Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

In article ,
says...
:) We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now. Apparently the
:) drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on the
:) porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can SEE the
:) friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are the ones
:) that are attached.
:)
:)
You might check in at your local farm co-op or county
extension agency to see if you can get info on a
procedure that places stations around the property and
as the mice go in and out there will be a wick fed
liquid, such as what you apply by drops to your dogs
that will reduce the tick population that is helped
spread by the mice.
--
Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

If you treat your dogs with Advantage, the pests on the property
should dwindle. It has worked for me well.


Revolution is what was recommended by my vet, however, I just learned yesterday
that it only kills one species of tick (deer ticks). The other will quite
happily feast away. It's gross, but it has become Sunday ritual to have each of
my three dogs lay on the front porch and pull off the multitude of ticks. The
vet said to not switch to advantage because I would lose the protection from
heartworm and ear mites.

Yesterday, I pulled at least 10 off my one 20 lb baby alone.

*Sigh* I don't want to excommunicate them, but the cats are picking them up too
and leaving them around the house.

I'm at a loss...........

Just my 2 cents.........
Christine

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

x-no-archive: yes


I would think rabbits and deer would be bigger vectors of ticks... that's a
great idea regardless

White footed mice are considered a major vector for ticks, hence the
development of Damminix, the cardboard tubes with treated nesting material for
mice.

There have also been experiments with feeding stations for deer with rollers
that apply a tick prevention chemical on the heads and necks of deer as they
feed. Birds and squirrels, chipmunks are all carriers.

One single tick bite can transmit numerous infections for which there is no
reliable serological testing, and, often, no curative treatment, so prevention
is very important.

Guinea hens are known to have a voracious appetite for ticks, so some folks in
tick infested areas buy them for that purpose.

Susan

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

If you're using Frontline tick drops it absolutely KILLS the ticks. I don't
use Advantage. Doesn't work.
madgardener who hasn't had ticks on Rose or her felines since using
Frontline drops that comes in a three pack.
"Judy and Dave G" wrote in message
...
Hello all.

Good lord. I have seen more ticks so far this year than I have ever seen
before. We moved to this farm 10 years ago. Took me a couple years to be
able to pick a tick off and kill it. Still can't touch those darn swelled
up, grayish green ones. Dave's gotta get them.

Our farm is about 60 acres, on a hillside, from the creek at the bottom to
the ridge at the top. I hate snakes and ticks. I read somewhere,
sometime
that if you mow areas close to your home that snakes and ticks shouldn't
be
a problem. Well, I get a bit carried away. I mow about 3 acres in the
bottoms, about an acre around the house, then a 30 foot path up to the top
of the hill with about an acre by the bees, an acre at the first
leveling,
and about 3 acres in the top field by the pond.

So you can pretty much walk everywhere that is comfortable (some of the
hillside is really a bit too steep for comfort) and not be close to high
grass. Even at the middle of the path, the higher grass is 15 feet away.
Now, when I am mowing, I am fair game to the ticks. Because I am sitting
on
the lawn tractor and brushing right past all the weeds, berries and ivy
and
ducking under the trees.

But, if I walk out the front door, down the walk, onto the gravel drive,
down to the road for the mail, (about 300 feet) and back up to the house:
I
have at least 3, count em, 3 friggin ticks on me. Geez.

We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now. Apparently
the
drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on the
porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can SEE the
friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are the ones
that are attached.

And this is only May for cripes sake.

Doesn't look to be a real comfortable summer. Gonna be feeling and
scratching and picking. Gross. Yuck. Anyone else in the country and
noticing ticks are pretty bad this year? I am in Kentucky.

Judy

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

honey, the ticks are also on the BIRDS, and the ticks drop outa the trees
onto me........I saw a show on the preditor bugs that likes blood on
Discovery, and the ticks literally hang on the ends of grasses waiting for
some unsuspecting warm blooded whatever to brush thru the grasses to
land....they have little grappling hooks for feeties.....and as I was
walking to the car UNDER the black cherry tree, THREE ticks dropped onto me
from above, no cats or dog up THERE! g madgardener again............


