Sticktight flea are one parasite that you do n’t want attached to your flock , so use right prevention and direction techniques .
One leap good afternoon , I remark that one of my bantam hens seemed a little lethargic . Concerned , I made an appointment with my veterinarian and take the biddy in for an exam . After determining the hen was n’t egg tie ( hurt from an egg pin down in her Fallopian tube ) , my vet mentioned she would in all likelihood prescribe an antibiotic , guess the bird may be battling an transmission .
The hen was slightly under exercising weight . Her energy , however , seemed normal once she was out of her chicken coop and in astrange environment .
One spring afternoon , I noticed that one of my bantam hens seemed a minuscule lethargic . concern , I made an appointment with my veterinarian and involve the biddy in for an exam .
After find the hen was n’t bollock bound ( suffering from an egg trap in her oviduct ) , my veterinary surgeon bring up she would probably prescribe an antibiotic , thinking the shuttlecock may be battling an contagion . The hen was more or less under weight . Her energy , though , seemed normal once she was out of her coop and in astrange environment .
As the veterinarian stay on to exam her , count in her lip , at her foot and around her face , she suddenly made a discovery . “ Look at this , ” she said , take hold out one of the hen ’s midget wattles .
Sticktight fleas surround this chicks face. ChrWeiss/stock.adobe.com
late in the flexure , I saw what looked like saturnine brown splinters covering the interior of the cerise wattle . The veterinary surgeon scraped some of the browned matter off and put it on a slide , then snuff it out of the way to count at it through the microscope .
As shortly as she return , she gave me the diagnosis .
“ Your hen is infest with Echidnophaga gallinacea flea , ” she read . “ They ’re sequester to her coxcomb and wattle . See ? ” She raise the hen ’s comb up , showing me dark situation all along the undersurface .
Sticktight fleas surround this chicks face. ChrWeiss/stock.adobe.com
I had never heard of sticktight fleas before — fleas that attach themselves ! I call up fleas jumped around . Was n’t that what they were known for ? jump from one part of a Caterpillar or dog to the next , and jumping to fresh Host after concoct in carpets or grass ?
As it turn out , the sticktight flea is a very dissimilar creature from the cat and frankfurter flea that most pet owner have intercourse . Sticktight fleas are technically fleas , but they almost seem like a cross between a flea and a ticking , attaching themselves to their legion .
Chickens and other poultry rank among their favorite victims . Sticktight flea surround this wench face . ChrWeiss / stock.adobe.com
Olesia Bech/Shutterstock
What Are Sticktight Fleas?
I felt hangdog I had n’t spotted these parasites attached to my biddy , but turn out I had a good self-justification . Sticktight fleas — scientifically known asEchidnophaga gallinacea — are very small , even for a flea .
“ beggar’s-ticks fleas are smaller than typical dog and cat fleas , ” says vet Heidi Watkins , with Wagly Animal Hospital in Rancho Santa Margarita , California . “ In fact , they are about half the size of the fleas most people are used to consider . It involve close inspection of poulet to detect them . ”
beggar’s-ticks fleas tend to care the soft areas on combs and wattles . They can also impound around the vent region , according to Watkins .
Erik Streb, OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 3.0
“ You have to wait in wattle folds and under fluttering , as they will often cluster there , ” she say . “ Sticktight flea embed their mouth part into the flesh . You will not see them running around on the skin like a cat or dog flea . ”
Read more : Controlling ectoparasites greatly improves the wellness of a flock .
If you bet at a Echidnophaga gallinacea flea under a microscope , you ’ll see that it wait very much like what you would require in a flea , with one exception . An elongated mouthpart helps it stay in place after it bites and take blood from a boniface .
The month - long life cycle of the sticktight flea resemble that of other fleas . female lay orchis on the host animal ( in this case , while attach ) , which then fall to the ground . Once the testis hatch on the ground , the larvae go on tolerate blood left behind by adult flea , along with whatever organic textile is in the surround .
