California-Southern

[Rayrayschicks]

Thank you

 

[Rayrayschicks]

They were sold as females

 

[QueenMisha]

Hey, got a question for ya'll SoCal folks. How often do you experience sticktight fleas? I'd never heard of them until recently when I purchased some birds from down there (from a very well known breeder to boot) and noticed some funny little bugs on their heads! We don't experience them up here and they seem localized to areas like SoCal and Florida. They were described as very hard to remove but I didn't have too much trouble, spent an hour or so combing the four birds for them and picking them off, and gave each a good long fleabath. Housed in a battery cage with no bedding in the tray. No signs of reinfection, although certainly I won't be adding them to the flock for several weeks at least.

Are they rare down there too or do you treat them as a common pest like fowl mites are?

 

[perchie.girl]

Hey, got a question for ya'll SoCal folks. How often do you experience sticktight fleas? I'd never heard of them until recently when I purchased some birds from down there (from a very well known breeder to boot) and noticed some funny little bugs on their heads! We don't experience them up here and they seem localized to areas like SoCal and Florida. They were described as very hard to remove but I didn't have too much trouble, spent an hour or so combing the four birds for them and picking them off, and gave each a good long fleabath. Housed in a battery cage with no bedding in the tray. No signs of reinfection, although certainly I won't be adding them to the flock for several weeks at least.

Are they rare down there too or do you treat them as a common pest like fowl mites are?

Wow I live in San Diego... fleas live here year round. But I have never seen stick tight fleas

Here is an article for treatment.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/a-cure-for-stick-tight-fleas

Also Ivermectin is a wormer but it also will dispatch the ones that are sucking blood. You will have to treat your bedding and the birds bodies as well for emerging larva. Flea eggs are not effected unless you use pyritherein spray of some sort. Part of the flea cycle is internal to the host as well so worming is also on the menu.

Same as for dogs and cats.

Good luck.

deb

 

[Marthab1953]

Wow I live in San Diego... fleas live here year round. But I have never seen stick tight fleas

Here is an article for treatment.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/a-cure-for-stick-tight-fleas

Also Ivermectin is a wormer but it also will dispatch the ones that are sucking blood. You will have to treat your bedding and the birds bodies as well for emerging larva. Flea eggs are not effected unless you use pyritherein spray of some sort. Part of the flea cycle is internal to the host as well so worming is also on the menu.

Same as for dogs and cats.

Good luck.

deb

Stick Tight Flies are here in Riverside CA. Did not have them this year but every few years they show up. Their eggs can live in the ground for a long time and when conditions are right weather wise they show up.

 

[fowlman01]

Hey, got a question for ya'll SoCal folks. How often do you experience sticktight fleas? I'd never heard of them until recently when I purchased some birds from down there (from a very well known breeder to boot) and noticed some funny little bugs on their heads! We don't experience them up here and they seem localized to areas like SoCal and Florida. They were described as very hard to remove but I didn't have too much trouble, spent an hour or so combing the four birds for them and picking them off, and gave each a good long fleabath. Housed in a battery cage with no bedding in the tray. No signs of reinfection, although certainly I won't be adding them to the flock for several weeks at least.

Are they rare down there too or do you treat them as a common pest like fowl mites are?

They are in Norcal too. I have had them here in Santa Rosa. (Sonoma county). A real breeder would never send out birds with any bugs. If they become established on your property you won't think they are easy to get rid of.

Walt

 

[sol2go]

Hey, got a question for ya'll SoCal folks. How often do you experience sticktight fleas? I'd never heard of them until recently when I purchased some birds from down there (from a very well known breeder to boot) and noticed some funny little bugs on their heads! We don't experience them up here and they seem localized to areas like SoCal and Florida. They were described as very hard to remove but I didn't have too much trouble, spent an hour or so combing the four birds for them and picking them off, and gave each a good long fleabath. Housed in a battery cage with no bedding in the tray. No signs of reinfection, although certainly I won't be adding them to the flock for several weeks at least.

Are they rare down there too or do you treat them as a common pest like fowl mites are?

