Tick Paranoia

Hadn't seen a one, until tonight! Picked one off me...now I feel things crawling all over me!
 
I don't know for sure that my chickens eat ticks, but we never get any ticks on us while in the yard. Going out in the woods is a different story. Growing up in the country, ticks have been just an annoyance of summer life for me thus far. I have a difficult time with the idea they could be so dangerous. I know it intellectually, but not emotionally.
 
I have removed a tick from DH Sunday and Monday. This morning at 12:12 he woke me up with, "I have another one. Get it off!" Fortunately, it wasn't fully imbedded and was easy to get out.

Meanwhile, DH is insisting he's not going outside again until the tick are gone. Since he removed a whole fallen tree yesterday, I don't expect his vow will last long.
 
I have had Lyme disease at least 3 times. My whole family has had it. When my son was 12 he was sick for weeks on and off until they found out what he had. Now they just treat you if they suspect it is what you have. I was so sick it is worse than any flu you could have. If you live outside a tick area doctors often do not know how to recognize and treat it's diseases. When the elderly get it many do not come back from it very we'll. A friend has his property sprayed with the product mentioned and he never sees any ticks. It seems to work. I guess I should start getting my property sprayed. I don't know it's toxicity but I think I should use it anyway.
 
Since Dh and the dog often wander far into the woods, I do not think spraying our 2 acre lot would help. As I am sure they will still bring them home to me. :(
 
Keeping the grass short helps a ton with ticks, far more than any guinea fowl. Mine didn't help any, plus, they are massive roamers, so they'll never stay in a yard to get the tick numbers down...

I've found 6 ticks on me so far, one on the mini, one on a sheep, none on the dogs, their yard is mowed short.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! Before resorting to chemicals though, I think I'll experiment around a little bit, starting with the wild peppermint growing here (I'll take fistfuls of it and rub down with it). Maybe Pennyroyal essential oil? I couldn't go without walking in the woods for an entire summer.

It is incredibly hard to keep the grass short at the moment. The nonstop rain for the past week and the duck and goose poop in the yard are really making the grass grow. (I'm in a swamp/valley so it was really wet to start with.) That and the drivable mower has been out for the past month or so, it needs to be repaired. I've been stuck with pushmowing the whole yard in my free-time. I can manage to get the whole yard pushmowed within a day (10+ acres, I can go fast) but it grows back in what seems like over-night! Luckily the rain seems to be keeping the ticks down for the moment.

We just sold our chickens a few days ago (we're planning on getting new chickens all of one breed.) They were very picky about what they ate (well for chickens anyway) and would go for some bugs but not for others.
 
Either Delaware or Black Australorp. At first we were set on the Blauck Aussies but found a Delaware breeder close by. Things could change though.
 
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