Poultry/Chicken ticks - Solutions?

[MX723]

Hey ya'll,

I've been a lurker on the forum for months now and have used it's resources to great effect with raising my chicks. Thank you!

I'm in Maine, northern coastal Maine to be exact.
I have twelve (12) Buff Orpingtons, bought as straight run, looks like 4 roosters and 8 hens at the moment. They are currently 7 weeks old.
Mostly free range.

Yesterday while watching chicken TV and putting them away in the evening (7 PM), the girlfriend and I noticed moving spots on the chickens heads. Mostly near the combs. We pulled some off and it seems to be a case of Poultry Ticks.
My frantic research tells me this does occur from time to time. There isn't a ton of info out there on the web so I'm starting this thread in hopes of personal experience with getting rid of these things.

Pictures attached after removing one from the head of a bird.

This is the first I've seen and the chicks were put into the coop at 3 weeks old.
The coop was not new, it was existing and was used, but more than 4+ years ago.
I don't notice any other strange issues with the chickens - they seem to be in good health otherwise.
I have searched the coop; between slats and under roosts and found NO other ticks. It seems they are only on the birds.
I will look in there at night tonight to see if I can find adult ticks.
The birds had been outside ALL day long yesterday prior to finding of these ticks - is this just a case of them being Free Range in a place that does have ticks?

Can anyone give me recommendations?

I appreciate any help!!!

Patrick

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi Welcome To BYC

The ticks need to go. Look for a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust at feed stores like Tractor Supply. Treat the chicks and housing.
Ticks can engorge themselves under the skin, cause infection, toxicity, etc. So I would try to get all of them off and kill them as soon as you can.

As for where are they coming from? Could be in the grass, housing, etc. Like most parasites they just seem to appear.
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/ectoparasites/fowl-ticks
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/poultry-ticks.48763/

 

[RoosterML]

That looks like a regular what I call wood tick. Nothing specific to poultry itself. Same type of ticks dog or anyone else would get. You need more chickens to eat more ticks.