coop and took all 6 beautiful white baby silkies. Using their fingers they opened they window. So sad. Been really protective over Bootsie and Foofie. Chico is a real jerk lol He attacks and rips out the others’ feathers. Cher & Ru(Paul) aren’t so bad... Unless Chico is in the bad boy cage, then Cher takes on the nasty role. I don’t like “pecking order”! I am constantly running up and back down to the coop for coconut oil and q-tips. Sorry if you guys covered this stuff. I’m new.
nice help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[AgnesGray]

Rather than Frontline, I'd use a permethrin based product (powder or spray) in the area where they are picking up ticks. It is also effective against poultry mites, lice, and other insects.

And maybe add a few guineas if you have space.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
As you've learned, you aren't going to win with any product you've already used out there. Frontline is meant for dogs and cats, and no livestock species, which includes chickens!!!
Use permethrin spray concentrate from the feed store, or the permethrin poultry dust, on the chickens and in their coop and run. It's approved for use on poultry, with no egg withdrawal.
I wonder if you have Ixodes deer ticks, or some other small tick species? There is one that affects poultry. Look them both up, and/ or post pictures here.
I don't use pesticides in my yard, and it would be best if you could deal with this some way without treating the whole back yard!
Mary

 

[Eggscaping]

I keep finding tiny deer ticks on my chicken’s faces. It’s so upsetting. I have been drying out herbs and sprinkling them around, I have used essential oils, I have tried a natural spray.. I have sprayed around and in the coop. I have used diatomaceous earth. Their little faces are constantly picking in the grass...They can’t scratch by their eyes...it’s really gross. Two are only three months old. The other three are six months old... I use tweezers to pick them carefully out of their baby skin on their face and use coconut oil on it after... Bootsie loves coconut oil rubbed on his crop ... I have some Front Line for very small dogs... I thought that would work... I haven’t used it yet... I really love my chickens. The two 3 month old Cochin bantams, Bootsie, a rooster and Foofie, a frizzled hen, I’ve had since they were four days old... the other 3 are silkies, they don’t look pure... I am a new chicken owner. Learning as I go. Sadly, raccoons broke into the one coop and took all 6 beautiful white baby silkies. Using their fingers they opened they window. So sad. Been really protective over Bootsie and Foofie. Chico is a real jerk lol He attacks and rips out the others’ feathers. Cher & Ru(Paul) aren’t so bad... Unless Chico is in the bad boy cage, then Cher takes on the nasty role. I don’t like “pecking order”! I am constantly running up and back down to the coop for coconut oil and q-tips. Sorry if you guys covered this stuff. I’m new.
nice help is appreciated. Thank you!

Welcome to BackYardChickens! So glad to have you here in our wonderful community of friendly, helpful, knowledgeable people! So sorry you lost chickens to raccoons. If they can find their way inside, they will. You have to think like a raccoon and be really vigilant. They will come back again - once they find a food source they'll visit it again. Good luck!

 

[hayley3]

I keep finding tiny deer ticks on my chicken’s faces. It’s so upsetting. I have been drying out herbs and sprinkling them around, I have used essential oils, I have tried a natural spray.. I have sprayed around and in the coop. I have used diatomaceous earth. Their little faces are constantly picking in the grass...They can’t scratch by their eyes...it’s really gross. Two are only three months old. The other three are six months old... I use tweezers to pick them carefully out of their baby skin on their face and use coconut oil on it after... Bootsie loves coconut oil rubbed on his crop ... I have some Front Line for very small dogs... I thought that would work... I haven’t used it yet... I really love my chickens. The two 3 month old Cochin bantams, Bootsie, a rooster and Foofie, a frizzled hen, I’ve had since they were four days old... the other 3 are silkies, they don’t look pure... I am a new chicken owner. Learning as I go. Sadly, raccoons broke into the one coop and took all 6 beautiful white baby silkies. Using their fingers they opened they window. So sad. Been really protective over Bootsie and Foofie. Chico is a real jerk lol He attacks and rips out the others’ feathers. Cher & Ru(Paul) aren’t so bad... Unless Chico is in the bad boy cage, then Cher takes on the nasty role. I don’t like “pecking order”! I am constantly running up and back down to the coop for coconut oil and q-tips. Sorry if you guys covered this stuff. I’m new.
nice help is appreciated. Thank you!

I lived in the very heart of tick city and my chickens have NEVER had a tick although I had a tick jar filled to the top that I picked off of me and my dog, so I agree with Folly, you must have some special ticks.

 

[Folly's place]

No tick is a good tick! Learn proper tick handling techniques, don't touch them!
There are also a stick-tight flea of poultry, another critter I've never seen here.
Deer ticks; if you actually have them, BE CAREFUL!
There's a method that also helps with deer tick control, because they live on mice. Paper towel cardboard tubes, filled with cotton balls and permethrin, at the mouse runs. the deer tick on the mice die.
Our dogs and cats have their monthly flea and tick meds, and we pay attention, and so far don't have many tick of any sort here. So far, and they are all moving in, so it's going to be worse...
Mary

 

[hayley3]

No tick is a good tick! Learn proper tick handling techniques, don't touch them!
There are also a stick-tight flea of poultry, another critter I've never seen here.
Deer ticks; if you actually have them, BE CAREFUL!
There's a method that also helps with deer tick control, because they live on mice. Paper towel cardboard tubes, filled with cotton balls and permethrin, at the mouse runs. the deer tick on the mice die.
Our dogs and cats have their monthly flea and tick meds, and we pay attention, and so far don't have many tick of any sort here. So far, and they are all moving in, so it's going to be worse...
Mary

I tried the cardboard tubes and it didn't work, the mice never took one cotton ball.

 

[Folly's place]

I never tried the cardboard tube thing either, just heard about it, Did the mice run through it at all?
Ticks are disgusting! Grew up in NW Wisconsin every summer, and had to do that daily 'tick search'. Ugh!
Mary

 

[hayley3]

I never tried the cardboard tube thing either, just heard about it, Did the mice run through it at all?
Ticks are disgusting! Grew up in NW Wisconsin every summer, and had to do that daily 'tick search'. Ugh!
Mary

No they never touched it and I had plenty of mice that liked to go inside my freezer and make a nest, etc., so I was excited to try it but when I moved, they were untouched so I tossed them.

 

[iwltfum]

I tried the cardboard tubes and it didn't work, the mice never took one cotton ball.

They way I understood it was you spray the inside of the tube with permethrin and just let them run through it and it kills the tick larva on them, they don't need to take anything from the tube to get treated. We have bad deer ticks and lymes disease where I live, but once we got chickens and started letting them free range, I haven't found one from my own property for at least two years, used to be that we would find a handful of them on us and the dogs everyday during the summer. I've definitely never found one on one of our hens. But, to be honest, I'm not really looking.