First tick of the year

[Marsha Cassada]

Found a tick on Ranger this morning. I try to feel the horses all over often. Yesterday there was a cocklebur in the same area between the front legs, so I'm pretty sure the tick attached after that, but maybe it was there and not bloated yet. The wound area is rather icky looking; I don't know how it could have escalated so quickly. I feel I got the whole critter off, then used peroxide on the spot. The yak fur sure makes it hard to find some problems early. I'll peroxide it again this evening. Ick. I hate ticks.

My mother swears by medicinal turpentine. I think I will get some next time I go to the drug store. It might be better than peroxide.

 

[lkblazin]

Wow we won't have ticks till several months. Too cold/to much snow

 

[amysue]

I know they're obnoxious as heck, but my pair of guinea hens have pretty much annihilated the tick population in my barnyard. I never believed that they worked that well, until four of my horses and myself came down with lyme disease one year. Have not pulled a single tick off of a horse since bringing home the birds.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Usually do not see one till April. It's been a strange winter. But with the heat and drought the last few years, and our chickens, really haven't had a problem. This may be the only one I see all year. The wildlife bring them. There is a reason "tick" rhymes with "ick".

 

[paintponylvr]

There is a reason "tick" rhymes with "ick".

Me, too!!

I was talking to a guy (had a sign for Stump Grinding on his truck - we were both getting trucks serviced) and mentioned that I wanted to get into the trees to figure out where to put in paths for driving/riding before "tick season". He gave me a funny look and stated that ticks are out year round! HUH? I always equated cold, blowing wind, no leaves left on trees with no ticks.

When I got home i did some checking and here in NC - ticks can get on you out in the woods year around. UGH. I hate ticks and I hate what they do to the critters.

Thanks Amy Sue - I might have to get some guineas this year!! There are definitely ticks in this area and on this property, I"m sure.

 

[paintponylvr]

My mother swears by medicinal turpentine.

What is this? This is one I've never heard of.

Hope Ranger is doing ok!

 

[lkblazin]

I had know idea they are year round!!! Ahhh!! Do they even serve a purpose. Besides transferring disease? I'll keep my eyes peeled.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I had know idea they are year round!!! Ahhh!! Do they even serve a purpose. Besides transferring disease? I'll keep my eyes peeled.

I guess their purpose is to help control the wildlife population. I've spoken to hunters whose deer pelt was so riddled with tick holes they didn't save the pelt. Imagine how miserable that deer was. My husband used to work at the Tower at ABQ airport. An eagle was on the runway. They called the Wildlife dept and it was discovered the eagle was so covered with ticks it had no strength to fly. Nasty little critters!

We cannot keep guineas here, as there are too many varmints. Tried.

 

[amysue]

I had a boarding client with diagnosed ocd. She detested bugs of any sort, I often wondered if horses were an appropriate activity for this women because they entail "getting dirty". Anyway, she used to cover her entire yard with sevin dust insecticide. I do not know how you would spray or dust the premesis for ticks, but I have had luck with the hartz dog and cat tick repellent. I pastured horses down the road once, and had a tick problem. My tritech fly spray wasn't deterring them, but after watching dozens of ticks crawl off of my dog after a hike one day I decided to try the spray on the horses with much success.

 

[Riverrose28]

frontline sells a flea and tick spray. We used to put it along the topline and around the pasterns years ago when we were traIl riding. I know that now the fleas are immune to frontline on the dogs, not sure about the tick protection on horses since I switched my dogs to advantix.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I use Horse & Pony Spray, the oil-based one from ATwoods, to spritz on legs when we've had a bad tick season. That was back when it used to rain sometimes...

It is the best fly spray I've found, too.

He is an adventurer. Today I got about 2 dozen cockleburs out of his coat. I thought I had eradicated all of them by the pond, but he managed to find some. He must have rolled in them, as they were totally matted into his mane, tail and coat. I had to use scissors on a couple. And he had none last night. No more ticks, though, thank goodness.

I'll be glad to get rid of the yak fur. I believe young cocklebur plants are noxious, so I'll have to keep an eye out later in the spring.

 

[paintponylvr]

Marsha - please let me know what you do to eradicate the cockle burr plants. The biggest problem is I haven't found where all the plants are yet!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I pull them up. There were a lot when we moved here. I raked the burs up and burned them. Then pulled the plants. You can also Roundup the plants. They look sort of like a sunflower when they are small. Where there is a bunch of burrs, there will surely be a new plant. They are no earthly good. The good news is they are annuals so it's easy to kill them.

