TICKS! And brand spankin new to chickens

[blucoondawg]

A dog kennel will work for meat chickens just make sure the tarp is supported so as not to gather rain and collapse on them soaking them in the process. Covering the dog kennel with chicken wire really doesn't accomplish anything it's rather a waste of time and materials the only use it would have is containing the chicks inside until they're big enough that they won't fit through the kennel. I kept my meat birds in a hoop coop made from cattle panels with a tarp over it. It's now my pig house so I may have to build another hoop coop this year for meat birds. Cornish cross don't always range much they like their chicken feed but layer chickens and even the red ranger type meat birds will eat alot of ticks. I haven't had ducks since I was a kid but they weren't any different than chickens other than they're tendency to make a mess with the water which gets old in the winter when they do it inside the coop and they do need water to at least dunk their heads in.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Cornish cross will actually range, and would get a lot of your ticks BUT you have to severely restrict their food to make them. Dog kennel would work great, but I bet a hoop coop would be cheaper.

 

[blucoondawg]

Hoop coop would definitely be cheaper unless your already had a dog kennel

 

[lazy gardener]

Hello all! I just joined and though I've raised many animals from horses to snakes to exotic fish, I am brand spankin new to chickens.

I am interested in possibly raising some chickens this year because our son is just starting to walk and we live in a VERY tick infested area in ME. In order my priorities are tick reduction, not having poop absolutely everywhere ( the toddler will eat it I'm sure),easy to keep/maintain and having some meat.

We live in a fairly rural area on 3 acres. Our property is mostly cleared but on 3 sides of us there is woods and a creek. The house is set back about 200 feet from a fairly well traveled road. We can see our neighbors but they aren't right on top of us either. I'll try to include a pic below.

I've heard the Guinea hens are great at controlling ticks but I have some concerns, mainly noise, predation and sanitation. Are Guinea hens the only reasonable option for controlling ticks? I've heard that they are loud. Too loud to have them next to the house at night?

Is there a reasonable way to balance having the birds free range to control ticks but also keeping them somewhat safe from the hawks, fisher cats, cars, etc? Is there a reasonable way to have them out eating ticks but not hanging out pooping on our porch?

I guess my biggest question is... what would you do? Would you recommend keeping poultry in this situation? If so, what kind or breed? How many? How would you manage them?

Any input or advice is greatly appreciated!! TIA

Thank you all for the great info!!

Electric fencing doesn't scare me at all. I have many fond childhood memories involving dares and electric fence. However, I'm not really interested in fencing. Would you say that fencing the property or a portion of the property is necessary?

We do have 2 large dogs but both are older and neither has lived with chickens. Both are very maternal with baby animals, even ones much smaller than chicks so I'm hoping we'll introduce them early and there will be no chasing. They might spend part of the day out with the birds but I wouldn't have them out when I wasn't home. We have a local dog snatcher.

As far as a coop, I've heard that meat birds don't necessarily need an actual coop. That they need a space safe from predators that provides a good wind and rain break. Would it be feasible to use a 6x10 chain link dog kennel coated in chicken wire and partially covered with plywood and or tarps? Just trying to understand exactly whats needed so I can avoid purchasing unnecessary stuff while keeping the birds happy.

We do have local restriction on chickens (6 birds, no roosters, must be fenced in, etc) but clearly nobody follows them. I am surrounded by farms. I can think of 4 neighbors with roosters and a dozen more whose flocks of more than 6 wander where they please. I'm not too worried about it but thank you for mentioning that!

That poultry netting looks nice but is waaayyy out of our price range I think. I'm really hoping to stay under $500. I was considering doing a pasture rotation but the ticks are so thick I wonder if they would just pop back up wherever the chickens weren't. Its good to hear this worked well for you!

Would ducks be a better option for tick control? Are they easier or harder to care for? I had ducks and geese years ago but was living in a very different place.

First off, welcome to BYC, and second, it's great to have an other Maine person to talk to. I'm a bit south of Bangor. You'll have to join us on the Maine thread! I'd suggest that you look at the Pioneer, otherwise knows as Dixie Rainbow. They are a nice meaty dual purpose bird. They grow to harvest size around 12 weeks. And they make nice layers. Predation and free ranging, unfortunately, are common partners. Impossible to have one without having the other. Hawks are my biggest predator. Also, if you want your birds to stay off your porch, off your front lawn, out of your gardens, you'll either have to fence the birds out, or fence those areas in! I used electronet for the first 3 years, until hawks moved in on my flock. I built a 6' high fence last season, and have to put a cover over it, which gets removed during snow season. Since starting my flock, my tick load has gone way down. BC (before chickens) I would pick about 3 - 5 ticks off my cats/week. Last year, I found 2 juvenile ticks THE ENTIRE SEASON.

As far as ducks go, IMO, they are harder to manage, b/c they are messy. However, the fact that you have a creek may make a difference in that regard.

For housing, whether you get meat birds which are all tucked into the freezer before each winter, or you get layers, and even venture into keeping a sustainable flock and hatching your own replacements each year, one recommendation I make is that you have a coop and run, or a nice sized tractor which can double as a chick brooder. You will need a place to secure them at night, and often during the day. When a predator finds your flock, that predator will move in and not let up on your flock until he's killed your last bird, or until you've killed him. Having secure housing will keep your birds safe until you have dealt with the predator, or until he gives up and moves on to visit one of your neighbors who's flock is not as secure.

