Tag: horses

We were so excited to begin our controlled experiment looking at the horses pastured with and without chickens.  The pasture was chosen, the chicks were reared and a smaller mobile coop was constructed.  We did not anticipate that the chickens would be reluctant to leave the coop and forage in the field.  We suspect the chickens may be too young to begin foraging and this has disrupted out experiment.  The equine department will continue to monitor ticks to collect data on numbers and will also collect data on the chicken behavior.  This information will be used to strengthen future experiments.

–Jennifer

The preliminary results are in for the “ticks and chicks” study.  The tick population was highest in May, which matches peaks typically found in Ohio.  Some of the horses appear to be more susceptible to ticks than others.  There were fewer ticks found on the horses when chickens were present.  Predation on the chickens is and will continue to be a challenge.  A more controlled study will be conducted in May 2019.

–Jennifer