This is why chicken coops are a favorite place for these parasites . The constitutional bedding material we bring home the bacon for our chickens make believe a perfect nursery for flea larvae .
When the larva are quick , they the sort a cocoon made of silk and dust . Then they pupate inside . The grownup flea that emerge from the pupa are ready for a host and can jump 200 times their size to down on unsuspicious brute . Olesia Bech / Shutterstock
Some flea specie , of row , are famous forspreading disease , such as the bubonic pest . Sticktight fleas are n’t known for this .
That does n’t think they ca n’t do substantial harm , though . They irritate birds to the distributor point of get them crazy with constant scratching and cause enough blood release to result in anaemia . If a skirt is already insalubrious , a Echidnophaga gallinacea flea infestation can put her over the boundary .
How to Kill Sticktight Fleas
You do n’t require your chickens to endure the suffering of sticktight fleas . Luckily , there are ways to get disembarrass of these leech if they do show up in your flock .
“ There are poultry - label product for the treatment of sticktight fleas and mites , ” Watkins says . “ These are typically made with permethrin , which is synthetically derive , and pyrethrin , which is course derived . These topical products are for use right away on the birds and can be also used to treat their immediate environment , like a coop . ”
Products made with these active ingredients do n’t require a prescription from a veterinary surgeon . Pyrethrin is naturally derived from chrysanthemum blossom and is considered an organic insecticide as long as it is not coalesce with other semisynthetic ingredients .
“ It ’s of import to not only deal the private birds but also their coop expanse , ” Watkins say . “ Remove and demolish contaminated litter , which will contain eggs and larva . Then spray the permethrin or pyrethrin merchandise all around the coop and nesting areas . ”
Because the life cycle from orchis to adult is about four weeks in warm temperature , Watkins advises retreatment of the coop in about a month .
“ When using these intersection , keep in mind that permethrins and pyrethrins are toxic to computed axial tomography but not dogs , ” she tell . “ Also , make certain to check the product recording label for nut or meat withholding times after treatment . This is true for any product used to handle and control parasites . ”Erik Streb , OWN study , CC BY - SA 3.0
Some Gallus gallus keepers also bolt down sticktight fleas by apply petroleum jelly flat on the bugs by using a cotton swab . This takes advantage of the fact that sticktight fleas are attach to the host . They wo n’t jumpstart from place to place on the legion ’s body to fend off being impact .
If set up rock oil jelly right on the fleas is your preferable method , you ’ll still need to hit all of the bedding in the coop . This is where unhatched and pupating larvae will hold back for their chance to infect your bird .
Some chicken keeper also dust their coops with diatomaceous earth to help kill adult flea that may be hidden in cracks and crevices near the floor . If you take this itinerary , do the dusting when your birds are out of the cage . And make certain to practice food - class diatomaceous . This is the only case that ’s dependable to use around brute .
Read more : Make indisputable to treat your flock for internal parasites , too .
How Do You Keep Sticktight Fleas Away?
Preventing bur marigold flea from returning to bother your chicken may be a challenge , depending on where the infestation came from to begin with . burr marigold fleas do n’t only incommode wimp . They also make their homes on rats , computer mouse and squirrel .
In fact , if your birds have sticktight flea , they likely got them from a rodent .
Most chicken keeper know that rodent love chicken cage . Between the cozy bedclothes and the grain - based intellectual nourishment , chicken coops are a attractor for rat , mouse and squirrel . If these critters hang out in your coop and nurse Echidnophaga gallinacea flea , it wo n’t be long before your bird get overrun .
“ Wild rats , mice , rabbits and even squirrels can be a rootage of sticktight flea . So controlling these host pests to begin with can serve stave off the introduction of flea to your flock , ” Watkins sound out .
Of naturally , keeping rodents out of your coop is well-heeled said than done . Rats and particularly mice have a elbow room of let into the most secure hencoop . But you may take dance step to make your coop less attractive to flea - have a bun in the oven pests .
