Paralysis ticks and chickens

[BonDEEroo]

Does any BYC member have any experience or comments on dealing with the Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) in chickens? They are common on the east coast of Australia, and are a major killer of domestic and native animals, and a vector for rickettsia and Lyme's disease.

I found one today under the earlobe of one of our Silkies. It had engorged to one third the size of her earlobe. She was not yet showing any of the usual effects (lethargy, weakness in limbs, loss of coordination, laboured breathing). We removed the tick with a tick remover and got it out intact. There wasn't much of a wound at all. I will observe and update.

I don't want to take her to the vet because they charge a fortune for anti-venene treatment with no guarantees. Someone we know has brought goats and dogs back from death's door with vitamin C injections.

Sorry, don't have a photo of the tick but here is one of the affected bird (on the left).

Any thoughts would be very welcome!

 

[Rickba]

Just a shot in the dark here, but here in NW Pennsylvania we have Deer Ticks. Very bad for disease especially lyme's. I got a 16 Guinea's for 80USD and let 'em loose. They eat all the ticks and other insects in a 4 acre area. Sort of like prevention is cheaper then a cure. Once they get the disease the treatment/cure is very expensive with lasting effects. I know with lyme's there is permanent nerve damage. Anyone with a tick/insect problem and can have guineas should get a few. It's deffanatly worth it in the long run. Not to mention you can grab one every once in a while for a really good meal. Free range guineas are absolutely delicious.

 

[Sara Ranch]

My Bantam roosters and my duckies also eat ticks.

I hope your chick makes it!

 

[BonDEEroo]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've never seen a bird get a tick before, but this one is near the bottom of the pecking order and keeps to herself a lot, so the others probably didn't notice the grey tick against her black flesh and blue earlobe, and didn't pick it off for her.

She's doing OK this morning, eating and moving about normally.

It usually takes 12-24 hours after removing a paralysis tick for the victim to begin eliminating the tick venom from their bloodstream and start recovering. I hope I got it off her in time .... usually the tick is injecting the most venom and is most dangerous 4-7 days after attachment.

I'll think about some guinea fowl! Not got a lot of space here (0.7 acre) though.

 

[chickens really]

Hello....I know the tick you have mentioned...I believe not all the ticks cause the paralysis nor do all infected animals have ill effects....Contact someone local to you for confirmation.....

 

[BonDEEroo]

She seems fine this morning! That ought to mean she's got no residual toxins and is not affected.

 

[Folly's place]

All ticks are 'the pits'!!! Here in the USA, ticks carry a number of nasty diseases, and chickens seem to not have problems with most (all?) of them. You should be able to find out about possible ill effects in chickens where you live too. I'm glad she's okay. Mary

 

[BonDEEroo]

Thanks, she's all fine now. No ill effects I can see.

 

[thosthos]

This is very late but may be of interest to those with free-range chickens in eastern australia with a paralysis tick presence. The paralysis associated with this tick is only a problem if the bite is from a female tick. The male is equally disgusting but does not carry the toxin. These ticks lurk in vegetation normally less than about a meter high and the female bite can kill pets like cats, dogs, and chickens. One of our cats was bitten a couple of years ago and, although we spotted the signs very quickly and have a veterinary hospital 5 minutes away, she nearly died and took hours to respond fully to the anti-venom. This cost us hundreds of dollars, so we took measures to stop it happening again.

Keep your grass etc. less than a few centimetres long so ticks won't be brushed off on it. Cats - and chickens - tend to avoid long grass anyway so try to help them with this. The ticks are usually carried by native animals which are naturally immune to the venom. This fact is, I think, being used to research tranferring similar immunity to domestic pets. You can get into a routine of examining your pets for ticks when they come in - especially around the ears. But they hate it, it's very boring, and you're likely to miss ticks before they've become attached. If you find a tick, don't try and pull it out with your fingers. Your clumsy squeezing just causes the tick to vomit a disgusting cocktail of infections and digestive fluids into the bloodstream. Instead, remain calm, find a pair of tweezers, grip the tick as close to the skin as you can - by the head - and squeezing firmly without crushing turn it anti-clockwise as if unscrewing it from the skin. It will soon come out intact and should be retained for identification purposes should your pet show signs of female paralysis tick bite. These include instability when walking and increasing evidence of distress and disorientation. As soon as these signs show, take your pet to a vet quickly along with the tick for identification.

 

[Folly's place]

Happily we don't (YET!) have that tick here! Thanks for the excellent explanation. Tick removal is the same everywhere too.
Mary