ticks

[njones]

Every time I go open the door to let my chickens out in the run, I come back to the house with at LEAST one tick. (Hate those things). I was wondering, do I have to worry about them on my chickens? If they get on them, what do I do? Can chickens get Lyme disease? Is there anything I can spray or powder to get rid of the ticks that would be safe for my chickens? Sorry about all the questions, new to chickens and not sure what to do. I don't like getting ticks on me and the thought that they could be on my chicks making them sick worries me. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[CMV]

Birds cannot get Lyme disease. Chickens will pick them off during their grooming/preening, although you may want to keep an eye on your chicks if they don't have a mother taking care of them. Food grade DE (diatomaceous earth) sprinkled liberally in and around your coop/run/yard takes care of a host of insects. I don't see why it wouldn't work for ticks.
I also recommend mowing down any high grass or weeds near your chickens if ticks are a problem. Take away tick habitat and you will see a marked decline in their incidence. Good luck.
Oh, and welcome to BYC.

 

[gocrow77]

I am actually pretty surprised that your chickens aren't taking care of the ticks for you. Ever since we set up our coop I haven't had a single tick, but then again ours free range alot.

 

[BlackBart]

My little Sumatras eat anything that crawls or climbs

they are really good at bug control.

Try spraying your pant legs with Neem Oil solution.
About 10-20 drops of Neem Oil, 1 tablespoon dish soap (to make it stick) in a spray bottle that holds 1 quart of water.
Add more Neem Oil if the bugs are really bad.
You can get Neem Oil at most Health food/vitamin type stores.
Sometimes I add a essential oil such as citronella or spearmint to make it smell nice.

I use this on me, the dogs and the horses when the ticks, flies and mosquitos get bad.