ticks control methods and info

[cluckin tractor]

i recently sprayed the coop but i still find the ticks in cracks

ive heard of kero and transmission oil applied to cracks and it does work.

on chemicals do the best befroe date influence its effectiveness

info please

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hi cluckin,
Sorry to hear about the ticks. We have a chemical here called Orange Guard, sold at Ace Hardware stores. It's made from orange peel extract and kills ticks on contact. I don't know if this product is distributed where you are or not. Here's a link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Orange-Guard-...WTYK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1289696542&sr=8-4 The gallon jug comes with a hose and adjustable spray nozzle. I'll bet Sevin dust would kill them too, the problem is you'd never get it into the places they hide. I'm afraid that you might always have ticks if you have cracks and crevices for them to hide in. Your problem is likely to get worse as temperatures heat up too. I have a BYC page that shows how I dealt with my poultry tick infestation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638-poultry-ticks The page isn't finished yet, but now I'll get on it. The good news is I eliminated the ticks.

 

[emarble]

I have Used DE (Diamateous Earth) with really good luck and you can use a puffer and put it directly into the cracks and it is totally safe for you and your chickens as it is natural

 

[pringle]

If your looking for the most natural way possible get some guines

 

[Cowgirl71]

Quote:
x2

Guinea fowl are excellent tick eaters and completely natural!!!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Poultry ticks are nocturnal. The places they hide during the day prevent anything from getting at them. They emerge only after dark to feed on the birds and return to their crevice after feeding. So, guineas don't work at getting rid of this kind of tick.

 

[cluckin tractor]

next year when my welding skills have been up graded by roostse will be made of solid suitable metal.

then they will have no where to hide and will have to sprint five meters to the nearest peice of wood in the chook shed.

thanks for the info and that tick that just fed is super ugly if i saw that my poop scraping implement would iraditate it and blood splatting every where.

i try to change my roosts every two weeks so adults die and larve die as well and wash the oldies down and isolate froma any animal that has blood

i wonder if they can still make thier way back without food

ill have a look but can you blend orange peels and splat it on the roosts and is it as good and effective

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:

Apparently, they aren't a problem in commercial poultry operations because of all the metal and they have no place to hide and can be eaten. They're mostly found in small, backyard flocks with wooden coops.


Quote:
They can definitely make it back to the roost if they don't feed. In fact, they can survive up to 4 years in an empty coop without feeding.

Another issue that you might not have worked out yet (and I don't yet have it detailed on my BYC tick page), is the timing of the treatment. The tick eggs hatch deep in the crevice where they were laid and then the larvae crawl up onto the bird and feed for 7-10 days. Then they drop off the bird and seek out a crevice to live in, guided to the best concealed spots by the pheromones released by congregating individuals. There they molt and begin the feeding cycle of eating at night and hiding during the day. Your treatment regime should take this into account. For example, you might want to treat the birds at the same time that you treat the coop to deal with the larval ticks on the chickens. If you only treat the coop, for the following 10 days your coop will continue to be re-infected. I don't know anything about making your own orange peel extract. I have no doubt that it is possible, but it might take some web searching. I'll bet you could use just about any citrus peel.

 

[mulewagon]

Quote:
I had wanted metal roosts, but my husband says the chickens' feet would freeze to them in winter.

So our roosts are wooden, but that's the only wood in the coop. Since we have a mild climate, they're in a chain link dog kennel. So far, no trouble with parasites (knock wood!

)