Parasite Control

[SassyKat6181]

I had giunea fowl.....couldn't get them to stay out of the road and the neighbors property - we have 7 acres. We use Fly Predators from Spalding Labs. They ship the eggs in the mail and when they hatch, you sprinkle them on the manure pile. We haven't had horse flies in years.

 

[danielburns271]

Is there any organic way to control parasites?

 

[Symphony]

What about chickens? I was told they eat fly larvae from manure. It seems better than using pesticides.

They do and they do a great job. Our Chickens have cut our flies down by a substantial number.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover=)]

I heard guinea fowl eat a LOT of bugs.

Yes they do. The best tick control you can get. Great for the livestock area.

What about chickens? I was told they eat fly larvae from manure.

Yes they will, as well as un-digested grain that would normally just go to waste. (saves on chicken feed bill too.)

I plan on getting chocolate, bourbon red, and/or midget white turkeys. The websites I was on neglected to mention what the poultry DIDN'T eat.

They'll eat bugs, grain & seeds, frogs & toads, Mice, and just about anything else. The only thing that I know for sure that they won't eat is what they can't see, or is to big to swallow.

All of the above like and eat grasshoppers. Young ducks are good at chaseing and eating them, but slow down when grown. (Then would be a good time to have them for dinner) Pheasants are the best at eating grasshoppers, but hard to keep around close. However, hand raised jumbo pheasants (if you can find any) will hang around close about like the guineas. The ones I had would eat right out of my hand.

Hope that answered your questions.

Just to back this up, Our turkeys have tried to eat voles several times

Nature ;;
Muscovies can't fly, I believe their too big. And I don't think they CAN eat mice, let alone would. Turkeys will eat, and kill mice/voles, chickens too (the turkeys more though) but I don't think ducks do

 

[OneFineAcre]

What about chickens? I was told they eat fly larvae from manure. It seems better than using pesticides.

They do and they do a great job. Our Chickens have cut our flies down by a substantial number.

Chickens will eat anything. I've seen them eat mice pups. I have a wooded area loaded with ticks. No more ticks.

You know what a chickens favorite food is? Chicken

If you dropped dead in the run and they didn't find you soon, they'd start eating you.

 

[thestewarts]

THANKS! This thread gives me the motivation to get a couple turkeys (like I originally wanted but wasnt 100% sure on!) We are just starting and right now we have a 1 and 1/4 acre pasture ready to go. Our chickens (we have 27 now between 6 and 12 weeks old) are free ranging in that pasture with our new 4 icelandic sheep. We for sure have ticks... we find them on us and the dogs all the time and I don't know if they came from here or the place we got our sheep but I found a couple on 2 of our sheep all fat and swollen the other day. The pasture backs up to a small strip of woods. Is 27 chickens enough to keep ticks and flies and such at bay?