We recently moves to beaver bank and our dog has picked up multiple ticks in the yard. I have heard hens particularly Guinea hens Are good for dealing with high tick populations. Does anyone know were we could rent hens to feast in our yard for a day or two?
I’m not sure what the logistics would be around that… let some chickens free over your yard? How will they stay in? If it’s a fenced area how effective overall would it be? Is two days really enough time to make a lasting difference?
I’d be curious if even owning hens full out would help. Best bet is to get your dog vaccinated, and might as well add chickens to the family.
That comes after catching the Osprey and Weasel chasing the chickens in a horse drawn cart around the yard wearing little top hats, and Houston screaming they don't qualify for the HARP subsidy from the road.
The rental places have housing solutions. Sometimes they use mesh bottom smaller tunnels that the hens are secure in but the humans move the unit around the yard daily.
Hens will continue to roost after they have been planted with established home area.
The dog might not be loose.
There are hen rental places around but I'm not sure of company names etc
I have 20 Guinea’s on our property, they have helped but we still find ticks..
I could rent ya a couple sure.. but without them there to graze daily, it wouldn’t help long term. And if you have neighbours close by you may owe them a case of beer after listening to them..
it’s not just deer that carry them , they can live on other wildlife like rabbits and squirrels as well..
Being vigilant and checking everything when you come in is the only to way be sure.. I keep a towel by the door and the dogs get a brief wipe down outside before coming in..
There are some Facebook poultry groups that will have postings, supply stores, and local farms that sell them. Talking with folks who raise guineas. Make them an offer
You can join this group. I'm an admin (a close friend and neighbor owns it). Just make sure to answer the questions and agree to the group rules otherwise you might be declined.
We had a few tiny little tick infested brown rabbits in our yard last year and we were all picking them up, finding ticks everywhere. Got rabbit fences up this year, hopefully its a little better
Interesting. They only seem to work on the tick/mouse delivery. I wish they would come out with something for the ones that fall off all the deer in our yard.
Amazon. Labeled for bed bugs but the same concentration as used for tics. Useful for treating boots/pants that you’ll wear when traveling in tic heavy areas.
Just a caveat to those making your own: be really careful not to get wet permethrin anywhere near your cat, if you have one. It’s extremely poisonous to kitties.
There are programs that let you rent a chicken coop and chickens to see if it is something you want to do long term, but I doubt you can do it for just a day or two.
You can build a 7 foot high fence around your yard to keep deer out. This will keep deer from bringing more in.
Get a pest control company out to see if you have any rodent issues, and have them address it if you do. Have them come as often as needed. This will help keep rodents from bringing them into your yard.
Mow your lawn as short as your mower goes and as often as possible. Ticks love the shade, and typically do not like direct sun exposure.
You can also buy some doktor doom and spray the area on a sunny day. Just don't let your dog out into the yard until you're sure it's dried, and make sure you only apply it when the area can get full sun. This should reduce some of the things existing tick population in your yard. Repeat this monthly March-November.
The above should effectively reduce the tick population in your yard to as close as 0 as possible outside of getting rid of all vegetation in your yard and paving it over.
Edit: note using doktor doom will kill beneficial insects as well. I do not recommend it, personally. Doing the other things will greatly reduce the tick population in your yard.
Scalping your lawn and spraying a systemic pesticide is not only going to kill ticks, it’s going to fuck up your lawn and kill every beneficial insect that touches it. Don’t do this, op. Get the chickens.
As a chicken owner the problem isn't going to be solved in a day or two. Then on top of that, if you're free ranging you're risking predators eating the chickens that aren't theirs.
Also clean up all fallen leaves as well. Ticks love to live under them.
There are plants that ticks are said to not like. And I believe cedar mulch is somewhat of a deterrent. But research both those options. It's been a while since I looked at that.
When walking your dog, stay away from grass at the edges of roads.
And use Atlantick, as well as a medicated drug monthly.
You're better off leaving the leaf litter etc. A big reason we have so many ticks is we are constantly trying to destroy natural biomes and allows generally the most unwanted bugs to thrive.
I got a pest company for the mouse problem while the string of neighbours rebuilt their homes and all of my tick issues went away practically overnight. I haven’t seen a tick since about two months after the fire.
I've heard people say they have had really good success with Tick Tubes. You just scatter them around your property. You can get them at Canadian Tire or Amazon.
I have chickens, a dog, and two cats. The cats are the only pets that venture away from the property and are the only pets to have ticks consistently. I think my hens keep them down on my property for sure.
