Can dead ticks from my Front Line treated dogs harm my Guinea Fowl when they eat them?

[BennieAnTheJets]

Hi everyone,

I just read 130 posts on a Front Line string were some folks treat their chickens with Front Line (fipronil) which is supposed to be highly toxic to galliformes (information found on wiki page on fipronil or by googling it).

Did any of you use fipronil (Front Line) on your Guinea Fowl???

Did they survive it?

We got two life stock guardian dogs to protect our Guineas from coyotes and raccoons, foxes, etc. and I just removed 8 lone star ticks from one of the dog's bellies. Alarming!

We need to get the dogs on tick protection ASAP, but I am worried about our beloved Guineas: they are with us because ticks are their favorite diet and if poisoned ticks drop off the dogs (who live outside with our birds) I am afraid the Guineas may eat those ticks and get poisoned.

What is your experience / opinion?

Does anyone have dogs living with Guinea Fowl with the dogs wearing Front Line or have you treated any Guineas with Front Line, and if so, how are they doing???

Any experiences / stories / accounts much appreciated!

Thanks, Bennie

 

[Dmontgomery]

We have 5 dogs on Frontline, living in the middle of 40 acres of dense woods. Even with the treatments we pick ticks daily, but it could be worse I guess. 29 chickens and 3 Guineas. None have ever gotten poisoned. That's just our experience though.
I never knew other people had actually treated their birds with Frontline. Aren't the eggs poisoned?

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Thank you so much, Dmontgomery!

How long have you had the dogs + Front Line with the Guineas together?

Bummer that you still have ticks!

Yeah - I think it is strange that people treat birds with Front Line - birds don't have the same glands / hair / spreading mechanism for the oil and it is supposed to be a neurotoxin that is dangerous to birds!

Strange that those people's birds did not die or get sick. Maybe some did and those folks are not posting?

I guess people desperate with parasites, who have dogs and cats, reach for the closest thing that they think may help.

There is discussion about the eggs on this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/465712/frontline/50

From What I can tell, it is not a good idea to treat with Front Line and eat the eggs just because some people did it and survived long enough to tell about it. Fipronil is a neurotoxin and is fat soluble, so yes, it will be in the yolk if it gets into the chicken and since birds preen with their beaks I don't see how it can not get into the bird if you put it on the bird to spread all over its skin. That's just my 2 cents. Maybe I am too cautious. I do get exposed to it from the dogs, if I put it on them, too, I suppose. But I would not treat the birds with it because there are several sources that say it will harm them, anyway.

Sorry, I don't know how to change the color of this text back to black.

-Bennie

 

[Dmontgomery]

The guineas got here about a year ago. The dogs have been on Frontline or similar products forever. Mainly the Pitt bull and black lab get the ticks. They tend to roam/hunt in the deep woods all night long then come home about dawn, soaking wet and muddy. The Bassett Hounds pretty much stay on our cleared acreage most of the time and almost never get ticks or fleas. Thanks to the chickens and guineas, we don't even have ant problems anymore, either. Last year we moved the coop and run to our yard. It was about 1/4 mile away. No more black ants, fire ants, spiders, and fewer snakes now.
Now that I say all that, we will probably get overwhelmed with bugs in the next few days!

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Ha ha - you have a great sense of humor!

My husband loves Bassets. Do you have three of them?

Thanks for your reply. We will probably go with Front Line then.

We have two Maremmas and they love to go through the brush at the edge of the woods and follow the deer paths into the woods. We are only on 4 acres fenced in, but enough to get plenty of ticks.

Thanks again, Dmontgomery! Sounds like you have your own little piece of paradise on earth! And bug-free! Your birds won't let you down!

If anyone else has experience with Front Line on dogs living with Guinea Fowl, please chime in! The more the merrier!