How to remove a tick from a bird. Part Two Step-by-step removal from a pigeon's face

Part One of this piece on the identification, life-cycle and lifestyle of the tick can be found here:  Trying to play Sherlock Holmes, from the usual demeanour and habits of this young fantail, I  gathered she had picked up this adult female tick, whilst foraging for knot  grass in the muddy farm lane at the front of the house. 

Method

The idea of using Essential oil of Tea Tree is several-fold in that it has the properties of an anaesthetic, antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic and antimicrobial. The anaesthetic properties, making the tick drowsy, stop it from feeding and therefore aid in helping its release. You can refer to Part One of this article for further explanations.

As the tick will be feeding on your bird as you are treating it, then whatever you use to treat it will pass into the bird. Using an essential oil like tea tree topically on the tick is not dangerous for the bird. In fact Tea Tree is one of the rare essentially oils which in emergency may be used in neat form upon the bird read more

You will in fact see the bird smack its beak as it tastes the tea tree in its mouth. This is quite normal and something you'd also expect to see if you treated the bird itself for an infection transdermally through the soles of the feet. A further reminder that whatever you put on the skin ends up in the body.

I used an organic cotton bud to apply the Tea Tree, placing a couple of drops of pure organic essential oil onto it and then applying it to the body of the tick. I then waited a couple of minutes to allow the tick to become anaesthetised.

I then took a pair of tweezers and held the tick as near to the point of entry into the pigeon as possible, being careful not to trap any of the pigeons feathers! I gently began to pull the tick slowly away from the wound in a direction, which would keep the tick at right angles to the bird. This way, I hoped to avoid twisting the tick and causing it to leave its mouth-parts embedded in the pigeon.

I also held the area around the wound quite firmly with my finger, so as to prevent the pigeon's skin being pulled, rather than the tick. I kept talking reassuringly to the pigeon all the time I was doing this, as it is quite an unpleasant operation, even though the area will be anaesthetised, by both the tick and the Tea Tree! Pigeons are very intelligent birds and they do have quite a good rapport with humans, mine actually walk down the garden and knock on the kitchen window if they have a problem (this is not just me being fanciful, friends with pigeons have told me the same). There is a bond of trust between me and my pigeons, so they need to know that what I am doing is supposed to help.

N.B. (If the tick seems to still be hanging on tightly, then apply the cotton bud with the Tea Tree again.)

After another couple of tugs it came away. Here you can see me holding it so as to show the 'head'. You can see it has left behind quite a wound on the pigeon, which now needed to be cleaned up.

I used a fresh cotton bud dipped in a small bowl of warm water with two drops of Tea Tree dispersed on the surface. If you are worried about infection of any sort then you can use the Tea Tree neat on the cotton bud but do not use more than a couple of drops. Keep the pigeon under observation and treat with Tea Tree again the next day. This wound however, looked clean and indeed the pigeon seemed none the worse for its ordeal. 

 

A Word About Essential Oils

In general terms, when using essential oils I either use them dispersed on the surface of a bowl of water, to create an antiseptic and painkilling wash for wounds read more or diluted in one teaspoon of carrier oil and I never use more than 3 drops per day on a single bird. When using an extremely strong antimicrobial, such as oregano essential oil, I would only use one drop, diluted in one teaspoon of carrier oil and administer it transdermally, through the soles of the feet.

Now if you'd like to sit back and watch the film:

Thanks for dropping by and if you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it and also may be about joining this blog. Please also feel free to ask questions or make comments in the section below.

For anyone wishing for links to any of the material I read when researching ticks, please just ask.

All the very best,

Sue

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© 2014 Sue Cross

How to remove a tick from a bird Part One Identification - What, Where and Why?

This is not something that happens very often and in fact I have never had occasion to see a tick on my chickens, basically because if one of mine stuck its head into a border at the front of the house and saw a tick, it wouldn't think twice about eating it. In fact poultry, such as guinea fowl are often kept, partly to deal with tick infestations.

Our gentle but adventurous foraging fantails, however are another matter.

 

Identification

Preamble: I have to say right from the start that the more I read about ticks the more confused I get. There is quite a volume of information floating about but it is also very hard to tie a lot of it down. With regards to photographic depiction, even given that the engorged adult female alters her appearance as she feeds, there are still many contradictions. As regards my pigeon, at the outset I thought this tick might be Argus reflexus a one-host pigeon tick but that now seems unlikely given the one-off nature of my pigeon's tick. Argus reflexus is supposed to haunt dovecotes in some numbers. More likely this is a none-host-specific creature, which a foraging pigeon has picked up in the farm track in front of our house. This being a favourite lane for dog walkers and along which our old friend below travels when she moves pastures.