"Lar" wrote in message
. ..
In article ,
says...
:) We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now.
Apparently the
:) drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on
the
:) porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can SEE
the
:) friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are the
ones
:) that are attached.
:)
:)
You might check in at your local farm co-op or county
extension agency to see if you can get info on a
procedure that places stations around the property and
as the mice go in and out there will be a wick fed
liquid, such as what you apply by drops to your dogs
that will reduce the tick population that is helped
spread by the mice.
--
Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

On Mon, 5 May 2003 19:04:48 -0400, "madgardener"
wrote:

If you're using Frontline tick drops it absolutely KILLS the ticks. I don't
use Advantage. Doesn't work.
madgardener who hasn't had ticks on Rose or her felines since using
Frontline drops that comes in a three pack.

Excuse please, but Advantage works on our pets and yards just fine.
The neighbors won't pay the price and have problems.

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

On Mon, 5 May 2003 19:06:58 -0400, "madgardener"
wrote:

honey, the ticks are also on the BIRDS, and the ticks drop outa the trees
onto me........I saw a show on the preditor bugs that likes blood on
Discovery, and the ticks literally hang on the ends of grasses waiting for
some unsuspecting warm blooded whatever to brush thru the grasses to
land....they have little grappling hooks for feeties.....and as I was
walking to the car UNDER the black cherry tree, THREE ticks dropped onto me
from above, no cats or dog up THERE! g madgardener again............


Well hell, if it's gonna rain ticks, may as well hang it up!

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

Wow. Never heard of these. As soon as I read this I called the extension
office. They haven't heard of them either. Called the Farm Supply Store
and they are gonna look into it and call me back. Now if these things are
really expensive and need to be financed with a loan larger than the
National Debt, well, at least I will have looked into them. ;o}

Thanks for the info.

Judy

"Lar" wrote in message
. ..
In article ,
says...
:) I would think rabbits and deer would be bigger vectors of ticks...
that's a
:) great idea regardless
:)
There is a feeder for deer called the "4-poster" as they
feed at the feeder they will rub up against two rollers
that apply the acaricide.
--
Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

"madgardener" wrote in message
.. .
honey, the ticks are also on the BIRDS, and the ticks drop outa the trees
onto me........I saw a show on the preditor bugs that likes blood on
Discovery, and the ticks literally hang on the ends of grasses waiting for
some unsuspecting warm blooded whatever to brush thru the grasses to
land....they have little grappling hooks for feeties.....and as I was
walking to the car UNDER the black cherry tree, THREE ticks dropped onto
me
from above, no cats or dog up THERE! g madgardener again............

I know! Starting to think the little suckers (really!) are gonna take over
the world. As a matter of fact they do have little suction cup like feet.
That must be why they can awake me from a sound sleep by dancing across my
arm.

Judy



"Lar" wrote in message
. ..
In article ,
says...
:) We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now.
Apparently the
:) drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on
the
:) porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can
SEE
the
:) friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are
the
ones
:) that are attached.
:)
:)
You might check in at your local farm co-op or county
extension agency to see if you can get info on a
procedure that places stations around the property and
as the mice go in and out there will be a wick fed
liquid, such as what you apply by drops to your dogs
that will reduce the tick population that is helped
spread by the mice.
--
Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

"jammer" j@mmer wrote in message
...
On Sun, 4 May 2003 23:32:14 -0400, "Judy and Dave G"
wrote:

I have seen more ticks

If you treat your dogs with Advantage, the pests on the property
should dwindle. It has worked for me well.

We have used Frontline for years. Seems to have worked well in the past.
But this year is something else. Don't know why.

Judy

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

"Purchgdss" wrote in message
...

It's gross, but it has become Sunday ritual to have each of
my three dogs lay on the front porch and pull off the multitude of ticks.
The
vet said to not switch to advantage because I would lose the protection
from
heartworm and ear mites.

Yesterday, I pulled at least 10 off my one 20 lb baby alone.

Yeah, geez. I am getting really sick of these bugs. Fer chrissake, we had
a nice late frost and I was really hoping some of these ticks would freeze
to death. Apparently, they didn't.

Judy

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

"mt2" wrote in message
...
Guinea hens love to eat ticks. Chickens do too.

