Ticks ticks ticks

[Chuck White]

I've heard that the best "yard-bird" to rid your area of ticks is the Guinea Foul.

When they're cruising, looking for something to eat, they don't scratch up the grass like chickens do, the only other thing is, they're noisy!

[Rhodemont]

I have been pulling them of my dog for several weeks already.  We typically do not start finding them until late March but with no snow and so warm the underbrush is full of them.

[thecfarm]

Guinea hens, we had 2 different flocks. The first bunch got picked off by a fox? or something that liked to eat them. This bunch was good. They would only make noise when someone or something came into the yard that did not belong there. Very good watch dogs.
Then we got another flock. All them things did was quark, all the time. And I mean all the time!!!!. Kinda like a dog that barks steady, after a while you don't go to see why it's barking, because it barks all the time.

[Magicman]

Kinda like a dog that barks steady, after a while you don't go to see why it's barking, because it barks all the time.

I can understand that.  Kinda makes you start wishing bad things. 

[JD Guy]

I've heard that the best "yard-bird" to rid your area of ticks is the Guinea Foul.

When they're cruising, looking for something to eat, they don't scratch up the grass like chickens do, the only other thing is, they're noisy!

True! I'm not that fond of Guinea because they can be noisy and roost in trees (critter magnets)!

[thecfarm]

I had layers and they were all free ranged. The guineas would go into the pen at night.

[woodroe]

Pulled a fully engorged tick off the back of the dogs neck last week.
After a morning walk got three more deer ticks off him so far today.
Yikes ! 

[SwampDonkey]

Was walking by some moose tracks this morning. Moose was shedding some fur. Seen what looked like a winter tick in some fur. Had a closer look, sure was. 

Seen my first deer tracks at the woodlot this morning, 2 deer by the looks of them.

[21incher]

We have picked 2 off our dog already this month.  Seems early for them   . 

[Ianab]

I posted this in a health and safety topic earlier, but it's relevant here too. 

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/03/tick-killing-pill-shows-promising-results-in-human-trial/

General idea is that there is already a long acting vet drug for dogs, that kills any tick that sucks their blood. It has little effect on the dog, and just stays in the bloodstream, for weeks. But it's lethal to ticks once they start sucking that drugged blood. Idea is that they die and fall off, before they get a chance to infect you with lyme disease. The tick needs to stay sucking for a day or so to infect you with the lyme bacteria, and if it dies before that, no infection. 

Currently they are testing it on humans to makes sure it's safe. Results so far are promising. 

[woodroe]

I'm on the fence about some of the edible treatments available for pets
from the vet . Basically a poison absorbed into the animals bloodstream that kills the tick after it bites.
 We didn't have a dog for probably 10 years before we
picked up a golden last fall . At least with the light colored hair they are easy to
spot crawling around on top.
Seems like we used Frontline plus previously. A liquid applied between the shoulder blades
once a month. Plus the annual Lyme vaccination.
 Just bought a years supply because it's looking like a bad year for ticks ahead.
We are finding them daily on the dog and a couple dug in too. Deer tick nymphs , tiny .
Surprised that they are active even in cold temps sometimes below freezing it seems.
I'm interested in what others are using on their pets and how its working.

[Ianab]

Problem is balancing the dose that kills the tick, vs the dose that starts to harm the dog (or human). If you bathed in DDT every day, no ticks would ever bother you. But that's not really a good solution...

[SwampDonkey]

Die of slow poisoning. Seems like a 19th C approach to medicine, more killed than cured and living. History eventually repeats itself. Can't see that working out too well. What will kill insects and bugs will kill man, just takes more of it. I wear protective clothing and haven't sprayed anything on my skin for years. Mosquitoes and deer flies can be brutal. Cover the exposed areas and they become tolerable. It's not 100% but improves your chances 2 fold, no poisons and less chance to be bit.

[woodroe]

Anyone else overwhelmed with ticks this spring ?
Never seen so many . But we didn't have a dog for
10 years so that might make a difference. He's picking them up 
on every walk. 10 min. walk this morning, picked 5 off him, 
both deer and wood ticks. 

[SwampDonkey]

Saw one winter tick two months ago in moose hair on the snow, otherwise nothing here.

[thecfarm]

woodroe, I use zoguard on my dog.
Been using it for 3-4 years, hardly any on her.
Seem like when we travel, is when we find some on her.

[Machinebuilder]

I keep frontline Plus on my dogs year round.
I tried the Flea/Tick pills, and kept finding live ticks in my house, they hadn't bitten the dogs yet.
I tried the Seresto collars, Gabby appeared to have neurological reaction to them, Sox was fine.

Frontline doesn't work as good as it did 15 years ago. but If I find a tick inside its dead or dieing.

Interestingly Gabby tested positive for anaplasmosis, a tick born disease. It's in the northeast and Mid west.
Her blood count is fine so no treatment. After I left the Vet I remembered the amount of ticks in Manitoba and Saskatchawan.

This spring seems about normal for ticks in TN.

[thecfarm]

Might want to check out zogaurd.
It was brought into the hardware store that I use to work at. Suppose to have the same stuff as frontline. I used to use frontline, switched to zogaurd,cheaper. I told a lot of customers about zoguard and they all seemed to happy with it, because they would come back and buy it again.

[Larry]

I've use the Frontline stuff on the dog. Yes, it kills the tick but doesn't stop the tick from crawling around on the dog and than biting. Even worse is when the dog brings in the ticks that jump on me and bite. I thought about the tick collars but seems like lots of negative press on the effects of the collar both on the dog and the owner. I have been using Sawyer, a premium insect repellent according to their press. I spray it on the dog heavy about every 4-6 weeks during tick season. It seems to keep the ticks off the dog. I was out yesterday in the woods and had sprayed myself with Deep Woods Off. Found six that were crawling me hunting for a place to bite.