over-run by ticks....what to use

[tktagalongtek]

Our yard has been over-run by ticks.

I've applied the monthly spot treatment to the dog and the cats, but the nasty little critters are in my house, in the lawn, trees, and now they're getting on us. Before I got my chickens I'd do the preventative treatment on the dog & cats, then spray the yard & trees to keep the ticks under controll...now, I'm afraid to spray and not sure what to use if I do or how long to keep the birds off any areas I do spray.
So far I haven't found any ticks on the birds....I'm hoping I won't either. I keep seeing where everyone recommends DE for keeping creepy crawlys out of the coop and I've managed to find some so I'll be adding that to the coop soon, but there's no way I can get enough to cover my yard in it (I've got just shy of 3 acres).
We're also going to have to do a termite treatment program (the neighbors found out they have them, and around here if your neighbors have them, you will too if you don't already. I haven't been able to find out exactly what to do with my birds while we're doing that. We're still waiting to hear from the exterminator as to when he can get to us, and I'd rather know now what to do about my birds while that's going on.
Any info or ideas will be greatly appreciated

 

[dadof4]

Can you use Guineas? They work well.

 

[boxermom]

Won't the chickens just eat the ticks?

We are over run too. I'm waiting for the chicks to be old enough to free range.

 

[thesteven]

Guineas, i have 2, they work well. pulled a tick off me last year, and hen spit it out but the roo loved it.. so to each bird its own

 

[Evermore Ranch]

I have read that turkeys are about the best. I have turkeys and very litle problem but added some guineas this year

 

[Tala]

My friends never had ticks because of all the chickens that ate them.

What are you putting on the animals? I ask because Advantage doesn't do jack for ticks on cats, and you have to upgrade to K9 Advantix for it to work on dogs either.
Frontline doesn't do jack for fleas on cats, but it kills ticks on dogs just fine.

Chickens eat termites too

 

[farrier!]

Quote:
So am I!
I just pulled over 10 off of me tonight.

 

[boxermom]

farrier! :

Quote:
So am I!
I just pulled over 10 off of me tonight.

Eww... Don't they just make your skin crawl?

 

[Jayare's Chicks]

Get you some Guineas.

I've heard that ticks are around pine trees so if you have pine trees maybe get rid of some of those trees and plant other types of trees.

(don't know for sure if this is true, I've never lived in an area with a tick problem till I moved down here to Alabama summer of 2007. We have ticks here but I haven't seen but just a couple on my dogs and I do have some pine trees on my 8 acres but most of them are out on the back of my property. I do have about 10-15 big pine trees about 50 feet from one side of my house so I am going to try to keep an eye on that area in paticular and if I am noticing ticks there and can confirm if ticks like pine trees than some of those are gettin cut down.)

Jayare

 

[Jayare's Chicks]

I should have mentioned this in the above post.

I have about 90 chickens, 5 turkeys, 6 guineas and 6 ducks so I don't know how many ticks I have on the property or how many they eat to keep the tick population down.

Jayare