ticks

[johnbhoy]

hi there where i live there are a lot of deer and the dogs are forever piking up ticks from the grass, what i would like to know is if ticks which we have become very adept at dispatching lol would be a serious threat to hens that i am hopefully getting very soon
thanks for looking

[RichmondHens]

Hi John - I've never come across ticks on any of my birds, and we have deer here coming into the fields. I would suspect a hen would be able to preen them off pretty quickly as they are slower moving than lice, but if you found one on one of your hens then I would think you could take them off with a tick remover (little green plastic thingy) - we use one on our cats as they do pick up ticks.

[HayleyB]

Welcome to the Madvine Johnbhoy, dead jealous of your location though

I'm with Richmond on this...

[johnbhoy]

thank you for the very prompt replies i thought they might preen them off but wanted to be sure
as for the location haley it is stunning and have to pinch myself when i wake up and look out as we are on an island in the middle of the loch which is a far cry from a town centre where i grew up and it is only leased year to year but trying to make a go of being as self suficiant as we can
john

[HayleyB]

Oh Wow, we stop off en route to Islay (not been for a while though) a little place next to the loch, just looked it up - Luss, it's beautiful, but to live on an island in the loch would be my OHs dream. Give yerself a pinch from me

[bluemoon]

Phew!!! I have dogs, I can clean up after them when they're ill, care for them when they've had surgery, continually hoover the sofa before MIL visits, but what I can't deal with is ticks. I use Frontline obsessively because I just can't face the thoughts of one. It never even occurred to me that the chooks might pick on up.

[Hilary B]

Dunno about ticks on chooks. I think they only bite mammals (I've been bitten twice, and it really is horrible, makes me shudder!)You can get them off with vaseline. Ticks breathe through their abdomens, so if you smother the thing with vaseline, it suffocates, and drops off.

[johnbhoy]

Dunno about ticks on chooks. I think they only bite mammals (I've been bitten twice, and it really is horrible, makes me shudder!)You can get them off with vaseline. Ticks breathe through their abdomens, so if you smother the thing with vaseline, it suffocates, and drops off.

yeah ive heard that about vaseline i just wait till they bloat up a wee bit and twist anticlockwise and off they come and into the fire with them
ive also noticed that one of the dogs launches herself into mud whenever she sees it, i think its the same principal as the vaseline ie smothering the ticks

[Twinkle]

just done a search on ticks on hens as my friend's son has contracted Lyme disease from a tick he got playing in our woods (we have loads of deer around the place)
I use Frontline on the cat... anyone ever used it on hens ?? I know it's not licenced. Relieved to see that I may not have to and they'd preen the ticks off though !!

[Bramble-Poultry]

didnt realise that ticks can breathe through the a*£e. explains the similarity between a tick and the Tax man, both annoying parasites that breathe through their..........

[its hilly]

Bramble..
"didnt realise that ticks can breathe through the a*£e. explains the similarity between a tick and the Tax man, both annoying parasites that breathe through their......"
...dont do that to me, laughed so much I hurt.
Seriously though Ticks can carry Lymes as Twinkle said (especially in areas where there are deer) and it actually can be VERY nasty if not treated, so if you get a bite and it causes a sort of rash round it, get to the docs for antibiotics fast!! I got it three years ago, it caused Heart palpitations, arthritis, and a horrible skin rash like psoriasis. And a tiredness like having proper flu for twelve months. I still get relapses and the skin rash!