# Cedar oil?



## Wyandotter (Dec 13, 2015)

Yesterday we found out our dogs had gotten a mild case of fleas from our friends dog. We sprayed some cedar oil stuff for fleas on them and they got it all over and we got it all over us and know I'm wondering if it could harm our chickens. Our dogs do go around the chickens and sometimes climb into the coop on occasion, and I go in the coop to feed them and give them water everyday 1-3 times a day.

Could a small amount harm my birds?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I have no clue if it will or won't. Going to have to do some research.

FYI, though, unless your property is sprayed for fleas your dogs could have picked them up from their own environment. Years ago I lived on a boat, it was tied up about 2000 feet off shore. My cats got fleas even though they did not interact with any other animals. Turns out walking through the grass I probably picked them up on my pants legs and carried them to the boat.

My own dogs get them even though they don't associate with other animals, they pick them up from our property.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

All of the studies I found deal with rodents and stated do not use either pine or cedar. But that is rodents.

What I also read suggests that casual contact by the dogs probably would have no effect on them. It's more the long term non stop exposure.

I saw where they also said not to use pine with chickens because of the volatile off gassing. I don't agree with that or I wouldn't have chickens that are ten years old. Again that was a study for rodents and they just lumped chickens in with it.


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## Wyandotter (Dec 13, 2015)

Thanks,
Could my chickens get fleas from my dogs? I did look it up but I got all sorts of different answers to it.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I've heard others say their chickens got fleas. I've never seen it with mine. Again, if there is the possibility for chickens to get fleas it probably wasn't from the dogs but what they picked up being on the ground.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Here: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/poultry/ectoparasites/fleas_of_poultry.html

I'm much more inclined to believe this than the other things I just read because Merck is the source. Not someone with opinions or have a financial incentive.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I didn't know chickens could get fleas. But dog fleas are probably breed specific. Like Merck says, treat the bedding with something like Sevin or poultry dust.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I went looking Sem, fleas do have a preferred target but if that target is not available will go after anything that has blood. It does not appear to kill them when they feed on something other than their normal target.


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