pests and parasites

[backyardcelia]

how concerned should i be about internal and tiny to microscopic kinds of pests...

we have practically every predator you could fear here, and on a regular basis... two separate owl families (barred and horned), countless hawks, at least two bobcats, coyotes, red and brown fox, opossum, raccoon, and i know i must be missing something else (other than suddenly, the new neighbor's dog and cat), theses were all of the things i had to reconcile before we decided to keep chickens, but i'm wondering if i should be more concerned about the variety of constant critters around the coop... (oh, and should moles concern me??)
i know i have read about turkey diseases in particular, but thankfully the turkeys usually travel on the other side of the house. however, there is a pine tree right near the coop, and it is almost always enjoyed by whichever birds are in town... should i be concerned about mites, or anything else, this time of year?
then there are the deer (the chickens are still getting their fill of ticks i think, as we've tracked several in the house- one of the reasons we thought they would be great to have around! but) i wonder about anything else they might be tracking around... for example, bot fly!!! (ugh, we just killed a mouse recently that had one crawl out!)
and of course, mice/rat disease.... i keep the water out in the pen portion of the coop, is this a bad idea? i suppose the smallest of small mice could get in and out from someplace.

so many questions, only six chickens!

 

[dawg53]

Yeah, chickens are on everybody's menu...including external and internal parasites. Simply pick up a chicken every now and then and visually inspect her for external parasites, especially around the vent area where it's warm and moist. Depending where you live, your environment dictates how often you should worm your birds. Warm/moist soil may require several wormings a year. Cool, rocky/mountainous, or very dry soil may require only once a year wormings, maybe longer periods of time.

 

[backyardcelia]

i am definitely 'inspecting' them as regularly as i can... and everyday i look at and into all of their eyes.... and i think to myself, and sometimes even a say aloud, i don't know what i'm looking for....but those sure are pretty eyes! (i'm sure i'll know the difference if they became dull, etc. and i've been checking the wings & vents likewise....)
i just wonder about any preventative or precautionary measures &/or if cold winter weather (i am i new england) offers any particular pros or heighten any cons... the bird mites especially. and worms...seasonal fogging, yes? locally, it doesn't seem like people are concerned- when i asked about fogging, they say they don't... which i don't understand because it is so moist here. thanks for your input
oh, and hey, what do you think about the water being left overnight in the covered pen? am i being paranoid or careless?