Yes a great idea. But our dogs seem to favor the taste of fresh poultry. I
wish there was a way to get them to not eat the little guys. We have a
beekeeper in our club who has been trying to get us to keep chickens for
years. He says the dogs won't eat many. Yuck. (He is also the one that
thinks the miniature ponies are just the right size for the freezer. I
won't even go there.)

Judy

"Judy and Dave G" wrote in message
...
Hello all.

Good lord. I have seen more ticks so far this year than I have ever seen
before. We moved to this farm 10 years ago. Took me a couple years to be
able to pick a tick off and kill it. Still can't touch those darn swelled
up, grayish green ones. Dave's gotta get them.

Our farm is about 60 acres, on a hillside, from the creek at the bottom to
the ridge at the top. I hate snakes and ticks. I read somewhere,
sometime
that if you mow areas close to your home that snakes and ticks shouldn't
be
a problem. Well, I get a bit carried away. I mow about 3 acres in the
bottoms, about an acre around the house, then a 30 foot path up to the top
of the hill with about an acre by the bees, an acre at the first
leveling,
and about 3 acres in the top field by the pond.

So you can pretty much walk everywhere that is comfortable (some of the
hillside is really a bit too steep for comfort) and not be close to high
grass. Even at the middle of the path, the higher grass is 15 feet away.
Now, when I am mowing, I am fair game to the ticks. Because I am sitting
on
the lawn tractor and brushing right past all the weeds, berries and ivy
and
ducking under the trees.

But, if I walk out the front door, down the walk, onto the gravel drive,
down to the road for the mail, (about 300 feet) and back up to the house:
I
have at least 3, count em, 3 friggin ticks on me. Geez.

We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now. Apparently
the
drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on the
porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can SEE the
friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are the ones
that are attached.

And this is only May for cripes sake.

Doesn't look to be a real comfortable summer. Gonna be feeling and
scratching and picking. Gross. Yuck. Anyone else in the country and
noticing ticks are pretty bad this year? I am in Kentucky.

Judy

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

On Mon, 5 May 2003 21:34:08 -0400, "Judy and Dave G"
wrote:

The
vet said to not switch to advantage because I would lose the protection
from
heartworm and ear mites.

Advantage makes heartworm medcine not work?????

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

"Callen Molenda" wrote in message
...
Our horses have been totally eaten up with them this year. Can you
imagine having to pull ticks off 6 1200 lb animals every day??? They
make an equine Top Spot, but it costs about $30 per horse, per month! I
can't afford that, so I spend a lot of time under the horses, praying
that their good natures will last long enough for me to get all the
little buggers without catching a well-placed hoof in the chest.

Now, in your most luxurious dreams when you were young and dreaming about
having your own horses, did you ever imagine doing a tick pick?

Judy

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

"madgardener" wrote in message
.. .
If you're using Frontline tick drops it absolutely KILLS the ticks. I
don't
use Advantage. Doesn't work.
madgardener who hasn't had ticks on Rose or her felines since using
Frontline drops that comes in a three pack.

Yep, Frontline all the way. We have 3 dogs, well 4 up until last week. All
the dogs are over the 44 lbs size so the Frontline is the medium size and
expensive. I get it online much cheaper than at the vet!

Judy

"Judy and Dave G" wrote in message
...
Hello all.

Good lord. I have seen more ticks so far this year than I have ever
seen
before. We moved to this farm 10 years ago. Took me a couple years to
be
able to pick a tick off and kill it. Still can't touch those darn
swelled
up, grayish green ones. Dave's gotta get them.

Our farm is about 60 acres, on a hillside, from the creek at the bottom
to
the ridge at the top. I hate snakes and ticks. I read somewhere,
sometime
that if you mow areas close to your home that snakes and ticks shouldn't
be
a problem. Well, I get a bit carried away. I mow about 3 acres in the
bottoms, about an acre around the house, then a 30 foot path up to the
top
of the hill with about an acre by the bees, an acre at the first
leveling,
and about 3 acres in the top field by the pond.

So you can pretty much walk everywhere that is comfortable (some of the
hillside is really a bit too steep for comfort) and not be close to high
grass. Even at the middle of the path, the higher grass is 15 feet
away.
Now, when I am mowing, I am fair game to the ticks. Because I am
sitting
on
the lawn tractor and brushing right past all the weeds, berries and ivy
and
ducking under the trees.