 

[AngC]

hmph... interesting topic.

I don't believe any of our three have ever had ticks (either that or I missed them.) ...which is odd. So I've been looking at the locations of people posting on this one. I'm puzzled. Perhaps ticks only occur in more southerly climate zones? That doesn't make sense, because I was raised in MT and we had ticks there (in the summer.) Now that I'm thinking about it, I've only had bot eggs on Baby's legs once. There was maybe a half dozen, which I carefully cut out and burned. No more bot eggs since.

I "feel" up Nicky and Baby pretty much daily (Coco, not so much 'cause she's spooky) but I haven't felt anything that felt like ticks.

 

[paintponylvr]

Since we are on a new property, and it's mostly covered in Long Leaf Pines (and other trees - have no idea what yet) I was told that we will have ticks. I've always associated trees with ticks here in NC - in the spring/summer and recently I was laughed at and told ticks are out all year round! Hmmm...

In talking to the new vet - he asked if we'd seen deer on the property or if we had a creek on it or if one was nearby. No, hadn't seen deer ourselves (yet) but had found tracks and spoor before we brought the ponies home. Since then, haven't seen as much. He said that if we had a concentration of deer or a stream/creek that they watered from - we would have ticks in that area. If not - we may not have that many. Guinea fowl will help (they are on the list to get) to eradicate any ticks we may find.

Thanks, Marsha, for letting me know how you get rid of cockle burr plants. I haven't actually seen the darn things (plants) - think we have the really short ones as most of the "pasture" is in short grass(s) - different types. BUT there are at least 4 different varieties and man do a couple HURT if you get them. I've noticed that the ponies are laying down in the sand only or in the hay they can pull out from the round bales, rather than in "grassy" areas...

 

[Marsha Cassada]

New property is certainly a challenge! Our place was a pasture when we moved here. First it was overgrazed for several years. Then it was neglected. It was a mess. Cockleburs, buffalo burrs, goat heads, and sandburs are not allowed. We go to heroic lengths to eradicate them. In late summer I patrol the pasture for buffalo burs. Have to wait till they bloom to find them. My husband carries a digger and bucket on his lawn mower and keeps a sharp eye out for goatheads and sandburs. Once the mower scatters those little monsters it gets really difficult! Also the wildlife scatter them in their fur. We have lots of wildlife. Also no more mesquites or red cedar are allowed. It is constant vigilance. Tried to have guineas once, but there was no way we could save them from the predators. We gave up on them.

My dad said when he was kid in SW OK there were NO ticks. The cattle coming up from the gulf areas brought them. I guess where the cattle went, ticks went also.

Check the end of the tail bone and inside ears on your horses. Two places ticks like to be.

 

[paintponylvr]

The places I have found them the most, usually after going for a drive off our property, was in the sheath/udder areas. UGH! Hate pulling ticks. NASTY critters... Several of our mares have "scars" (lighter colored spots) in their udder areas both from ticks I've pulled and from some I'm thinking I missed. Once they get their fill, they do drop off...

Not looking forward to finding them at all. One year, after taking 5 ponies to an event (3 mares, 2 foals) - I found BABY ticks after I washed the ponies (while they were wet) already attached on their LEGS. It was awful. Think I pulled over 100 ticks over the course of 4 days or so... The most on that first day. The worst was finding one when I went to raise a mares tail to put on the crupper - it was attached (and no longer small/baby) t her vulva. Ick, ICk and more ICK. Even after all the years of dealing with ticks - they are the one critter that still makes me go squeamish and "....ewwww get it off, get it off of me, help, get it OFF"! I always worry, if they are attached, if I'm going to get the head out or not...

O great! Not looking forward to that kind of all out war on "stickers". YAY! Not. Thanks again for telling us what you do. I will remember and utilize that (hadn't thought to put stuff on the lawn mower)!

 

[amysue]

In the early summer, burrs are a beautiful shade of purple and easy to spot. It is best to pull them then, before they go to seed and dry out. That is when I find them all over everyone's coat, tangled in manes and tails and all over my clothes. I agree that burning them is the best way to destroy them, at piling them up and composting leaves the seeds for birds, vermin and to cast in the wind. I round up (extended control) my pastures and fence lines twice a year, as I found the burrs and milk weed came back if only one spray was applied.