Ticks

A concrete floored dog kennel. If they get in the grass and especially the weeds they will have ticks.

NEfarmgirl, maybe it is like Mosquitos? One of my sons and myself get bit to pieces, but DH and my other 3 sons are fine.

Tick Tubes --- lots of people/farmers here swear by them.
http://www.amazon.com/Damminix-27203.../dp/B000OWB7ME

They are expensive to buy, but you can make your own by buying cotton balls and save TP cardboard rolls, spray the cotton and stuff them in.

The mice took all the cotton from ours and we found nests where they used it, but it's our first year here so can't tell if it decreased the ticks.

We plan on getting guineas also.

My free range chickens helped with the ticks but since the Great Hawk Attack of 2014, they are now penned 90% of the time and I have seen a definite increase in the ticks around here. We keep the grass around the house as short as possible and use Frontline on the dog. I'm really vigilant about checking the dog and the kids.

They are attracted by lighter colors. My little white dog gets more than my solid black or dark brown one does. Same with clothing colors.

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"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." C S Lewis

I thought DH's too many free ranging chickens had made a dent. We hrdly saw a tick, then they hit with a vengence.
I think our dogs drag them in. I noticed after a while that we had spots on the floor, I put my glasses on and looked a bit closer. Blood spots. Where the dogs, who roam pretty far here, had dragged them home. the ticks gorged and then dropped off and I stepped on them. A ripe tick has thousands of baby ticks. Those little ones, they are young ticks. Around here they are called turkey mites, but they are nothing but the offspring of regular ticks. Dogs and wildlife spread them around. Have a tick. it drops off and bingo, off to a good start of tick infestation.
I used to wonder why there were no ticks when I was a kid. I never saw one, neither did DH and he lived really in the woods. I think it was because during the depression just about all the game was hunted down to almost non existence and so there was no host for the ticks. When we were kids ticks had not fully recuperated. I may be wrong, but I think that is probably why.
Our dogs are treated since that. But the other day I saw the cow with a bunch of them on her. One of the goats even had one on her eyelid.
Voila, if they feed and drop, another 5ooo young ones.
In season we use lint rollers on us every day to catch seed ticks before they attach. Sometimes our ankles look like they have been peppered. I wonder if mice and squirrels are also hosts.
Our dogs got a pill to keep ticks off of them. I hope it makes a dent over time.

Time for a chicken tractor.

I grew up in the south so I know about ticks from a victim standpoint.

Now I live in WA state on the west side of the Cascades in a very rural area. I've never seen a tick here. Nor do we have poisonous snakes on this side. Mosquitoes, yes in spring. They will be gone in about a month. Lots of coyotes but they keep their distance. We do have black widows but rarely see them. This time of year I am seeing a lot of black ants but they are only a nuisance - they don't bite.

I'm thankful.

I have a question to ask - I read often where people say that guinea hens eat ticks - I often wonder if they are just repeating something they heard or saw on the internet - you know how things some times work - someone states that guinea hens eat ticks and next thing you know it is being repeated over and over again - so here is the question - has anyone actually seen a guinea eat ticks - how about a chicken - thanks

Mice are the biggest tick transportation vehicle around. Chickens, guineas, and ducks will eat ticks, but ducks can be picky about what they eat so some might not eat them. Guineas are the best option and chickens do a good job too.

When I used to eat a lot of hot peppers I found myself getting far fewer ticks. Seems that I remember seeing a lot of natural tick repellents listed on this forum - maybe try a search. But regardless of what you use, make sure to check yourself very carefully at the end of each day - don't go to bed with an attached tick! If you remove the tick within 12hrs of attaching, the probability of disease transmission is far less.

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How to Patch Large & Small Holes, Build & Finish Drywall Arches, Tape & Finish Corners and Joints, How to Texture and Repair Texture
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Vectra 3D seems to work well here. I found some small unfilled ticks on the dogs this morning but they were moving pretty slow and already dying. We spent an hour or more hunting mushrooms yesterday so it's expected that they pick up ticks.

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I give up. What in the world is a chicken tractor

O man - you don't know what a chicken tractor is - shame, shame - man everybody knows what a chicken tractor is - someone please tell her what a chicken tractor is -

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/ch...n-coop-designs

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"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." C S Lewis

Special tractor for chickens. See http://www.richsoil.com/images/ChickenTractor2.jpg

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How to Patch Large & Small Holes, Build & Finish Drywall Arches, Tape & Finish Corners and Joints, How to Texture and Repair Texture
Drywallinfo.com

There are pics at an above link.

It is basically a cage for the chickens that has no bottom. It is movable usually with wheels on one end. You move it every day or so and the chickens get fresh ground to feed on and work.

JoePa we have guineas and I to questioned if they really eat them but I can now tell you they do, I have seen them do it and this year all the neighbors are complaining about the number of ticks they have. We have seen only one on a goat. A major improvement over the past.

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Judy Peters