Fox with mange in my barn

[HPFarmette]

Thanks for your service!

[Annie10]

You too!!!

[awaywego]

Update: it’s definitely a flea infestation. Possibly (probably?) unrelated to the fox (and now I feel even worse for the already suffering fox). Until a little more than a week ago a feral cat had moved in and had kittens. Now they are gone (an entirely different and probably sad story), so I’m guessing that they had fleas and without their cat hosts, the fleas are now attacking me.

So how do I go about getting rid of fleas in my hay?

[Annie10]

Yeah that was the cat. If there’s nothing up
There for them to eat they’ll die off.

You can get some borax (like the 20 mule team stuff )and sprinkle it around up
There. The baby fleas eat it and die and the adults die off on their own . Check though , I’m not sure if it’s old hay or your critters hay so check first about toxicity for the horses

ETA: it’s basically what those flea busters companies do that say they treat your house etc, only cheaper. You can do your house too if you got any fleas in your house, like on your clothes etc. just take the borax and brush into your carpet if you have any , into furniture crevices, along baseboards etc

[NaturallyHappy]

This is such an interesting (and somewhat creepy😀) thread. I’ve learned a lot. Thank you!

[awaywego]

Lol. Yes, it took quite a turn from the fox with mange dying in the barn to realizing also now it’s flea-infested from a family of feral cats. So many firsts this week that I really would have been ok to live my entire life without experiencing.