Ants swarming

[Hopeful homesteader]

Can someone advise me on what I can safely use around my chicken's to get rid of ants. An ant hill has come up along the fence line of the run right next to the coop and they have been getting inside the coop but most keep swarming around the waterers. Normally when they come up around the yard we put out Amdro ant bait pellets around the ant hill and cover it so no other critters can get to it but we've never had one come up in or near the run like this and the ant bait looks like chick feed so I don't want my flock to eat it by mistake. It's been difficult to do anything in this coop/run because they start swarming my legs as soon as I open the door to feed and water the flock and I'm spending a lot of time moving the water around multiple times a day to keep the ants off cause my flock would come near the water once the ant's start swarming it. My husband has an allergy to ant bites and we don't have an epi pen on hand so I don't want him going out and getting bit either. How can I get rid of them without poisoning my flock.

 

[3KillerBs]

Is your coop large enough and well-ventilated enough that you could keep the chickens inside for a few days while you treat the anthills?

You could give the Amdro a couple days to work and then soak any remaining pellets that the ants didn't take underground heavily with a hose to elmininate them.

 

[3KillerBs]

P.S. I find that my tall rubber muck boots are an excellent defense against fire ants.

Since the treatment works best if you stir up the hill first, I can wear these boots, kick the hill, spread the Amdro, and get away without the ants getting to me.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Is it possible to use some sort of moat around the feeder? The old timers used to keep ants out of pie safes bu setting each leg in a can of kerosene. Maybe float the water container inside a much larger diameter water bowl.

 

[MarlaMac]

You could try the boiling water method. I have had some success with it. Boil water (full large sauce pan) poor it directly on the mound in one pour. The idea is to get the hot water as far into the mound as possible.

Also...is it possible to hang your waterers?