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Barnyard Buddies:  How do you deal with ticks?  |
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iamacountrygirl
Farmgirl in Training
38 Posts
Kathy
Ohio
USA
38 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 06:04:26 AM
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I've never had this trouble before (lived in the country all my life, believe it or not) but I've taken 2 off my horses face (not at once, separate incidents) and caught 2 in the house - off of me! My dog has such thick fur I wouldn't be able to see them if she had any. But I use that spot treatment for fleas and ticks on her. I have not had to dig them out, just pull off, but is there anything I can do to lower their numbers? I was just reading something that suggested diatamaceous earth spread around, but I'm not sure how much that costs or how much it would take. I can't spread insecticide in my pasture obviously. Any suggestions?
Thanks! |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 2:53:04 PM
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Do you have any fowl? I've heard guineas specifically decimate ticks.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 7:04:55 PM
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I scream and run.
I HATE ticks. I get horrible reactions from their bites-I still have a spot on me that I have to get exised once a year because somehow my body is STILL reacting to the bite, 2 years later.
I can't have ticks anywhere!! I treat all my inside animals, and when I go outside I layer on the deet and always check myself when I come back in! Hubs has to strip down if he's been out in the fields because the ticks jump off him and onto me!
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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peafarm
True Blue Farmgirl
182 Posts
Penny
South Dakota
182 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 8:45:12 PM
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The number one thing I do is "Yawn".
Fortunately, I do not live in an area with deer ticks so the lyme disease threat is much diminished.
Unfortunately, I am very much an outside person and so far we've been working in tall grasses a bunch this year working on fencing. The first time I did not put bug spray on. I counted 15 ticks on me once I got back to the house. Even when using bug spray, I still get ticks.
I just accept them as part of living large in the country and don't give them a second thought beyond a quick tick check after I get back to the house. And I now keep bug spray on the 4 wheeler. We do frontline all of our dogs (except for the one that runs and hides as soon as we walk outside with the tick stuff hidden in a paper bag) I would love to get some bantams or guineas for tick control, but with dogs...
The mosquitos are really bad right now. They drive me crazy!
Penny
www.444Farm.com |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Jul 06 2011 : 11:37:49 PM
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Yeah, I went with ducks for flies, mosquitoes and ants. Pretty sure we don't get ticks in az, so I haven't had to deal with them since I was a kid in Oregon. I went hiking in the woods once when I was 9, thought a stick fell down my bra, but nope. I had to peel a big fat tick off the center of my chest, and still have the scar from it. Nasty, creepy beggars.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Penny Wise
True Blue Farmgirl
1903 Posts
Margo
Elyria
OH
USA
1903 Posts |
Posted - Jul 07 2011 : 03:33:00 AM
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just this mornin, i pulled one off the shower curtain liner for pete's sake! dunno how it ot there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Farmgirl # 2139
~*~ counting my pennies and biding my time; my dreams are adding up!~*~ |
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Turtlemoon
Farmgirl Legend Schoolmarm
378 Posts
Tanya
Port Orchard
Washington
USA
378 Posts |
Posted - Jul 07 2011 : 12:26:50 PM
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Not sure for the horses but to help prevent the ticks from biting the dogs i used to sprinkle brewers yeast on their food daily. Somehow it altered their "flavor" and kept bith ticks and fleas away. Dogs didnt seem to notice any change in the taste of food.
Raggedy Ann stuck in a Barbie Doll World
FarmGirl#1737
http://www.etsy.com/shop/moonhonu |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Jul 07 2011 : 6:27:33 PM
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Every time a tick latches on me I get a large scar. I still have a spot on my back that, as I said before, flares up and itches and gets very irritated due to a tick.
And once you've seen those guys fully engorged...ew. I saw a dog once with a bunch fully engorged on it's chest. They were the size of quarters-and they're a gross light blue-purple color from all the blood...I almost lost my lunch!
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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EastTXFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
731 Posts
Victoria
Farmgirl #549
TX
USA
731 Posts |
Posted - Jul 08 2011 : 05:08:49 AM
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We have several guineas and yes they really do keep the tick population down. The first year we purchased our farm we were overrun with ticks. We have allowed guineas to free range since and may find 1 or 2 ticks a year. If I do find a tick on the cow or dog I use triple antibiotic ointment. I smear a glob over the tick and leave it for about 30 minutes. When I come back the tick will have released and died from lack of oxygen. I just wipe the tick off and leave a bit of the antibiotic ointment on to reduce risk of infection.
Begin each morning with a song in your heart. |
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iamacountrygirl
Farmgirl in Training
38 Posts
Kathy
Ohio
USA
38 Posts |
Posted - Jul 08 2011 : 06:33:58 AM
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yeah, they are nasty little critters
Guineas, huh? How much trouble to raise those? just let them roam the pasture all day and lock them in at night? I could handle that! LOL
Thanks!! |
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CMac
True Blue Farmgirl
1074 Posts
Connie
Ashland City
TN
USA
1074 Posts |
Posted - Jul 08 2011 : 06:58:41 AM
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Y'all be careful they are disease vectors no matter where you find them. I thought nothing of them until I got sick. Really sick. I'm better but time will tell if there is any residual effect. Don't think it can't happen to you!
Be sure to get them off as soon as possible. Less than 24 hours is best. If you are bitten and have flu like symptoms in 10-14 days tell your MD you had a tick bite. If you develop a rash on your forearms or a bulls eye spot where the tick was get to a MD. Teach your children to tell you if they pulled a tick off. Grown ups too! Mark a calendar to keep track of it. Early treatment is key to full recovery if you do get one of the diseases carried by ticks. There are 3 different diseases in our area. Lyme disease isn't the only one!
I know it sounds over the top concerned of me and it would sound that way till it happens to you or someone you love. Then it is real. Very real.
Love you all and want you to stay healthy and hearty!
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
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Barnyard Buddies: How do you deal with ticks? |
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How do you deal with ticks?
