Ants in coop

[CluckCluck18]

Boy do I wish my girls would eat ants....they won't touch them.
DE does help and orange oil, too. Dilute with water and spray...works pretty good. But I love the idea of the Basic H.... Thanks ConnieW......I'm getting some tomorrow.

 

[five is my dog]

I use ant powder it sounds like they might eat it but they dont. i always put it under the hay in the house every time a clean it. this keeps our pin clean of them and other bugs.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Borax, with a good dash of icing sugar.

 

[Crzy Chi Lady]

So the hens are ok with borax? That sounds like an even cheeper solution. Pardon the pun.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

So the hens are ok with borax? That sounds like an even cheeper

solution. Pardon the pun.

I'd put it in a container with some drilled holes that the ants can get into but the chickens can't.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have used borax under my nesting boxes and in my kitchen to kill ants. I have also tried
"Jackie French's " blend of borax and eucalyptus oil painted on the perches, with great success.
But please remember , I am talking about " borax " , not " boric acid "

 

[Crzy Chi Lady]

Yes you mean like "20 Mule Team Borax". I was once told by my bug guy was that the key to getting rid of ants was to starve the queen. So if you can get something that the Ants can carry back with them and share with there fellow workers you can knock them out. The queen can't eat. The End. Also I just wanted to announce that my Araucana chickens have just started laying I am so excited.

 

[geeg]

DE does help but only if it is dry-sometimes it seems like it doesnt work as well in the coop-

 

[Grouseru]

Wow, Crzy Chi Lady! They sound evil! I was planning to get some hay, but now I'm having second thoughts!

FenikT, I was wondering about the Borax. I was worried about toxicity so I went to the Borax website. It seemed to be saying that Borax residue (from cleaning) is ok, but the Borax itself can be toxic if ingested. It said to keep it away from pets - don't put it in with the kitty litter, etc. I wonder if it worked for you because it settled down below the litter where the ants are, but the chickens couldn't get to it themselves. It seems like that would make sense. Any thoughts? Does anyone else have experience with Borax? I'm hoping to keep things under control so I don't have to resort to hard-core insectricide again. DE sounds like it works well too, but a little pricey, especially if it gets wet before it does it's job.

 

[Penny Hen]

Wow, Crzy Chi Lady! They sound evil! I was planning to get some hay, but now I'm having second thoughts!

FenikT, I was wondering about the Borax. I was worried about toxicity so I went to the Borax website. It seemed to be saying that Borax residue (from cleaning) is ok, but the Borax itself can be toxic if ingested. It said to keep it away from pets - don't put it in with the kitty litter, etc. I wonder if it worked for you because it settled down below the litter where the ants are, but the chickens couldn't get to it themselves. It seems like that would make sense. Any thoughts? Does anyone else have experience with Borax? I'm hoping to keep things under control so I don't have to resort to hard-core insectricide again. DE sounds like it works well too, but a little pricey, especially if it gets wet before it does it's job.

You can use quick lime. This is anhydrous lime that is used in making Portland cement. It is dangerous to breath or get in your eyes. You want to dig a trough around you pen about 3 inches deep and pour it in. Any insect trying to cross it will die as the lime combines with the water in their bodies. If you can take your chickens out of the pen you can put it down in their pen for a day to kill everything and pour it down the anthills. Then after they are dead you take the hose an water it all down converting it back to regular non dangerous garden lime and put the chickens back in the pen. Always use a mask and gloves (and maybe safety glasses too) when using this because it can burn your lungs. Don't use it on windy days. It is a little inconvenient because it is dangerous when applying but the kill is usually total if you have poured it down the ant hills and as soon as you water it it is converted to fertilizer and has no residual effects like poison and does not cause resistance to build up in the ant population. The trick is to find a place to purchase it. It used to be easily available but after so many TV shows with people using it to destroy dead bodies it is not always available at the hardware stores.