Hey, got a question for ya'll SoCal folks. How often do you experience sticktight fleas? I'd never heard of them until recently when I purchased some birds from down there (from a very well known breeder to boot) and noticed some funny little bugs on their heads! We don't experience them up here and they seem localized to areas like SoCal and Florida. They were described as very hard to remove but I didn't have too much trouble, spent an hour or so combing the four birds for them and picking them off, and gave each a good long fleabath. Housed in a battery cage with no bedding in the tray. No signs of reinfection, although certainly I won't be adding them to the flock for several weeks at least.

Are they rare down there too or do you treat them as a common pest like fowl mites are?

Wow I live in San Diego... fleas live here year round. But I have never seen stick tight fleas

Here is an article for treatment.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/a-cure-for-stick-tight-fleas

Also Ivermectin is a wormer but it also will dispatch the ones that are sucking blood. You will have to treat your bedding and the birds bodies as well for emerging larva. Flea eggs are not effected unless you use pyritherein spray of some sort. Part of the flea cycle is internal to the host as well so worming is also on the menu.

Same as for dogs and cats.

Good luck.

deb

oh ick....thanks for the topic, sort of....ignorance is bliss, unless it's in my flock...

 

[QueenMisha]

Wow I live in San Diego...  fleas live here year round.  But I have never seen stick tight fleas

Here is an article for treatment.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/a-cure-for-stick-tight-fleas

Also Ivermectin is a wormer but it also will dispatch the ones that are sucking blood.   You will have to treat your bedding and the birds bodies as well for emerging larva.  Flea eggs are not effected unless you use pyritherein spray of some sort.    Part of the flea cycle is internal to the host as well so worming is also on the menu.

Same as for dogs and cats.

Good luck.

deb

Thanks for the response. My vet told me about the Ivermectin but I had no idea that part of the cycle was internal. Gotta pick up some paste today. Glad I've been bleaching out the trays each time I clean them, hopefully that killed about everything in the poop.

Stick Tight Flies are here in Riverside CA.  Did not have them this year but every few years they show up. Their eggs can live in the ground for a long time and when conditions are right weather wise they show up.

Interesting. How do you get rid of them? I've heard so much about how difficult they are to get rid of, I assumed it was easy for me because the birds were contained indoors.

They are in Norcal too. I have had them here in Santa Rosa. (Sonoma county). A real breeder would never send out birds with any bugs. If they become established on your property you won't think they are easy to get rid of.

Walt

Nice to see you here Walt. I'm kinda hesitant about speaking regarding the breeder... he's not a small time breeder... might as well say it though, they came from the property of the president of the APA... had the nicest birds I've ever seen, practically all the birds I saw there were show quality but I agree all birds ought to be clean and healthy if being sold... all birds should probably be clean and healthy regardless but the least you can do is keep your "cooties" to yourself.

 

[perchie.girl]

Why fleas are not innocuous. The image comes from the article below.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/dipylidium/biology.html

 

[fowlman01]

Thanks for the response. My vet told me about the Ivermectin but I had no idea that part of the cycle was internal. Gotta pick up some paste today. Glad I've been bleaching out the trays each time I clean them, hopefully that killed about everything in the poop.
Interesting. How do you get rid of them? I've heard so much about how difficult they are to get rid of, I assumed it was easy for me because the birds were contained indoors.
Nice to see you here Walt. I'm kinda hesitant about speaking regarding the breeder... he's not a small time breeder... might as well say it though, they came from the property of the president of the APA... had the nicest birds I've ever seen, practically all the birds I saw there were show quality but I agree all birds ought to be clean and healthy if being sold... all birds should probably be clean and healthy regardless but the least you can do is keep your "cooties" to yourself.

I am shocked, but anyone can get bugs........but as you say, keep them to yourself. Stick tight fleas are pretty easy to see unless they are in egg form. I spray Adams flea and tick 14 day residual on anything that goes off my property. He must not have known for some reason.....but they are pretty visible when adult and most of the time they are on the head of the bird. I'll let him know.

Walt