Mosquitos in coop....moth balls?

[specklesmom]

I thought that once a chicken had fowl pox (dry) they established immunity for the future. Not so for my girls....Each year when mosquito season begins chickens get black sores on their combs. So far they don't seem terribly bothered (I dab antibiotic cream on the scabs) but I hate the idea that they are being bitten every night. The last few nights I've been spraying Yard Guard in their coop an hour or so before they head in to roost, but that is probably not good. Would moth balls be OK to use in the coop? Ventilation is good in the coop. I've thought about regular window screening over the hardware cloth but I think that would cut air flow too much. We have no standing water, but mosquitoes are a problem every summer. Bug zappers attract insects so that seems like it would just pull in more mosquitoes to the area. I spray the coop with permethrin for mites, etc. every couple of months, but any residual effect doesn't seem to deter the mosquitoes. Anyone have suggestions for methods that are effective?

 

[nuthatched]

Definitely not moth balls. A bug zapper will attract bugs for your girls to eat.

 

[specklesmom]

Definitely not moth balls. A bug zapper will attract bugs for your girls to eat.

Moth balls worked great on the Brown Recluse spiders in the barn....Won't the bug zapper attract more mosquitoes to the area?

 

[nuthatched]

Moth balls worked great on the Brown Recluse spiders in the barn....Won't the bug zapper attract more mosquitoes to the area?

Yes, but they'll go straight to the zapper.
You don't want mothballs anywhere chickens could smell or get into it.
It's odd that they're getting fowl pox every year, they should be immune after the first time

 

[Kiki]

One of the many premixed permethrin sprays out there...
https://www.solutionsstores.com/martin-s-horse-stable-spray

 

[specklesmom]

Yes, but they'll go straight to the zapper.
You don't want mothballs anywhere chickens could smell or get into it.
It's odd that they're getting fowl pox every year, they should be immune after the first time

Every year sounds worse than it should; the girls had it last year and again this year. Not like every year for weeks.