Help!! I have been in full battle with those vicious little chicken fleas - stick tights - I have ivomec-ed, DE-ed, cleaned out the hen house with soap and water; then bleach and water; and finally sprayed some insecticide all around (pyrethreum; kept the chickens out for a week) I have DE-ed the chicken yard and surrounding area. They are still there!! I didn't have this problem until I received some turkeys that had them last year. Does anyone have any suggestions? Now the cats have them!! I am using ivomec and advantage on them, but, it only helps some. All suggestions would be much appreciated. sissy

-- sissy sylvester (jerreleene@hotmail.com), March 26, 2000

Answers

Response to stick-tights

I have never heard of what you call stick tights but last year we had a problem with flys so I ordered some parasitic nematodes [kills a long list of garden pests]which not only cut down on flys but also the fleas to. I am planning on using them again this year[expensive 14 $ for small batch]gardens alive 812 537 8650 carrys them as does a company called aribico.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), March 27, 2000.

Response to stick-tights

Some say that diatomaceous earth will help kill ticks and fleas on animals. The "earth" is actually tiny marine animals, now dead. They have sharp edges which cut up the insects. You can use this on your garden also. Just sprinkle this in the nests and roosting areas of the pen, and give them some to "bathe" and scratch in. Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), March 27, 2000.

Response to stick-tights

what fleas!!!!!! chickens get fleas! I live in the flea capitol of the world what kind of fleas!I hate fleas! I love advantage for my dog I bought a two year supplie for y2k. Not fleas Ijust got my frist chickens please let me know!!!! Shaun

-- shaun cornish (shaun-terri@juno.com), March 28, 2000.

Response to stick-tights

giggle! Oh, shaun, you make me laugh out loud!! I never heard of chicken fleas either until I moved to Florida, and even then I was very smug about "my chickens won't ever get those!!" Yeah, right! Actually, they are black, and little and hang on for life to the combs and around the eyes and on the wattles. Now they have transposed themselves to the cats and people. I have found out that I am to use carbaryl (sevin dust) or even malathion. But, I will start with the sevin dust first. It sure has run my girls down....poor little hens. Just watch for them! (as an aside....I am pondering putting just a little bit of advantage on the oldest hen just to see.....) sissy

-- sissy sylvester (jerreleene@hotmail.com), March 28, 2000.

I have just moved to the country from a big city here in Florida, bought some chickens and now we have an infestation problem with these chicken fleas. I had never heard of them until a week ago when I noticed the head of my Frizzle rooster covered in them and when I tried to pull them off, I noticed that they embed their heads under the skin, like a tick. The last straw was 3 days ago when I had one on my arm and when I went to take it off, it too had its head in my skin. I have never seen anything like these... City fleas are a snap to get rid of. One tube of Advantage and no more fleas... I only needed to treat my dog and that treatment was enough to kill anything that even got near the cat. All I can say is that these chicken fleas are nuts. I bought some dusting powder from the feed store and dusted the chickens I have and the barn floor, along with the carpet in my home. The animals got an extra dose of advantage 2 weeks early. I'll let you know if this powder stuff works. Its suppose to kill chicken fleas along with 49 other varieties of bugs... But so far, I have seen no change on the chickens.

ARGH....

-- S.Koob (Treasure05@aol.com), April 27, 2001.