Hi all, It's been a scorcher here in Sydney, Australia today (39'C) and massive black ants have taken over my chickens waterer. I sprayed them all off with water and refilled it, only for them to come back seconds later. My poor chooks were panting on their perch this evening so I took them a bowl of water and ice that they drank from but I'm concerned that the ants have put them off their normal waterer while they've invaded it....and how can I get rid of these ants without using poison that could harm my feathered babies. Any suggestions? Thanks !!!
Hi there! It's really hot here is Brisbane too!! I haven't had this problem before with chickens, but ants have certainly invaded my dog and cat's food/water dishes. We solved this problem by placing the big water dish/bowl/bucket in a smaller shallow pan of water that fits nice enough around the bottom of the important water bowl. Make sure the shallow dish doesn't protrude too much out from the main water otherwise your chickens won't be able to get to it comfortably without stepping in the shallow dish. Although if this is a waterer that hangs off the edge of the coop or from the top, you may want to simply replace it with a bowl throughout the hot seasons. Just position it close to the previous spot of the original waterer and they will learn fairly quickly. You could also just buy a water/food dish designed to keep ground insects out for dogs or cats (bowls with an outer rim which can be filled with water) if you can't find good materials for the earlier suggestion. Hope this helped!!!!