But, if I walk out the front door, down the walk, onto the gravel drive,
down to the road for the mail, (about 300 feet) and back up to the
house:
I
have at least 3, count em, 3 friggin ticks on me. Geez.

We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now. Apparently
the
drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on the
porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can SEE
the
friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are the
ones
that are attached.

And this is only May for cripes sake.

Doesn't look to be a real comfortable summer. Gonna be feeling and
scratching and picking. Gross. Yuck. Anyone else in the country and
noticing ticks are pretty bad this year? I am in Kentucky.

Judy

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

The
vet said to not switch to advantage because I would lose the protection
from
heartworm and ear mites.

Advantage makes heartworm medcine not work?????

Noooo. Advantage doesn't have heartworm preventative. Also, revolution is a
topical and not an internal as is Advantage. Revolution protects against
everything (heartworm, ear mites, fleas and deer ticks among others) common to
the wonderous beasts (Cats & Dogs). Sad that I can't get hens in the city
without really "ticking" off the neighbors. LOLOL

Just my 2 cents.........
Christine

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

"Guinea hens are known to have a voracious appetite for ticks, so some folks in
tick infested areas buy them for that purpose.

Susan"

AND


"Go 5 mile out of town and you see more and more guinea fowl which on a
restricted diet can reduce tick populations by about 80%"

Hi Folks -
Yes. Get some guineas! Both these quotes are true I'd say - as we've had between 6 - 24 guineas almost
constantly running loose (they over winter and roost in a good sized chicken house) for over two dozen years
here on my Ozark beef farm and believe me the ticks have been NOTICEABLY reduced in number!
This is apparently how it works - 1/ guinea walks by the tick on the leaf - the tick jumps onto the
guinea - 2/ guinea preens itself regularly - finds tick - 3/ eats tick. Aslo fattened ticks collecting where
animals often sleep are a thick juicy snack for a guinea - also of cardinals I might add.
So - over a period of years this repetitive guinea process severely eats into the tick population (unless
God forgid - rabbits are ever allowed free birthing rights in rampant blackberry patches by certain overly
sensitive types who love 'cute' more than good sense.) Now lo and behold - we are seldom adversely affected
by excessive ticks anywhere near our house - although one or two will appear occasionally no matter what it
seems. Guineas are however often noisy - and sometimes here they can get shot dead if they overly indulge in
any monotony of racket - causing the evolution of quieter and quieter farm guneas - one would hope. G
Actually when they 'pair off' (married???) they can become quite settled and peaceful - making a pleasant
kind of gentle peeping sound as they walk by ever scanning the grass for bugs.
We like the natural 'pearl' kind - like you see on Natiuonal Geographic shows about Africa - I wouldn't
want a weird purple or mauve or white one on the place - (unless G they were also quieter).
- Wes/MO

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

Guinea fowl are wonderful, we used them all the time for our garden, yard
and around our boarding kennel. Never had a trace of a tick and besides they
aerate the garden for you to some extent. We lived on 40 acres with about 10
of it being thick trees, the kennel was beside the wooded area and after
turning loose the guinea's we had no problems with ticks or fleas anywhere.

Kathy

"lwr" wrote in message ...
"Guinea hens are known to have a voracious appetite for ticks, so some
folks in
tick infested areas buy them for that purpose.

Susan"

AND


"Go 5 mile out of town and you see more and more guinea fowl which on a
restricted diet can reduce tick populations by about 80%"

Hi Folks -
Yes. Get some guineas! Both these quotes are true I'd say - as we've
had between 6 - 24 guineas almost
constantly running loose (they over winter and roost in a good sized
chicken house) for over two dozen years
here on my Ozark beef farm and believe me the ticks have been NOTICEABLY
reduced in number!
This is apparently how it works - 1/ guinea walks by the tick on the
leaf - the tick jumps onto the
guinea - 2/ guinea preens itself regularly - finds tick - 3/ eats tick.
Aslo fattened ticks collecting where
animals often sleep are a thick juicy snack for a guinea - also of
cardinals I might add.
So - over a period of years this repetitive guinea process severely
eats into the tick population (unless
God forgid - rabbits are ever allowed free birthing rights in rampant
blackberry patches by certain overly
sensitive types who love 'cute' more than good sense.) Now lo and
behold - we are seldom adversely affected
by excessive ticks anywhere near our house - although one or two will
appear occasionally no matter what it
seems. Guineas are however often noisy - and sometimes here they can get
shot dead if they overly indulge in
any monotony of racket - causing the evolution of quieter and quieter farm
guneas - one would hope. G
Actually when they 'pair off' (married???) they can become quite settled
and peaceful - making a pleasant
kind of gentle peeping sound as they walk by ever scanning the grass for
bugs.
We like the natural 'pearl' kind - like you see on Natiuonal
Geographic shows about Africa - I wouldn't
want a weird purple or mauve or white one on the place - (unless G they
were also quieter).
- Wes/MO