Do you not want eggs? Are you a gardener? The biggest reason for me to get chickens was: #1- to have a ready supply of manure. #2- to have a flock of birds to manage my garden insects. #3- to have a flock of birds to manage garden weeds and till the soil. #4- to have yard ornaments and entertainment. #5- to have a supply of fresh eggs and meat.

 

[Phantomfoodie]

I was thinking the chicken wire might help keep predators out but if its not necessary, great! We do have a 6x10 chain link dog kennel that has been just sitting for years.

I am considering Red Rangers. Would Pioneer be better and if so, why? Does male/female ratio matter much if I'll be butchering in 16 weeks or so? If so, what is a good ratio assuming I end up with 8-10 birds?

I don't mind seeing chickens on the porch occasionally. What I don't want is them hanging out there all day making my porch useless because its covered in poop. Assuming I don't feed them from there, would I still likely need to fence it to prevent this?

In season, we typically find a dozen or more ticks on each dog every day and a few on ourselves. They are thick here.

Our primary prupose would really just be tick control with an added bonus of meat. My close friend and neighbor already has the equipment for butchering. While I take caring for my animals seriously, I am not looking for an every weekend, expensive new hobby. I just want my son to be able to play like a normal child and not get lyme disease. I have no interest in keeping chickens through the winter. I'm hoping we can use dog kennels we already have as brooders and nighttime housing. We do enjoy eggs but life is crazy right now so ease of care is a bigger priority. We don't garden.

Thank you!

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Your chickens are not going to be on your porch much. There is very little there to interest them. They will come on occasionally because they are curious, but assuming no food, plants, our dirt is on your porch they will not spend much time there. My hens favorite place to spend the day right now is under my lilac. They feel safe, have a lovely dug out dust bathing area, and have plenty of activity to watch. They make there rounds of my yard and then hang out under the lilac. Your birds will likely find similar areas.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We here in Wisconsin are ground zero for lymes, half of my dogs have it and need antibiotics every six months, and two close family members have dealt with it. It is easier to control on humans, just do full body tick checks. I have close to 80 different birds wandering our property, it doesn't matter as long as the deer come into the area on a nightly basis. So you will cut down on the tick population but won't necessarily lower your risks of lymes, as depending on where you live it is becoming an epidemic is some states.

 

[blucoondawg]

I was thinking the chicken wire might help keep predators out but if its not necessary, great! We do have a 6x10 chain link dog kennel that has been just sitting for years.


I am considering Red Rangers. Would Pioneer be better and if so, why? Does male/female ratio matter much if I'll be butchering in 16 weeks or so? If so, what is a good ratio assuming I end up with 8-10 birds?

I don't mind seeing chickens on the porch occasionally. What I don't want is them hanging out there all day making my porch useless because its covered in poop. Assuming I don't feed them from there, would I still likely need to fence it to prevent this?


In season, we typically find a dozen or more ticks on each dog every day and a few on ourselves. They are thick here.


Our primary prupose would really just be tick control with an added bonus of meat. My close friend and neighbor already has the equipment for butchering. While I take caring for my animals seriously, I am not looking for an every weekend, expensive new hobby. I just want my son to be able to play like a normal child and not get lyme disease. I have no interest in keeping chickens through the winter. I'm hoping we can use dog kennels we already have as brooders and nighttime housing. We do enjoy eggs but life is crazy right now so ease of care is a bigger priority. We don't garden.


Thank you!

Chicken wire isn't really strong enough to deter a predator like a dog or coon they'll just work at the wire till they tear through it and the holes in chicken wire aren't small enough to deter a weasel or a even a coon from reaching a hand in and ripping off a chicken head. The pioneers, or rainbows as some places call them, are going to give pretty much the same size and type meat carcass as the ranger will. You don't need to worry about male female ratio, generally they butcher these at 12 weeks but they can be kept longer, though at some point the roosters will start acting like roosters if kept that long. Also meat will get tougher and stronger tasting with age. Rainbows can also be kept as a layer and some people claim they actually breed true if you were to decide to keep some for laying out hatching new stock. I haven't tried hatching one so I couldn't say if they actually do breed true or not.

 

[Jensownzoo]

I have my 10 week old pullets in a 10x10 dog kennel right now temporarily. I attached hardware cloth to the bottom 2' of it with zip ties to keep raccoons from reaching in while the birds are sleeping. I threaded cheap electrical conduit pipe through the top to support some plastic hex fencing and shade cloth to keep out the flying predators. There is a tarp providing a windblock. Otherwise they have a straw-stuffed plastic doghouse to get into, a table thing to get under, roost made out of lumber and cement blocks, a plywood-topped wood pallet, a bale of straw, and a plastic box filled with peat for dust bathing. It is working well for them while I get the permanent coop built. Since it would only be sleeping quarters for your flock, you wouldn't have to have as much "furniture".

 

[Phantomfoodie]

More great info, thank you!

Full body tick checks are necessary but imperfect, especially when you're talking about a toddler and deer ticks. Lots of skin folds and no sitting still. It seems only the north east beats out WI for lyme disease rates. Hurray, we win at something! lol http://geology.com/articles/ticks-lyme-disease/lyme-disease-incidence-map.gif

I have my 10 week old pullets in a 10x10 dog kennel right now temporarily.

How many do you keep in there? Great description of your setup! But all of that stuff sounds like a lot to get pooped on and lots of cleaning work! Assuming mine are only in at night, what should I include? Obviously a tarp for wind/rain block, a food and water source and something to roost on. What else?