Ants in coop, Trying to find out why they keep coming

[Bryce Thomas]

I have already: Cleaned up treats and feed everywhere, sweeped up the whole peen, make sure there is no standing water besides the waterer and they keep on coming

It seems like there is nothing they are particularly after, but they just keep exploring the floor of the coop

They are small black ants and seem to have no problem with my chickens and my chickens dont seem to care about them at all

Any help or ideas? Is it ok if I put down some ant killer by the coop? I dont want to harm my chickens using pesticides

 

[DobieLover]

I have already: Cleaned up treats and feed everywhere, sweeped up the whole peen, make sure there is no standing water besides the waterer and they keep on coming

It seems like there is nothing they are particularly after, but they just keep exploring the floor of the coop

They are small black ants and seem to have no problem with my chickens and my chickens dont seem to care about them at all

Any help or ideas? Is it ok if I put down some ant killer by the coop? I dont want to harm my chickens using pesticides

After the flock goes to roost for the night, I would spray Home Defense around the perimeter of the coop and run. The active ingredient in Home Defense is bifenthrin, which is an insecticide in the pyrethroid family, as is permethrin which is commonly used to treat coops and birds for lice and mites.
The Home Defense forms a barrier that crawling insects won't cross. You may have to reapply as it wears off. Avoid spraying it near water bodies.

 

[perkolator]

Because the can, lol.

I use Advion ant gel bait, for ants. Wife has a pest control person and one time after chatting with him about the damn ants and the damn wasps, He shared his secret wasp bait recipe and also left me the remnants of his gel bait to reapply in an area where they kept getting inside - I just ended up looking the stuff up and bought a pack of the gel syringes - Advion. (The mentioned wasp bait - wet cat food + fipronil flea treatment)

I wasn't really sure how well these baits actually worked, so I put it to the test earlier this year on this reoccurring trail of ants on the side of my shop. Pest control guy would spray and there'd be a couple thousand of the dead ants, but they'd always come back. I put out the Advion in a few globs over maybe a 2 week period. I kinda forgot about it, but then last month noticed there haven't been any ants there lately - so must have worked!

 

[Aunt Tat]

I have already: Cleaned up treats and feed everywhere, sweeped up the whole peen, make sure there is no standing water besides the waterer and they keep on coming

It seems like there is nothing they are particularly after, but they just keep exploring the floor of the coop

They are small black ants and seem to have no problem with my chickens and my chickens dont seem to care about them at all

Any help or ideas? Is it ok if I put down some ant killer by the coop? I dont want to harm my chickens using pesticides

We have been battling ants and rats! (Caught 2 rats at once TWO times!!!)
Our exterminator left me with a syringe of Combat Max Ant Killing Gel. I put a dot on a piece of painter tape so I know where I put it...and in NO TIME it's COVERED with ants. They eat it and return to the next and feed it to others and eventually, the Queen. He sprayed around the house so when they cross the sprayed area, it's tracked into the nest too.

Working outside, we found Ant nests under pieces of rotting wood, cardboard. They're going to find places to colonize. Not much you can do.

Try some baited traps or use suggested products from others on this forum

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=combat+m...ombat+Max+,aps,304&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_11