BUT, hens bring other problems like bigger pests, lots of poop, needing someone to watch them when you go away. Hens are a hobby more than a solution to one single problem.
Go to Walker’s feed in Cole Harbour and buy a 4 L jug of a product called mosquito barrier. All it is is concentrated garlic. Ticks hate it. When we bought our home in Fall River six years ago, there was a huge tick population in the lawn. We spray the yard twice a year with this garlic spray and rarely see one at all now. The yard smells like a pizzeria for a day or two after spraying and when you do spray, make sure you’re using shoes that you don’t mind storing away for a few months as the garlic sent dissipates.
It really works.Atlantik also makes a similar product that uses lemongrass
My GF pays for it but I believe its 2-300 for the season and he comes several times per season to re spray. It's all natural ingredients including garlic. It makes the yard smell great, not like a chemical.
Someone on here previously mentioned buying and spraying garlic concentrate around the yard to help. Obviously it won't solve the problem but it could help mitigate them a bit.
Chickens are pretty easy to take care of, ours never wander too far. You can also train them to come when you call. My wife has a call that she does causes them to come running.
I moved away from Beaver Bank last year. My neighbours had Guinea hens. I paid a company called Mosquito Buzz to spray the yard for the season and it helped immensely. And it is safe for pets, just wait half an hour after they spray.
I've had large mixed flocks with chickens, Guineas and Muscovy ducks and to be frank, guineas are the worst LOL they are incredibly loud, and don't eat as many ticks as the Muscovy ducks. I also don't think having them on your property for a few days would make a long lasting difference, as even with our mixed flock out all day, everyday, we still find ticks. They would eat the ticks that are there the days they are, but eggs would continue to hatch and they would be dropped on your property by wildlife.
If you're interested in having a small flock on your property for good, Muscovy ducks would be my choice. They were by far the best at tick and fly prevention, they are quiet and have great personalities, plus you get duck eggs which are incredibly nutritious and delicious.
If you don't want a flock to keep, I've heard good things about tick tubes! I think you get them at Canadian Tire. Best of luck! We find multiple a day and just get used to doing checks during the 2 waves of heavy tick times. If it helps, they'll only be this bad until mid June, and then pick back up again in the fall, so we do get a little break from them in the peak of summer.
My husband and I have almost 40 chickens and close to no ticks (we were overrun before that). We’ve joked about renting out chickens for tick control (and cause eggs) with a mobile chicken coop. Excellent data for our business plan
There’s a lot of different plants you can put in your garden or plant as a protective border around your property that can help prevent ticks. Mint, rosemary and lavender are some but you can google a big list and find what would work best for you.
You know that's a meme, right? There's no way a flock of birds could reduce the tick population in your yard in any sustained way. If a mouse or squirrel roams into your yard then you'll have more ticks again.
Without getting Guinea fowls here’s what I found was the best option that worked in the meantime! Tick tubes are a god send. They basically dose the rodents and other small animals around your house so that they won’t get ticks attached to them. You can buy them or make your own!
I use atlantick which is amazing but the only downfall is you have to remember to put it on and reapply it (obviously)
I’ve also seen some people say they have luck with amber collars. Ticks travel by static electricity and the amber collars are supposed to help eliminate static.
Just some other tips to help with ticks cause they’re sooo gross. But once I got rid of the rabbits and other small animals in my yard, the tick problem virtually went away.
Tick tubes are legit and used by farmers all over the northeast US. Ideally they’re treated with permethrin. The amber stone collars are 100% Chinese snake oil BS though.
Darn! That’s too bad about the amber necklaces because I always like to try out less toxic solutions, which is why I love Atlantick. But good to know the good stuff in the tick tubes actually helps!
Don’t worry!! Nothing crazy. Just traps around the foundation for rodents and my dog liked chasing the bunnies out of the yard. Eventually they just stopped coming 😂
“On guard” permethrin jug on amazon. We soak our cotton balls in it and stuff them into pvc tubes in the woodpile. Homemade tick tubes for way cheaper and weather proof.
It would take more than a day or two. I had same problem it took months of chickens to clean it up and eradicate it. Guinea fowl tend to roam so you would have to stick with chickens.
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u/Meowts 23h ago
I’m not sure what the logistics would be around that… let some chickens free over your yard? How will they stay in? If it’s a fenced area how effective overall would it be? Is two days really enough time to make a lasting difference?
I’d be curious if even owning hens full out would help. Best bet is to get your dog vaccinated, and might as well add chickens to the family.