Ticks!!!

Dr. Mom · #1 03/27/12, 06:42 PM

Would anybody like to have some free ticks? I hear they make good pets.

I was in the goat pen this afternoon filling up the water tank, then filled up the chicken water in the barn. About that time, I started itching. I looked down and my shoes and socks were covered with ticks of all different sizes. Some were already underneath my socks and headed up my legs!

I took off my socks and left them in the barn as a sacrifice and pounded off the ones on my shoes. Got back in the house and threw all the remaining clothes in the washer and took the hottest shower I could. I'm still itching!

We're going to put some DE down but I'm not sure how effective that will be. Now that the weather has warmed up, the goats spend most of their time in the trees, bringing the ticks up to the barn at night.

Our Great Pyrennes is covered with ticks. I've been picking ticks off around his eyes but I have to be quick as he doesn't like to be messed with, especially his ears. I'm going to try to get some Advantix on him tomorrow. The goats are going to kid in a couple of months, so we have to be careful what we put on them.

This is what happens when we have a mild winter. Sorry for the rant. I hate ticks!! Did I mention that? It's gonna be a long summer.

Alice In TX/MO · #2 03/27/12, 07:35 PM

I use the Frontline spray on my dogs regularly when we are in the Ozarks, PLUS a flea/tick collar.

salmonslayer · #3 03/27/12, 10:05 PM

The Mrs and I find plenty of "US" time in the shower together checking for ticks...ya just gotta look on the bright side of things!!!

Dr. Mom · #4 03/27/12, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I use the Frontline spray on my dogs regularly when we are in the Ozarks, PLUS a flea/tick collar.

I just put Advantage II on my 3 cats and Advantix II on Sam, my black lab. It's a few days early for their regular treatment, but I wanted to get ahead of any problems. They all come in and out during the day but sleep in the house at night. I have never used a collar of any kind on any of my animals because I am afraid they will get hung up in a fence or something.

Dr. Mom · #5 03/27/12, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salmonslayer

The Mrs and I find plenty of "US" time in the shower together checking for ticks...ya just gotta look on the bright side of things!!!

Ha! Our 35 y/o DD loves that song by Brad Paisley, I'd like to check you for ticks, or something like that.

luvrulz · #6 03/27/12, 10:17 PM

Get some guineas....lots of guineas to eat all those ticks! Will keep them busy!

Dr. Mom · #7 03/27/12, 10:40 PM

I had guineas a couple of years ago. I still had ticks a couple of years ago. I started with 15 birds and ended up with 5 after the owls got done with them. I sold the remaining 5 as a Father's Day present to DH because they started roosting over his aluminum fishing boat. It was cheaper than getting a divorce!!!

gone-a-milkin · #8 03/27/12, 10:45 PM

Ticks. Yep. You are not alone.
I could tell the moment they came to life this year because my neighbors horse was waiting for me at the back fence.
He is very wild but has learned that I will pull them out of his ears and from around his eyes.

Poor critters, this is going to be a doozy of a summer.

honeyrobber · #9 03/28/12, 12:32 AM

treat those goat with ivamec. Kills worms lice and ticks. I always use ivamec in spring and fall with a different wormer in summer winter. about every 3 months. I hate hate those noisy birds and never want another one around me. They can not be tamed.

SFM in KY · #10 03/28/12, 07:38 AM

I'm still taking antibiotics for Lyme disease from a tick bite last November and found a tick crawling up my leg yesterday after morning chores. Going to be a bad year for bugs. I already started treating the dogs with Frontline (two months before I usually do) and will get the pour-on insecticide and start treating the horses.

I'm beginning to wonder if Frontline would work on me!

iwannabeafarmer · #11 03/28/12, 09:40 AM

I haven't actually tried it but lavender and/or geraniums planted in areas that the animals will brush against them should work as tick repellent, also citrus oils are supposed to be a natural insect repellent, that combined with DE in the animal bedding(tick habitat) should reduce their numbers, not sure its possible to get rid of them completely though

simplegirl · #12 03/28/12, 09:49 AM

They are bad here already too. I found one on me on Saturday and another on Sunday. Need to get the cats something to help with them since they both go outside. I just need to remember to spray down with bug repellant before going out, particularly the bottom of my pantlegs. I also use Avon's SSS oil as a repellant and they have some SSS spray that is a bug repellant that works pretty well.

My mom got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever a few years ago from a tick and it took a long time before she felt like herself again.

DarleneJ · #13 03/28/12, 09:53 AM

The neighborhood dogs were covered in ticks and fleas last year. I keep my dog on Frontline throughout the warm weather and she apparently didn't taste good to not one tick. Because of the warm winter and early spring, I think this year is gonna be a real doosy.

My husband and I are getting guineas as well. We try to go natural as much as possible, but my old dog has enough issues without suffering from tick infestations and potential lyme disease.

I've tried less expensive flea/tick repellants on the neighborhood (uncared for) dogs, but it doesn't seem to work for very long or at all...

Rita · #14 03/28/12, 10:09 AM

From these and other postings, the Ozarks seem to be terrible for ticks. We have no ticks, no fleas, no mosquitoes and only an occasional chigger. Love this part of TN!!

sisterpine · #15 03/28/12, 10:17 AM

Oh my goodness! There must be something out there that can be sprayed in the fields and barns and on the animals to get rid of the things. They are just so icky! If I see one little tick I almost vomit. Thankfully I have told my dog that she is not allowed to have ticks and the bug spray man will be by any day now to spray the entire yard. I do not know how you all can stand it.

Maura · #16 03/28/12, 10:28 AM

Try mixing some lavender e.o. with water and spraying it on the goats in the morning.

salmonslayer · #17 03/28/12, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rita

From these and other postings, the Ozarks seem to be terrible for ticks. We have no ticks, no fleas, no mosquitoes and only an occasional chigger. Love this part of TN!!

The ticks are so bad here in the Ozarks that I often find carcasses of various animals all shrivelled up and completely drained of every last drop of blood....I catch a fair amount of them by putting some blood on a mouse or rat trap but sometimes they work loose.

Yep, they are big here thats for sure!!

Dr. Mom · #18 03/28/12, 11:01 AM

Well, we put down the DE last night. This morning, I didn't find one tick on me. Hallelujah!!

We got Great Pry collared and "worked" him over. We got the ticks out of his ears. He had a lot around his mouth and I got as many as I could off. We put some Advantix II on him and spread some more DE in the barn where the goats sleep at night.

I sure hope this works but we've got to stay on top of it. I treated our Black Lab and 3 cats last night with their flea and tick meds. They go in and out of the house all day.

**highlands** · #19 03/28/12, 11:13 AM

On our dogs for fleas and ticks I found the only thing that worked well was Advantix K9. It killed off the fleas. Monthly application in the warm season. We actually don't have much in the way of ticks but it works on the ticks too as we found when we boarded my brother's dog for a month. He came covered in ticks as they live south of us. He left clean.

Dr. Mom · #20 03/28/12, 11:27 AM

I forgot to mention that in 2005, our 50 y/o neighbor across the road scraped 4 ticks out of his navel with his pocket knife. Six weeks later, he died in a hospital from massive organ failure.

Another neighbor about a mile down the road is being treated for 3 tick-borne diseases right now. He almost died last year.

We take ticks pretty seriously around here.