[Jilly Pickles]

Can anyone advise please, We have been keeping chickens for 4 years now and this is the first time we have found ticks.

On one bird we found 2 ticks on the comb we have reomved them with our dog tick removing tool.

We treat the dog for ticks, but does anyone know what we can use on the chickens ?

I didn't know chickens get ticks.

Thanks.

[hillfooter]

Ticks aren't fussy as you've found and will infest any animal including humans.  They aren't usually encountered much in the UK so I suspect you might have to enquire locally.
Best of luck
HF

[8doubles]

I`m suprised the other hens did not remove them, anything even slightly unusual normally gets pecked.

[Aunt Sally]

More common on chooks in hotter climates.  Could be a tick from a different species, hedgehog, dog etc.

[Jilly Pickles]

Thanks for the replies.

Hillfooter: Yes they are not fussy my husband has had one (anyone got a husband tick remover) We have asked at our nearest farm supplier and they have recomended a powder which we are going to try.

8Doubles: We thought the others would have picked them off too.

Aunt Sally: Yes it is warmer here, The chooks have been escaping into the bushes lately so could be hedgehog, the dog does'nt have any as we do treat him.

Hope the powder works, we are going to treat the hen house as it's impossible to check under the feathers of all of them.

Thanks again.

Jilly.

[hillfooter]

Thanks for the replies.

Hillfooter: Yes they are not fussy my husband has had one (anyone got a husband tick remover) :

How do you decide which bit to throw away?!
HF

[Sassy]

If the tick was on my dog I would use a flea spray as advised by the vet but I don't know if this would harm the chook.  I know peeps on here use Frontline on their chooks, this will work on ticks as well. It isn't licensed for chooks but would be the easiest thing to use. I think kitten Frontline is the one to use but you would need to search to see what exactly is recommended.

Other things to try are alcohol or butter on the ticks body ie the bit you can see. This is supposed to suffocate them as they breathe thro their body when their head is embedded in the host.