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

Where on line?



On Mon, 5 May 2003 21:43:40 -0400, "Judy and Dave G"
wrote:


"madgardener" wrote in message
. ..
If you're using Frontline tick drops it absolutely KILLS the ticks. I
don't
use Advantage. Doesn't work.
madgardener who hasn't had ticks on Rose or her felines since using
Frontline drops that comes in a three pack.

Yep, Frontline all the way. We have 3 dogs, well 4 up until last week. All
the dogs are over the 44 lbs size so the Frontline is the medium size and
expensive. I get it online much cheaper than at the vet!

Judy

"Judy and Dave G" wrote in message
...
Hello all.

Good lord. I have seen more ticks so far this year than I have ever
seen
before. We moved to this farm 10 years ago. Took me a couple years to
be
able to pick a tick off and kill it. Still can't touch those darn
swelled
up, grayish green ones. Dave's gotta get them.

Our farm is about 60 acres, on a hillside, from the creek at the bottom
to
the ridge at the top. I hate snakes and ticks. I read somewhere,
sometime
that if you mow areas close to your home that snakes and ticks shouldn't
be
a problem. Well, I get a bit carried away. I mow about 3 acres in the
bottoms, about an acre around the house, then a 30 foot path up to the
top
of the hill with about an acre by the bees, an acre at the first
leveling,
and about 3 acres in the top field by the pond.

So you can pretty much walk everywhere that is comfortable (some of the
hillside is really a bit too steep for comfort) and not be close to high
grass. Even at the middle of the path, the higher grass is 15 feet
away.
Now, when I am mowing, I am fair game to the ticks. Because I am
sitting
on
the lawn tractor and brushing right past all the weeds, berries and ivy
and
ducking under the trees.

But, if I walk out the front door, down the walk, onto the gravel drive,
down to the road for the mail, (about 300 feet) and back up to the
house:
I
have at least 3, count em, 3 friggin ticks on me. Geez.

We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now. Apparently
the
drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on the
porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can SEE
the
friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are the
ones
that are attached.

And this is only May for cripes sake.

Doesn't look to be a real comfortable summer. Gonna be feeling and
scratching and picking. Gross. Yuck. Anyone else in the country and
noticing ticks are pretty bad this year? I am in Kentucky.

Judy

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

I bought tick killing granules you apply to the ground. It worked where
ever you put them down. After 4 years of doing that, I moved to Western
Kansas. They don't even know what tick granules are around here. Been
here nearly 2 years now and haven't seen a tick or chigger in all that time.

Have fun, Dwayne

"Judy and Dave G" wrote in message
...
Hello all.

Good lord. I have seen more ticks so far this year than I have ever seen
before. We moved to this farm 10 years ago. Took me a couple years to be
able to pick a tick off and kill it. Still can't touch those darn swelled
up, grayish green ones. Dave's gotta get them.

Our farm is about 60 acres, on a hillside, from the creek at the bottom to
the ridge at the top. I hate snakes and ticks. I read somewhere,
sometime
that if you mow areas close to your home that snakes and ticks shouldn't
be
a problem. Well, I get a bit carried away. I mow about 3 acres in the
bottoms, about an acre around the house, then a 30 foot path up to the top
of the hill with about an acre by the bees, an acre at the first
leveling,
and about 3 acres in the top field by the pond.

So you can pretty much walk everywhere that is comfortable (some of the
hillside is really a bit too steep for comfort) and not be close to high
grass. Even at the middle of the path, the higher grass is 15 feet away.
Now, when I am mowing, I am fair game to the ticks. Because I am sitting
on
the lawn tractor and brushing right past all the weeds, berries and ivy
and
ducking under the trees.

