Post by seminolewind on Jun 24, 2018 23:09:29 GMT -5
I'll be adding a bunch of information on StickTight Fleas (first hand) . There is not a whole lot of info on it on the internet . There's a lot of wondering what bug killer to use. It took me a few months to get to where they all had none for several months, and now it's time for maintenance, and one chicken has some around his eyes.
They say to pick them off with a tweezers. I don't have days and days to attempt removing them with tweezers. I find the chickens eventually groom the dead fleas off. Trying with tweezers is a joke.
One of the best things I've used is those yard sprays that attach to your hose . Very easy. I spray the pens, then the areas that the chickens hang out in. They are not in the pen when I spray.
Stick tight fleas have a life cycle that must be broken. The fleas stick to the chicken, and drop their eggs on the ground. Within 30 days or less, the eggs grow into larvae and move toward the surface of the dirt. Then when adult fleas, they jump on a chicken. Although they are chicken fleas, I have found them on myself, even on my lip-more than once.
The fleas love the face and the head of chickens. They are very small and hard to see when surrounding their eyes. The best thing I've used so far is Adam's flea and tick spray for dogs. I take each chicken and a q-tip and dab around their faces without hitting them in the eye. Some are right on the edge of the lids where you can't spray and I schmear Vaseline or antibiotic ointment over their eyes at night to smother them. I also use the q-tip dabbing on their head if I see clusters of them. Otherwise, I spray their head with Adam's. I do their bodies with Adam's spray or Sevin powder. The powder is great because it gets in all the crevices. The powder Sevin is also great for dusting the pen and nests. The spray may not reach the skin like the Sevin or poultry powder does.
I found that spraying the pens and areas or using sevin powder and treating the chickens AND treating their faces especially and the pens and yard may take several months of every 3 weeks of treatment. 3 weeks is my estimate. And do the nests.
I found that the fleas are not difficult to kill. But several cycles of treatment of chicken and ground are necessary to break the cycle. Then just check several chickens weekly for signs , and retreat. Or retreat monthly.
I had a Polish hen who was noted to be pale and weak. I inspected her one day and found her face and head to be covered with stick tight fleas. They are hard to see unless you are specifically looking for them. Otherwise they look like dirt. Once she was treated, she remained free of fleas. Others needed several treatments. The q-tip treatment really gives a person a chance to see what's going on.
I had a white silkie roo who seemed to have a dirty head, which was unusual. At close examination he was loaded with stick tight fleas in layers on his head. I had to take him inside and wash his head, and at the time never noticed the fleas. I noticed them 2 days later I cut all the hair off his head, shampood him several times, used a blow dryer to dry his head, then took him out and treated his head and face with a qtip. He's been clean for several months , but will not come near me, LOL.
I have found that the stick tight fleas love white, light, buff , and black and white heads, but not so much on the dark colors. I have dark brown and black chickens that have never gotten them. I have a BO that gets them, and one red hen who gets them.
They can find your pet like a dog or cat or even go from you to the dog or cat. Keep an eye out for that.
Pictures to follow.
They say to pick them off with a tweezers. I don't have days and days to attempt removing them with tweezers. I find the chickens eventually groom the dead fleas off. Trying with tweezers is a joke.
One of the best things I've used is those yard sprays that attach to your hose . Very easy. I spray the pens, then the areas that the chickens hang out in. They are not in the pen when I spray.
Stick tight fleas have a life cycle that must be broken. The fleas stick to the chicken, and drop their eggs on the ground. Within 30 days or less, the eggs grow into larvae and move toward the surface of the dirt. Then when adult fleas, they jump on a chicken. Although they are chicken fleas, I have found them on myself, even on my lip-more than once.
The fleas love the face and the head of chickens. They are very small and hard to see when surrounding their eyes. The best thing I've used so far is Adam's flea and tick spray for dogs. I take each chicken and a q-tip and dab around their faces without hitting them in the eye. Some are right on the edge of the lids where you can't spray and I schmear Vaseline or antibiotic ointment over their eyes at night to smother them. I also use the q-tip dabbing on their head if I see clusters of them. Otherwise, I spray their head with Adam's. I do their bodies with Adam's spray or Sevin powder. The powder is great because it gets in all the crevices. The powder Sevin is also great for dusting the pen and nests. The spray may not reach the skin like the Sevin or poultry powder does.
I found that spraying the pens and areas or using sevin powder and treating the chickens AND treating their faces especially and the pens and yard may take several months of every 3 weeks of treatment. 3 weeks is my estimate. And do the nests.
I found that the fleas are not difficult to kill. But several cycles of treatment of chicken and ground are necessary to break the cycle. Then just check several chickens weekly for signs , and retreat. Or retreat monthly.
I had a Polish hen who was noted to be pale and weak. I inspected her one day and found her face and head to be covered with stick tight fleas. They are hard to see unless you are specifically looking for them. Otherwise they look like dirt. Once she was treated, she remained free of fleas. Others needed several treatments. The q-tip treatment really gives a person a chance to see what's going on.
I had a white silkie roo who seemed to have a dirty head, which was unusual. At close examination he was loaded with stick tight fleas in layers on his head. I had to take him inside and wash his head, and at the time never noticed the fleas. I noticed them 2 days later I cut all the hair off his head, shampood him several times, used a blow dryer to dry his head, then took him out and treated his head and face with a qtip. He's been clean for several months , but will not come near me, LOL.
I have found that the stick tight fleas love white, light, buff , and black and white heads, but not so much on the dark colors. I have dark brown and black chickens that have never gotten them. I have a BO that gets them, and one red hen who gets them.
They can find your pet like a dog or cat or even go from you to the dog or cat. Keep an eye out for that.
Pictures to follow.
