Chickens as Tick Control 

We have never seen a tick on any of our chickens.

good.yes, i assume that if a tick did manage to get on a comb or something another chicken would eat it off.....

Michael Reichert I have found a tick on a hen. I removed it with the same little tool I use my dog.

Yes, chickens do groom each other.

I have also heard that. I haven't got any because I think they might eat all of my berries and grapes too.

@@JimODonnellFarm Ah, grapes are something they like

Adriel MUtopia Chickens are surprisingly quick and precise.

A lifetime of staring through foliage from nearly point blank range (sticking their heads down, etc) means they probably have a much different perception of that foliage, basically they probably see any bump/inconsistency within the grass and immediately investigate to find out if its edible.

True story.

We have several different breeds. I am not sure if they are all represented in this video, but here's the list as of today: Buff Orpington, Golden Laced Wyandotte, Light Brahma, Marans, Polish, Legbar, and Ameraucanas.

I have never seen a tick on our chickens. They eat the ticks. I think the glitter sized bugs you are seeing could be mites. They sometimes get in the nesting boxes. I would change the bedding in the boxes as a first step. I guess they could be ticks; did you look at them with a magnifying glass?

Jim O'Donnell I think I've gotten rid of them by changing the bedding. Thank you.

@@chickadee2073 Add diatomaceous earth to the nest bedding. Just sprinkle some in the bedding. It will get rid of the ticks and other pests as well.

I'm from Pennsylvania, but not too far from Maryland. I think we sound about the same.

Yes. They will also eat fleas.

@@JimODonnellFarm Chickens are AMAZING!

@@JimODonnellFarm thats if they dont jump ?

Thank you.

Mine are, at least. Putting them away at night is just closing the cage up.

@@CLove511 hmmm

Years ago we lost several chickens to foxes, but we very rarely lose any. We are not certain why. it may have something to do with the cows; we have a large Scottish Highland bull, and I really think that helps a bit, though the chickens can go places that the cows can't.

Yeah, wouldn't foxes, coyotes, hawks, and bobcats come pick them off? Unless you have a guard dog or a donkey?

@@restorationlandscapingkankakee most of those animals aren’t striking in broad daylight. Putting your chickens up at night is usually enough to keep them safe

For sure it's the cows. Cows, donkeys, horses, rams, and male sheep will all get aggressive and defensive of their herds around predators. I believe all of them can easily kill predators up to coyotes. Hawks (and in our case, vultures... And yes, they DO hunt) haven't been an issue, but our rooster calls to round up the hens if he senses danger. When they see hawks in the sky, they run for shelter.

We don't have dogs because they will usually bother the chickens, also because we have a lot of coyotes and they will sometimes attack a dog. We have lost some chickens to predators from time to time, but not as often as you would expect. Our worst loss was nine chickens to a fox one afternoon, but that was years ago.

We have had hawks fly over and at the chickens, but we have never had a chicken eaten by a hawk. Our cat thinks he is a chicken and hangs around with them. We don't have a dog because of the chickens. They usually will kill chickens.

To explore, find food, scavenge, find food.

I believe ducks will eat ticks. I have read that they will eat them, and it makes sense considering how they forage for food. I would expect that chickens are better at getting the ticks based upon the shape of their beak and from my experiences here on the farm, but I think ducks would also help eliminate ticks. We just got 14 ducklings that we are going to let roam around the farm once they get big enough, so I may know a bit more about this in the future.

@@JimODonnellFarm Awesoem, thank you for the response! Lyme disease is huge right now in Ky, so the more we can get rid of them, the better!

Guinea fowl is AWESOME my friends house he had about 10 Guineas no snakes nor ticks in the yard they are meannnn loud though

Trakehner20 btw I live in ky too

@@justsomerandomchickenwithi2012 Awesome! Gettin ridiculous with this kind of rain lately, at least here in Central.

Sounds like a good idea, but I think my ducks would probably eat the frogs.

@@JimODonnellFarm yeah duck will eat frogs, lizards with are predators of bugs

@@ahmedkhalid8937 Thank you.