I'd Like to Check you for Ticks

               One of my first dates with the Farmer was fishing, on a warm, soft evening where he serenaded me with a loving rendition of Brad Paisley's song Ticks. That is the only, and I do mean only, favorable thing about ticks I can think of.

Tick season starts for us in January when the coldest month warms up a bit leading us in to February. By Valentines day the last thing you are thinking about is how much you love lice and ticks. You are deep into hating these winter creepy crawlies. Since most critters have been snuggled up tight all together, they have bugs by now too. Deworming on a regular schedule helps rid you of all internal parasites but for exterior pests,  here are some of my favorite tricks for Goats and Horses.

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For all our Goats, Pigs, Horses, Cows we use  5% Carbaryl, Dusting Powder during infestation.

We will also use this as a preventative on the animals housed with a known case of the bugs. Strip all bedding from houses and re-bed after treatment. Dusting powder has to be applied and disposed of according to the label, Use gloves, do not do on a windy day or do in a non windy area. Ensure to read the entire label and when in doubt check the info online.

I like to put on a fancy garbage bag, some sweet shoulder length rubber gloves with dish gloves over the top and a dust mask because I am a sensitive kind of girl. Eye protection, since I wear contact lenses and the thought of the powder stuck to my contacts sounds like a bad idea. I look like I am going into surgery. It is an attractive look.

If you are treating for lice Carbaryl Powder needs to be repeated in two weeks. So keep your hot outfit for the next application then dispose of properly.

~Goats~

Butter, Milk, Bella and Latte

They commonly really pile on together in the winter months and are housed together. There are particular animals who present with unthrifty appearance and those are generally the ones most affected. Start your search there to identify the pest your dealing with. Our goats have Cashmere blood so with their downy heavy coats it is near impossible to find  the ticks, so we normally deworm and dust. We are careful to catch each animal and we shroud their eyes and gently rub the dusting powder around the head. The rest of the body gets a vigorous rubbing down with handfuls of powder, working it in to the warmest regions. Avoid genitals and udders. I have an old child's hooded sweatshirt that I have the neck and hood cut off. This gets slipped over their nose in front of the horns protecting the eyes. This is a two person job, a mad horned goat in full winter weight is not always happy go lucky being vigorously rubbed in the "warm regions". Yet this also is a great time to have a good look over them since you are rubbing the de louse powder into their coat. If you have the forethought to bring out a clip board and make notes on the condition of each animal this is a great time to do so, or use a carpenters pencil from the farmers tool belt with the inside of a feed bag. Also take advantage to trim up the hooves.

Horses

Some of our horses have winter wear, some do not. During warmer winter weather we remove blankets and hang them liner side out, in the sunshine. This is a great time to spot wash them as well. When we do that we will mix up a spray bottle with sensitive skin laundry soap and water  in a spray bottle. Dilute well, you only want a small amount of soap. I use 2 tbsp. soap to 4 cups water. Spray down the areas that are the most soiled and use baby wipes or a nail brush depending on what your dealing with to clean it up. I have one who is amazing at pooping on his leg straps, I have a spare pair so that they can be washed and traded out often. Poopy leg straps can chafe the legs. Then spray the entire blanket down with This stuff: Absorbine Ultrashield EX. This is also my go to in the summer as well. This stuff claims to repel deer ticks as well as a myriad of other things. Now I think that treating the interior of the blanket with a tick repellant is a heck of a good idea. This has worked for us pretty well so far. CHECK to see if your horse is sensitive to the product before doing your blankets. Also when doing a groom on your guys it does not hurt to hit them with some of this stuff as well. Prevention is one line of defense but our next step is when you have the rotten ticks. Careful grooming of the horse will let you know if you have them. Odd bumps must be investigated. When finding a tick there is no better way than to learn to carry a pair of tweezers in your pocket and properly remove the sucker. You need to get the head of the tick and there are a pile of good videos out there of properly removing them. You want to grab the sucker as close to the skin as possible and remove. a pill bottle with some oil in it or a bit of dusting powder is a great place to put them. Unless you know you have killed it. If you find multiple ticks on your horse this is when you go to the dust. We will dust our horses when the warmer weather hits down their top and bottom lines. Then keep a continual grooming going. We will not spray with Absorbine when we have dusted. This program has helped us keep the ticks down. I do find them more on my dark horses and the older the horse the more they seem to have on our place.  

After the treatment of ticks, and the grooming of the dust through the coat, I will then do the task of cleaning our grooming gear for the spring. This entails putting all the brushes, hoof picks, rags, sponges all of it including caddy's to a good scrubbing. The horses new coats are starting to grow in by February so might as well get clean stuff to start shedding season.
I will use a metal comb to brush out all the brushes, then soak all the bristle brushes together for a few minutes in Unscented Laundry Detergent, a splash of fabric softener, and some white vinegar or an antifungal soap.. I will brush them together in the bucket to clean each other. If you have the water level high enough to keep your hands and brushes underwater you will not get as much blow back from the scrubbing them together. Don't' let them soak to long especially with wood handled or natural bristled brushes. Curry combs are especially nasty and you don't know it until you get into them being they are usually black. Rinse well. I lay all the brushes on their side on a towel and let them air dry. Oil scissors, use steel wool to get the rust off hoof picks, and shine up the caddy. The fabric softener helps with the static in your brushes, also oil any wooden handles and apply a

good silicon spray to natural bristle brushes to protect them as well.  Once this is done you will feel like a very good horse woman. So on the ball. It might even inspire you to start cleaning your tack...  

The dogs and cats get treated for ticks at this time of year as well, since we know they are on the livestock why take the chance  right.

Do you have any tick tricks?