Ants!!!!!! What Do You Use Around Chickens?

[SunshineSilkies]

We have had terrible heat here and when it rains...it rains buckets. I noticed alot more ants around the waterers and in some of my pens. What do you use for ants? I'm afraid to use the commericial ant stuff for fear the chicks will eat it! I need some ideas please!!!

 

[BirdBrained]

how old are the chicks? Mine were five or six weeks old and enjoyed the ant meal they had,not sure if ants are bad for them but they are all ok.They are 11 weeks old now.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I use DE (Diatomatious Earth)

 

[WalkingWolf]

A good solution is find the mound and pour boiling water down the hole. Once you get the queen or queens they will go away. I do it daily until the mound is inactive. I do cheat and use the coffee maker for the hot water though instead of boiling it still does the job.

 

[SunshineSilkies]

I use DE all the time. I though Guineas just ate ants.

It is worse in the chick pen than the adults.

 

[WalkingWolf]

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The only problem I can see with DE is it does not get the queen, sooner or later it will rain and the DE will be washed away. And the ants will return. Keep using DE, or Sevin in the coops and run, but scalding and drowning works to get the queen, though it usually takes a few times as there are more than one queen.

Another method with the mound is to dig it up and put it in a 5 gallon bucket. Add dish soap, water and cover, the ants will drown. Be sure to do this with long pants, good shoes and socks and use bands around bottom of pants. Ants have no sense of humor.

 

[CMV]

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