Is this some type of tick? Images...

[zowieyellowflame]

Hello, there are 5 or 6 of these on the neck of 2 of my 6 turkeys. bbw. They are attached like a tick, but much smaller than a wood tick. They are filled with blood.
I also posted this in the turkey section but I was not sure if it is specific to turkeys or not so I put it here too.

Thanks

 

[DuckLover2399]

Its a red mite I tnk.

 

[dawg53]

Maybe a fowl tick. Here's a couple pics.

 

[SanctusPullus]

It's possible that it could be a red mite but it looks a bit big for that and since you say it's filled with blood, it's a dead-ringer for a brown dog tick.

Edited to say: I defer to dawg, he's probably right.

 

[zowieyellowflame]

Is the fowl tick the size of pepper grains? Or the size of a poppy seed, maybe?
The appearance of the bug in person is black, purely black but when I enlarged the photo it looked reddish.
Another bit of info.... the bug was shiny or glossy and fairly hard. (when I smooshed it) It was filled with blood.

I live in an area where we have loads of wood ticks. They are the size of slightly smaller than a hulled sunflower seed but expand to the size of a pea or big blueberry when engorged.
In Nova Scotia there are "deer ticks" which are smaller, but I don't think poppyseed size. Maybe between poppyseed and hulled sunflower seed but I have never seen one. They are kind of rare in my area. And I think they are brown..
Dog ticks... are they the same as deer ticks? what size are they?

 

[SanctusPullus]

Quote:
Didn't notice you were in Nova Scotia (lucky you), it's highly unliklry to be a brown dog tick. The sizes of the ticks are usually irrelevant as they grow/gorge/change very quickly. Dawg's likely right about it being a fowl tick.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

Sorry I don't know much about fowl ticks, but In maine we have lots of dog and deer ticks. There is quite a difference in size and a tiny one like that would not be what we call a common dog/wood tick. There are many very small ticks (deer, woodchuck, etc.) that attach onto animals or birds which brush against them when the ticks are on the ground. They are poppy seed size in the larval and nymph stage. Larval stage deer ticks are most active in the northeast US in august and the nymph stage is most active during the summer months.

 

[my3bratz2008]

It looks like a tick to me....they start off very tiny (which is why most people become host, cause they don't notice them) and usually when they are coming out of the nymph stage (size of pencil point dot) is when they are most noticeable. They survive the cold by staying under debris such as matted down leaves, and can be seen in different parts of the US as early as April all the way until September. I live in the woods and thank my birds everyday for keeping the yard pest free. I often check them over for any parasites, as they can be left on the ground by song birds (as they can hitch a ride) that have landed to eat. Not sure which kind you have where you live, but I would just pay close attention to any changes in their activities, so you can determine if the nasty little critter in question didn't make your fowl sick. Hope it all turns out good!