I missed so much... and Tick Tactics?

[WantedWolf]

Thanks for waiting guys. Gone for 2 weeks, come back to 35+ pages of missed TBN posts.

Just came back from the farm, finally got a land line set up out there.
I wont say much but when we arrived after not being there a month, it was obvious some security was needed, so the best we had was game cams and siren wire. I expect to find $250 worth of shot up plastic on the barn floor.

Another enemy was out in full force, TICKS, Id love to hear how you combat them. Both for yourself and your pets. we saw deer ticks but wood ticks are the most dominent.

Happy 4th of July to all (although a day late)

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

before i bought out property last fall, i had gone out several times and looked it over in the summer....WOW! i've never seen so many ticks and the little ones that weren't even a speck!

well, after we bush hogged it out pretty good last year, this year i've only found just a couple on me and my family- not the 50+ i would get in one walk so, i'm assuming that by destroying their habitat that i've helped a bunch.......i don't doubt that they're still there, the tall weeds for them to hand from are pretty much gone.......i'm sure their still down low and some have moved on.....

there are some good threads about chemical treatment etc, but from what i gather that you have to keep applying it.......i could be wrong...

 

[Richard]

I understand that guinnea birds/hens will terrorize the local tick population?

Thought about buying 100 myself & letting them run wild on the farm, knowing that some would fly away (all of them?), some would die naturally and some would die because some of the idiots that we get out my way that aren't ticks!

 

[RichZ]

Guinea fowl are great tick controllers. I have a flock of free range chickens and 2 pairs of guinea fowl. My farm is tiny, only 10 acres, but we have almost no ticks. Chickens eat ticks, too, but nothing goes after them like guinea fowl.

 

[Sigarms]

Another enemy was out in full force, TICKS, Id love to hear how you combat them. Both for yourself and your pets. we saw deer ticks but wood ticks are the most dominent.

Happy 4th of July to all (although a day late)

With the dogs, use front line, keep records when it was applied, and follow directions. Body check for the dogs every once in a while dosen't hurt as well.

So far this year, got four ticks off me outside, and three when I was in the house. Keep a good knife by your side so if you find one crawling on you, easy to get 'em off and cut them in half to kill them. Usually keep my hair and beard short in the summer so their eaiser to find

They seem pretty bad this year.

Guinea fowl are great tick controllers

They may be, neighbors got a bunch of them. However, they've got to be the dumbest birds alive when it comes to being on the road. I always stop when I see them, but some of those birds aren't so lucky when it's other people driving.

 

[Mike Costello]

Thanks for waiting guys. Gone for 2 weeks, come back to 35+ pages of missed TBN posts.

Just came back from the farm, finally got a land line set up out there.
I wont say much but when we arrived after not being there a month, it was obvious some security was needed, so the best we had was game cams and siren wire. I expect to find $250 worth of shot up plastic on the barn floor.

Another enemy was out in full force, TICKS, Id love to hear how you combat them. Both for yourself and your pets. we saw deer ticks but wood ticks are the most dominent.

Happy 4th of July to all (although a day late)

Ticks have been out in higher numbers this year, probably due to the wet weather causing much grass and weed growth. I control them on my 10 acres by keeping my lawn mowed and most tall weeds cut in the immediate area of the house. I have about 2 acres of lawn, so spraying is out due to the expense. Since ticks need tall growth in order to hitch a ride on a host, keeping things mowed makes it a lot harder for them to migrate.
I treat my animals with Frontline + which controls ticks and fleas. My wife's guide dog is in and out of the house wherever she goes, so the Frontline keeps the ticks off the dog and hence out of the house.
As for the other 8 acres (natural prairie grasses) I brush hogged it last year to encourage better growth, but this year plan to cut and bale it on shares. This approach should go along way in keeping the ticks manageable. That, and keeping a watchful eye out may just do the trick. Hope this helps, Mike.

 

[schmism]

Another enemy was out in full force, TICKS, Id love to hear how you combat them. Both for yourself and your pets. we saw deer ticks but wood ticks are the most dominent.

Happy 4th of July to all (although a day late)

Our free range chickens do a number on them. but if you really want to wage war on them you have to go guinea hens. They REALLY put a hurt on the bug/tick population.

 

[Mike Costello]

Question. How many Guinea hens survive wild animal attacks? I don't doubt their ability to decimate bug populations, but it seems the attrition rate of the birds would be high. Any thoughts?

 

[WantedWolf]

Yeah we mowed as much grass around the house as our little electric mowers and time would allow, but we still found marching up the legs while at the cook fire. I think more needs to be cut and in time they will leave that area for better cover, and attatchment opportunity on the higher grasses.

many in the area burn in the early spring, some so close as to singe there decks and homes

We are bringing out the pets on the next trip, and they are my main concern.
The guinea hens are they good for much else? I plan to have alot of chickens in large runs, but outside of the runs they would be ineffective.
there are alot of trees and brush for preditors to hide, it might take all my time babysitting them. Good thing frog farming isnt to labour intensive

I have one cat (80% indoor) who is my top bug eliminator, I am most certain she will try to eat the ticks after a short chase. Do you think her stomach acid is enough to kill them, or do I need to worry about one attaching to her insides. These ticks are able to emerge from drains and toilets after 30+mins.

one neighbors dogs are left untreated, and what was once a tick half the size of a corn kernel has grown to a nest of ticks each the size of my finger tip. I could never let my animals get that bad but if they did how would you treat a large attached infestation. I am guessing a chemical might be best at that point, or maybe shave the local area and carfully use a small torch?

 

[schmism]

Question. How many Guinea hens survive wild animal attacks? I don't doubt their ability to decimate bug populations, but it seems the attrition rate of the birds would be high. Any thoughts?

we free range our chickens on our 5 acers (and they venture off in the woods behind us also)

we have lost the occtional one that didnt come home, but the most problem we had was with a neighbor dog who was attacking them. (but no longer)

I dont raise guinea hens, but i assume they would roost in trees or even a coupe at night like my girls.