A customer recently asked me, what do you do about ticks on the farm. That’s a great question, and the short answer is, we don’t use any chemicals or pesticides...
But we do have a few tips to recommend.
Keep in mind, we aren’t doctors, so this isn’t medical advice, this is just what we do. It works for us as New England farmers with ten years’ experience farming this land. . .
Here are our three tick tips!
#1 We don’t put any chemicals on the land or the animals.
- Did you know that poultry is actually really good at eating ticks?! It’s true! That’s one of our bet ways to reduce the tick population, rotate the chickens through our pastures. Folks with backyard birds will find if they are let to roam the lawn, they will put themselves to work!
#2 We do tick checks every single day.
- This is what we’ve been told is the best way to prevent tick borne illness.
- You’ve got to use a hand mirror and check all the nooks and crannies that you never thought you needed to see!
- We check Milo’s fine blonde baby hair every night, and Ben and I check each other’s scalps (like a pair of monkeys!).
#3 We also leave our outside clothes in a separate part of the house, the mudroom.
- We wash outside clothes apart from our inside clothes.
- This is a good reminder to leave behind the work of the day at the door as well. Whenever I’ve had a hard day, even if the day isn’t done yet, I always find it helps to just put on a fresh shirt.
Note: This is a real question that we received from a customer! For more insider information on Wild Harmony Farm, please email us at wildharmonyfarm@gmail.com or send us a direct message with any and all questions!