But, if I walk out the front door, down the walk, onto the gravel drive,
down to the road for the mail, (about 300 feet) and back up to the house:
I
have at least 3, count em, 3 friggin ticks on me. Geez.

We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now. Apparently
the
drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on the
porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can SEE the
friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are the ones
that are attached.

And this is only May for cripes sake.

Doesn't look to be a real comfortable summer. Gonna be feeling and
scratching and picking. Gross. Yuck. Anyone else in the country and
noticing ticks are pretty bad this year? I am in Kentucky.

Judy

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

I have 6 dogs, 4 of em small, so I get the St. Bernard size and divide it up for all
of em. Ingrid

"Judy and Dave G" wrote:
Yep, Frontline all the way. We have 3 dogs, well 4 up until last week. All
the dogs are over the 44 lbs size so the Frontline is the medium size and
expensive. I get it online much cheaper than at the vet!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

Kathy wrote:

Guinea fowl are wonderful, we used them all the time for our garden, yard
and around our boarding kennel. Never had a trace of a tick and besides they
aerate the garden for you to some extent. We lived on 40 acres with about 10
of it being thick trees, the kennel was beside the wooded area and after
turning loose the guinea's we had no problems with ticks or fleas anywhere.

Kathy

"lwr" wrote in message ...
"Guinea hens are known to have a voracious appetite for ticks, so some
folks in
tick infested areas buy them for that purpose.

Susan"

AND


"Go 5 mile out of town and you see more and more guinea fowl which on a
restricted diet can reduce tick populations by about 80%"

Hi Folks -
Yes. Get some guineas! Both these quotes are true I'd say - as we've
had between 6 - 24 guineas almost
constantly running loose (they over winter and roost in a good sized
chicken house) for over two dozen years
here on my Ozark beef farm and believe me the ticks have been NOTICEABLY
reduced in number!
This is apparently how it works - 1/ guinea walks by the tick on the
leaf - the tick jumps onto the
guinea - 2/ guinea preens itself regularly - finds tick - 3/ eats tick.
Aslo fattened ticks collecting where
animals often sleep are a thick juicy snack for a guinea - also of
cardinals I might add.
So - over a period of years this repetitive guinea process severely
eats into the tick population (unless
God forgid - rabbits are ever allowed free birthing rights in rampant
blackberry patches by certain overly
sensitive types who love 'cute' more than good sense.) Now lo and
behold - we are seldom adversely affected
by excessive ticks anywhere near our house - although one or two will
appear occasionally no matter what it
seems. Guineas are however often noisy - and sometimes here they can get
shot dead if they overly indulge in
any monotony of racket - causing the evolution of quieter and quieter farm
guneas - one would hope. G
Actually when they 'pair off' (married???) they can become quite settled
and peaceful - making a pleasant
kind of gentle peeping sound as they walk by ever scanning the grass for
bugs.
We like the natural 'pearl' kind - like you see on Natiuonal
Geographic shows about Africa - I wouldn't
want a weird purple or mauve or white one on the place - (unless G they
were also quieter).
- Wes/MO





Hi Kathy - Nice to know that you had good luck with guineas vs. those evil
horrible ticks too. It is apparently easier for those of us who have room to
allow them to roam freely about - or at least have friendly equally appreciative
neighbors. - Wes/MO

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

Guineas, and lots of them!
Where I moved to in Ohio, the ticks were so thick that you couldn't go
outside for long without getting one or three, the I bought seven guineas
and you wouldn't believe the difference! The guineas (up to 21 now) patrol
the whole neighborhood and eat every tick they can find (except deer ticks,
I guess they're hard for the Guineas to see) plus Mexican Bean Beetles,
Colorado Potatoes Bugs, and many other bugs and are cleaner than ducks!
Another perk is they roost in the trees at the edge of the yard and alert
me at night if anything comes into the yard! Only thing I wish was that
their young tolerated the dampness better so they'd propagate the whole
county!

have a good one,
Homer

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

Judy and Dave G wrote:

"mt2" wrote in message
...
Guinea hens love to eat ticks. Chickens do too.

