Guinea Hens For Ticks?

[fenneran]

An unqualified YES! We have had as few as 1 and as many as 30 guineas at a time. They are the absolute best for ticks. We don't have any this year and I am being overrun with ticks already. As long as you don't mind the squalking, they are great birds to have around. We loved the sound and watching them march around the property each day was a delight. We are going to get some more very soon, assuming I can train the dogs to not bother with them.

 

[hudr]

Yes, They will work for ticks. And I have seen a flock of them tear up fire ant mounds. But they are not 0 maintenance. My wife wants all types of stuff like this (all type of fowl, cows, horses, fruit trees, etc.). We get it and then she is disappointed when vacations go out the windows because of farm/ranch maintenance. So, if you think you can put up w/ the noise and spend the time to "train" them, I say go for it. But it will work best if you are somewhat of a homebody.

 

[JESSE1]

Getting rid of ticks may be the only good thing about fire ants. We don't have a tick problem but do have a good crop of fire ants.

 

[kensfarm]

"Our kids would get between 200-500 of them each going out for about an hour. "

I think I'd spray the yard down w/ the appropriate pesticide.. sounds like your back yard is in Africa.

We use to spray our shoes and the bottom of our pants legs & socks w/ "Deep Woods Off".. before haying etc.. the ticks don't like it and won't climb up your legs.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

The folks who had our place before us were strong advocates of keeping everything 'natural' and never cleaned the brush. They moved because of the ticks /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

We have since trimmed the trees branches below 10'. cut out or burned most low brush. The ticks are way down!

I am not the least opposed to exageration for fun. But I am NOT kidding when I say my kids would have hundreds of ticks on them!

The best thing that I have found in Avon Skin So Soft. When we pick berries, if I forget I get covered in chiggers. But with it they won't go anywhere near us.

I would rather avoid pesticides. I am not radically organic, but I don't like a lot of chemicals either.

BTW we had guineas once. Great owl food.

 

[SPIKER]

Cant say that I have tyried the guinies for ticks, they are great at eliminating grass hoppers crickets ect, though as others mentioned very nosisy, the enibors have now gotten at least 2 big ole roosters, which crows on/off all day, I don't mind them at all, I do wish the dang other neibor with 20+ coon dogs would get rid of them as they never shut up...
My ex-s place out in Mo used to be swarmming with seed ticks, very bad, (near stockton lake) they had cows that would be half ate alive.! they had a virgine parrie full of wild flowers, it was a hoot as by passers would stop & walk the fence line looking, most of em old ladies with flowing dresses on, then tell em to take a look at there legs and see what they were into /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

here in ohio, we do have the deer ticks, (seed ticks as mentioned above) as well as the dog/wood chuck ticks, (big brown ones) and wood chuck/ horse ticks of the white color) not sure if tese are white due to living under groundhogs bellies or not but most of the chucks I elminated last year were covered, one so bad that we shot him 3 times b4 killing him and he must have figured it was a new tick biting him, ( once through leg/arm pit, ran into hole for 30 seconds, once through lower neck, only made it jump up in the air a bit, and finally a full on trhough the middle of chest shot stopped him cold.) that chuck was scrawny as all getout must have had 50+ BIG white ticks all over him... these chucks aere living in the neibors horse farm's field/pasture amungst the horses..

anyhow what we did out in MO was use duct tape around bottom of the pant legs, Heavy jeans, tape up shoe/boot tops to the pants, spray on the deet based bugg off, then also strip naked to look over ones self with help to get the rest off you when you came in on the back porch. (actually was down to nothing with the wife when in walked her MOM /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

She was a nurse, just smiled and said hope ya didn't miss any of those buggers, winked opened the clothes washer for us and went about her buisness lol /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
We were in our early 20's then and now I wouldn't even bat an eye if it had happened but back then I think I fell over backwards after tripping on my shoes or something behind me as she walked in /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif needless to say I nearly had my rear end and legs flying up in the air as I stumbled but I cought myself. the ex and her mom sure got a good chuckle out of me, and I don't think my face ever cooled down to get back to the simple flushed state all through dinner that night as her dad & grandpa had a good time making fun of me and her mom... hahaha.

MarkM