Start by enclosing your coop in telegram too modest for shiner and bum to squeeze through . Chicken telegram will do the job most of the time , although check that it is tightly fasten . Rodents will push their way through any segment not bolted down in plaza .
If you find spots in your coop where rats or mice have chewed through the wood ( this might fall out under the hencoop , between the ground and the cage floor ) , fill the holes with steel wool . Then tote up a hardware fabric to the bottom of your henhouse .
This will help prevent gnawer from creating a new ingress to your chickens ’ home .
rodent are usually attracted to coops because they enjoy the same food you give your chicken . set off by making certain that your bags of chicken feed are stored in metal containers . Metal deoxyephedrine cans do work good . Rats can chew through composition board and charge card , but alloy will cross them .
Be sure the metallic element container has a tight - meet palpebra that a rat or shiner ca n’t elevate .
When you give your razz , make certain all the food is gone from the coop by nightfall . Rodents roam at Nox , and they will observe a way into your coop if they smell food for thought deep down . Consider bribe a bum - proof volaille foot pedal feeder . This will prevent git and mice from use up your birds ’ food at night , and it will hinder squirrels that forage during the day .
rodent are the most probable vector for sticktight fleas and chickens the most probable hosts . But dogs and cats can also become victims of these unpleasant sponger . If you observe sticktight fleas on your chickens , take a close smell at your pets , too .
“ Dogs and cats can also be affected by stick - pie-eyed flea , but topical product that are labeled for usance against fleas in dogs and cats should kill them , ” Watkins say . “ It ’s a serious idea to scrutinize your darling closely , looking for these flea to have adhered around the capitulum ear , eyes and between toes . ”
If your chickens do n’t listen being handled , match them at least once a calendar month to ensure sticktight flea have n’t taken handle . If your birds are hard to capture , examine them in the coop after night when they are roost .
Treating an plague of Echidnophaga gallinacea flea can be daunting . But once you ’ve removed these pest from your hencoop , your dame will be happier for it .
6 Ways to Discourage Rodents
maintain the coop free of mice and other rodent is simply an impossible labor . Even if we progress our bird ’s trap surrounded by cementum bulwark , mice would still find a way to get in . The near we can do is to define our open invitation to them as well as we can .
Here are some steps you could take to do the same .
computer hardware mesh serves well , but get1⁄8 - in ironware interlocking as black eye will fit through the golf hole of1⁄4 - inch internet . If you caulk , habituate a silicone sealant rather of a gnawable latex one . Avoid sealing kettle of fish with materials such as caoutchouc , plastic overlay and unripe cement , as mice can jaw through these .
Yes , chickens are messy and scatter their feed everywhere . Trying to terminate that is a losing conflict . If a human - caused spillage occurs , however , do n’t will the muddle of crumbles for the crybaby to finally clean up . Doing so is the same as stating , “ Dinner is served ! ” to the local computer mouse .
Mice are mostly nocturnal and avail themselves to your shuttlecock ’ feeder while the chickens roost and snooze . stash away your bird feeder in a smear gnawer ca n’t get at .
Eggs are an splendid source of food for thought for mouse , and eggs left in nest boxes overnight can pull in undesirable guest to your henhouse .
magniloquent grass , weeds , Methedrine , stacks of wood , abandoned yard tools and other debris make consummate temporary ( or permanent ) shelters for mouse . A neatly mowed thousand also allows you to easily stop for rodent burrows and tract .
Put these in country where you see computer mouse droppings . post toward the walls , as mice incline to run along the walls rather than through an candid space . To prevent stroke with inquisitive chicken , set your traps at Nox and remove them during the sidereal day .
If using toxicant , apply caution around farm animal or poultry . Always read the intersection label , adopt all counselling and use guard , as propose by the EPA .
This clause about sticktight flea was publish for Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines . cluck here to support .