Flotsam and Jetsam:  The tick is a haematophagous arthropod belonging to the class of Arachnida, so is basically a blood-sucking spider. Like the common poultry lice it is an ectoparasite, living externally on the skin and similarly, the tick can live for some time without food but the female needs that final blood-meal to lay her eggs. There are hundreds of different varieties of ticks but they are divided into two simple kinds, the hard bodied Ixodidae and the soft bodied Argasidae, although simple is perhaps not the right word as the female of the hard bodied type when, 'expecting' and well-fed is very soft and squishy!

It is also confusing in that, as mentioned above, some species of tick are host specific and others either opportunistic or actually are reported as needing several different host types to complete their life cycle, which seems rather complicated and risky. Accordingly they are referred to under the additional titles of one, two and three-host ticks. Their life expectancy also seems to vary greatly, depending on species and lifestyle (hibernation periods, for example) and thus can vary widely from months to years. It also doesn't help that they start their early stages of life as 'seed' ticks or larvae with six legs and move through their nymph stage and adult life with eight. 

However, despite difficulties with identification of the exact species, I would suggest that you certainly know when your bird has one, they are very obviously attached to it and often in the most obvious of places such as the face. I presumed, by the look of this one that this was a fully grown adult female tick

 

 

Life cycle and Lifestyle of the Tick

As ticks are not great at locomotion, certainly in the larval stage, after hatching from the egg they need to wait until something passes by to catch on to it, often frequenting animal paths, sometimes climbing grasses and stalks to wait patiently at the right level. This they do to achieve their first meal and it is known, rather poetically, as 'questing'. Certain ticks are thought to start their lives in the seed tick stage by feeding for a few days on small creatures such as mice and birds. When the seed tick finishes feeding it falls off back to the earth, it sheds its skin to become an eight-legged nymph and goes back on the look-out apparently for something bigger.  Other ticks, however, such as the Argas persicus, seem to prey mostly on birds, in particular the domestic chicken and their lifestyle is, like Argas reflexus, limited to hiding in crevices in the coop and feeding on the birds at night. This is similar to the red poultry mite,  Dermanyssus gallinae, which is also of the class Arachnids and which I will be dealing with in a following post.

 

How the Tick Feeds and How it Stops.

The most important and interesting thing about the tick is the manner in which it feeds because this has direct bearing upon its successful removal. The saliva of the tick is thought to contain a powerful anticoagulant, which keeps the blood flowing once the tick has, with its peculiar mouth-parts, sawn its way through the skin and anchored itself onto its host. This way of attaching itself is what makes it difficult to remove. In addition, certain ticks are reputed to secrete a form of glue, which makes the bond between the host and parasite even stronger. The saliva is supposed not only to prevent the blood from clotting but also to have the properties of a local anaesthetic. This seems to me to be logical, as for the bite to be painful or uncomfortable at the outset could cause the host to try and dislodge the tick, which needs time, often several days, in which to feed. Once the tick has fed enough it withdraws its mouth-parts, dissolves the glue and falls off the host. 

Ticks as Vectors of Disease

Again this is a controversial topic, and in particular with reference to the removal of the tick because of the perceived danger of the tick regurgitating blood back into the host if pressed too hard by the tweezers and/or potential infection if the mouth-parts are left embedded in the wound. Having read several papers and articles on the above I have again found contradictions. Some authors maintain that the tick should be left to feed undisturbed, as it will then drop off when full. Others however, postulate that any infection carried by the tick can only be transmitted after the first 24 hours of feeding (some mention 48 hours). This latter therefore, would mean that removing the tick, when you first observe it, might be a suitable precaution. Personally, I just think that having a creature sucking your blood for three or four days is not a good idea and it can be damaging to the particular sensitive areas around the eyes and mouth. It also must be annoying to the bird, for as the tick expands, it may impair vision or impinge on the bird's own feeding.

Again, with regards to accidentally leaving mouth-parts in the wound,  I have read contradictions. Certain authors maintain that these are just sloughed off by the host in much the same way as a splinter might be. As you can see above I rather mangled this tick when moving it about with the tweezers, trying to get a good close-up but you can clearly see the legs and the tip of the head. As with all questions of potential disease, however, I would suggest that the better the health of the bird at the outset the less chance of infection or illness of any sort. I would also suggest that stress would play a part in this too, so removing the tick as speedily and painlessly as possible could be a factor in a healthy immune response.  In the end it is up to you as an individual, as to how you feel and I would suggest if you are interested you start to research this parasite - it makes for a most interesting read.

See you in Part Two HERE for a step-by-step tick removal.

