Do chickens eat deer ticks?

[paullis]

I was raised within 50 yards of a railroad track and you know we almost never heard the train. Same with Guineas, they are very loud and eventually you ask your visitors, "what noise?" As for ticks, Yeh yeh, chickens and guineas will devour ticks. I have seen them peck them off of our two Great Pyrenees. I have also seen our guineas get into trees and when they shake the limbs the ground guineas will run over and eat whatever falls. This can go on for 30 minutes or more. Oh, they will also eat tomatoes, beans and anything else they can peck. We have a dozen guineas of every stripe and they roam all day, 85 acres. At night they are around the house in the trees. We don't have a hen house and all free range so it's to the trees at night. I wouldn't have any if our neighbors were close, they are just too loud or maybe less than a dozen would be okay.

 

[SandraMort]

My mother in law uses guinea hens for tick removal and a friend uses chickens in the same county. They both reported excellent results. In fact, that is the reason that my new landlord said she preferred me to free range the birds!

 

[bluie]

I have always heard that guineas eat ticks. My 2 week old chicks are catching and eating flying mosquitoes! I love my chicks! They have also been eating carpenter ants! Is there any downside to having chickens!?

 

[Charlene1234]

Another great reason to have chickens!! I'll be doing Guineas someday but as for now, my weeds and bugs have dropped dramatically. They are messy though on my back patio and around the water bowl... But if I can keep my bug population down and at the same time control my weeds then I can wash poop off my sidewalk and patio!

 

[ChickaD]

I'm glad to hear that chickens eat ticks, since the neighbor's guinea chickens (roosters) are way too loud for us...and they kept roaming in our yard and terrifying our chickens. But sad news: last weekend, our grown daughter saw what must have been a coyote (it was too large to be a fox; we've seen them in the yard occasionally) run off with one of our N.H. reds! So now that the coyote has discovered our free-ranging flock, I'm afraid our whole way of life for the chickens will have to change...no more free-range tick-eating, with them enclosed in their fenced-in chicken yard. I did read the forums on coyotes, and it doesn't sound very promising. I hate to whine, but am SO disappointed not to have my feathered friends out with me while I garden! How does anyone solve this dilemma? No, we don't have a gun... and had to return our dog to the shelter as it was a chicken chaser/killer.

I'm new to this site and apologize for mixing topics, but they all seemed related - at least in my mind (maybe I have water-on-the-brain from all the rain).

 

[bkterry]

We free range out chickens everyday and have found very very few ticks. I think that chickens, like humans, each have their own taste preferences because I can pull a tick off our cat and hold it out for the chickens and some will look at it and turn away while others will gobble it up in a heartbeat. My rooster Chomp is a barred rock and he LOVES ticks. He will come running to me if I yell for him and eats them everytime.

 

[ChickaD]

Yes, thanks for that helpful info, bkterry. There's just nothing like seeing a flock of all colors of chickens spread out over the yard, busy eating bugs and whatever. It's gonna kill me to have to keep them in a little boring chicken yard! And we just got 11 baby chicks.

 

[paullis]

We free range guineas, chickens and goats and have had coyotes completely disembowel 3 deer in our front yard since last Fall. We also have a nesting pair of red tailed hawks within view about 100 yards away. In three years we have lost maybe 5 chickens, nothing but a pile of feathers. Why, a roaming pair of Great Pyrenees, Jake and Caty? When puppies, they chased the chickens a bit but my Red Ryder BB gun was a great training tool. I don't think you can completely eliminate ticks but considering that I fill two fly catchers every week with flies we have very few ticks. A dozen guineas are tireless tick control.

 

[jackiedon]

I had guineas last year and didn't have any tick but got rid of them because they were too mean to my silkies. This year I've had chicken's free ranging and no ticks. Normally my husband and youngest dd get a few but none this year.

One of my neighbors have guineas but they don't come in my yard and my other neighbors complain of the noise of them.

Of course this year I have added ducks, geese and turkeys.

Everything freeranges during the day.

Good luck,

jackie

 

[Mahonri]

glad it's too hot and dry here for ticks.