Yes a great idea. But our dogs seem to favor the taste of fresh poultry. I
wish there was a way to get them to not eat the little guys. We have a
beekeeper in our club who has been trying to get us to keep chickens for
years. He says the dogs won't eat many. Yuck. (He is also the one that
thinks the miniature ponies are just the right size for the freezer. I
won't even go there.)

Judy

"Judy and Dave G" wrote in message
...
Hello all.

Good lord. I have seen more ticks so far this year than I have ever seen
before. We moved to this farm 10 years ago. Took me a couple years to be
able to pick a tick off and kill it. Still can't touch those darn swelled
up, grayish green ones. Dave's gotta get them.

Our farm is about 60 acres, on a hillside, from the creek at the bottom to
the ridge at the top. I hate snakes and ticks. I read somewhere,
sometime
that if you mow areas close to your home that snakes and ticks shouldn't
be
a problem. Well, I get a bit carried away. I mow about 3 acres in the
bottoms, about an acre around the house, then a 30 foot path up to the top
of the hill with about an acre by the bees, an acre at the first
leveling,
and about 3 acres in the top field by the pond.

So you can pretty much walk everywhere that is comfortable (some of the
hillside is really a bit too steep for comfort) and not be close to high
grass. Even at the middle of the path, the higher grass is 15 feet away.
Now, when I am mowing, I am fair game to the ticks. Because I am sitting
on
the lawn tractor and brushing right past all the weeds, berries and ivy
and
ducking under the trees.

But, if I walk out the front door, down the walk, onto the gravel drive,
down to the road for the mail, (about 300 feet) and back up to the house:
I
have at least 3, count em, 3 friggin ticks on me. Geez.

We use flea and tick drops on the dogs. We have 3 dogs now. Apparently
the
drops don't deter the ticks from getting on the dogs. If you sit on the
porch and swing, the dogs will come over and need a pat. You can SEE the
friggin ticks walking around on their fur, the only dead ones are the ones
that are attached.

And this is only May for cripes sake.

Doesn't look to be a real comfortable summer. Gonna be feeling and
scratching and picking. Gross. Yuck. Anyone else in the country and
noticing ticks are pretty bad this year? I am in Kentucky.

Judy



Hi Again Judy -
As to preventing dogs from eating your poultry - if you've got the desire -
it takes about a good 30 minutes with your dog on a leash (for you to tug on)
and quite a few firm disapproving "NO NO's - properly spoken to your temporarily
lunging but securely restrained dog while the both of you are walking amongst
your poultry - then you can easily do it. The dog just hates getting the "No
No's! - however - perhaps after the initial training episode - if the dog still
shows continued interest (ears perk up while eyes steadily focus in a menacingly
way on said fowl - or especially if you should by chance have a somewhat more
single minded dog like a Chow) - you might want to keep the dog tied for an
additional period or until you can repeat this training session one more time
before releasing and testing said dog - always at this point with watchful
supervision - perhaps a few more 'no no's' if dog adversely shows ANY - even
momentary - 'interest' - OR until you are fully assured that the dog has indeed
been 'retrained.'
This procedure should train your dog NOT to chase your fowl - even when
you're not around. Your good dog should then be able to doze while guineas and
chickens are happily foraging nearby - and even protect them from wild
predators. Our dogs (blue and red heelers) even chase after hawks. This has
been my experience getting young and even occasionally older dogs to coexist
peacefully with all our free ranging poultry here on our place for many years.
- Wes/MO

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks
 

All we use is Frontline. Easy on the dogs skin if they are allergic to
something. Frontline is not a heartworm med. We use Interceptor (Heartworm)and
Frontline (Flea and Tick). No problems and my dogs and I are in the woods
everyday for a couple of hours. No tick this year yet and my dogs are tick
magnets.

Marty

Judy and Dave G wrote:

"madgardener" wrote in message
.. .
If you're using Frontline tick drops it absolutely KILLS the ticks. I
don't
use Advantage. Doesn't work.
madgardener who hasn't had ticks on Rose or her felines since using
Frontline drops that comes in a three pack.

Yep, Frontline all the way. We have 3 dogs, well 4 up until last week. All
the dogs are over the 44 lbs size so the Frontline is the medium size and
expensive. I get it online much cheaper than at the vet!

Judy