Thanks for dropping by and if you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it and also may be about joining this blog. Please also feel free to ask questions or make comments in the section below.

For anyone wishing for links to any of the material I read when researching ticks, please just ask.

All the very best,

Sue

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How do I know if my birds have lice? Menacanthus stramineus, identification, life cycle and major infestation periods.

Common poultry lice are parasites, they live on their host and therefore it would be self-defeating if, as individuals they were to cause harm to the creature on which they rely for their very survival. This is particularly pertinent for the louse, as it is host specific and moreover will die if stays too long off the bird. In this article I will share how to identify these lice and how to determine why and when they have reached significant population levels, so as to threaten the general well-being of your flock.

Beauty and the beasties - Three of our Chamois White-laced Crested Polish awaiting inspection.

Caramel coloured shiny lice feeding at the base of Rufus' tail feathers. 

In the film below you will see how quickly they move once revealed!

Life cycle and lifestyle

Common poultry lice are ectoparasites, thus living on the skin. They are insects, with a short life span, which in adult form, is from 2 to 3 weeks. They arrive at maturity within a few days and are prolific egg layers (50 to 300 eggs). There whole life cycle from egg to adulthood can be spent on a single bird although they can and do move between them. As with many parasites, they actually have a symbiotic relationship with their host, clearing the skin of debris from feathers, dry skin scales and scabs. Lice have chewing-type mouth-parts, unlike mites for example, which have piercing ones for sucking blood. Lice will however, feed on blood, where it has already emerged from punctured skin or damaged feathers. In my experience, when in large numbers they can also cause dermatitis around these same areas. 

 Clusters of lice eggs attached to Stanislas' vent feathers

My conclusions are therefore, that although fulfilling a function in the removal of dead skin and new feather casings, if they are present on your birds in numbers larger than the bird can deal with by itself, then the lice need to be dealt with speedily. The major advantage is that they are easily identified, mainly by the white clusters of eggs aka nits (pictured above). The females cement these around the base of the feather shafts. Furthermore, unlike some other poultry pests, the nymphs and adults are visible to the naked eye (1 to 3mm in length). 

Tell-tale signs that your birds have a lice problem

First indications your birds may have lice they are not coping with:
- your hens may go off lay, 
- in general, birds appear fatigued due to interrupted sleep patterns,
- damaged feathers, 
- sometimes but not always, birds have grubby feathers round the vent, 
- they appear cold due to damage and loss of fluffy down feathers.

Indications of important infestations: 
- birds seem listless and depressed, 
- they are excessively grooming themselves or other birds as they consume  the abundant lice. 
- When you pick your bird up the lice are so numerous and overcrowded, they instantly transfer on to you in search of a new host.

Peacefully entering into Autumn. Just coming out of the moult and growing new feathers

When should you be expecting this?

Essentially now at my time of writing this in August when the birds are coming out of moult and growing new feathers with all the resultant debris associated with this procedure. However, there are several forces which can bring a bird into a moult at any time of year, these include, changes in weather patterns, stress and heavy metal toxicity. Young birds also have differing patterns of moulting as they replace downy feathers as they grow bigger. Furthermore, if you experience heavy rains at any time of year this can affect the availability of dust-bathing sites for your birds and lead to a build-up of lice too.

A whole fluffy mass of dust-bathers in the greenhouse during the rainy season.

Which of my birds are most at risk?

The general physical health of a bird will affect whether or not he/she will be able to control his or her own lice population. An ill bird, in my experience, loses its will to preen long before it stops eating. Therefore, a lice infestation is also a good indication that a bird may be feeling unwell. Broken or damaged beaks or impaired eyesight will also impact on how well a bird preens itself, so if you have a bird with such a condition you should regularly check it for lice. On the emotional level, a bird with stress, depression or one which has recently lost a mate or sibling, can also be at risk from lice due to lack of preening.

 Inspecting Garbo for 'little visitors' 

In conclusion

Lice in effect are providing a service for your birds of both a dedicated cleaner and also as extra protein in the form of a handy snack! However, when food for the louse is plentiful and opposition limited it starts to multiply at an alarming rate leading to an infestation, which can impact on a bird's general health. As a general rule I would inspect all, ill, depressed or stressed birds for lice as well as checking all birds during the moult and or any periods of wet weather. In the next article I will look at how to treat them if infested.

And now if you'd like to, sit back and watch the film:



If you have any questions, observations or comments, please feel free to leave them below and if you found this article useful, then think about sharing it.

You can find Part 2 - Treatment with essential oils and prevention through diet here



All the very best,
Sue 

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If you haven't this miraculous substance already in your pantry then I advise you to get some, both for your own and your poultry's health...read more

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RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE
© 2014 Sue Cross