ants!

[mfoth54]

I have really bad ants where my duck pen is. Is there a natural way to get rid of them? I thought about regular ant killer but I don't want them to eat it while foraging.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

You can try a mixture of White Vinegar and water mixed 1/2 and 1/2 put in a sprayer and spray the area. It may not kill them but it will drive them away. Ducks might not like the taste but it wont hurt them.

 

[KaleIAm]

I think diatomaceous earth is safe around birds. Check on this before using it!

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

I think diatomaceous earth is safe around birds. Check on this before using it!

There are two kinds of DE and the food grade is relatively safe but I have poured it directly on a fire ant bed and it did nothing other than make the bed bigger. Not to mention I heard so much negative about food grade and chickens that I don't use it for my chickens. The other kind I hear they use to clean pool filters but do not use because it is dangerous to birds.

 

[416bigbore]

This will be safe to use.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ants-ants-ants.1311217/

 

[KaleIAm]

There are two kinds of DE and the food grade is relatively safe but I have poured it directly on a fire ant bed and it did nothing other than make the bed bigger. Not to mention I heard so much negative about food grade and chickens that I don't use it for my chickens. The other kind I hear they use to clean pool filters but do not use because it is dangerous to birds.

Eek! We use it to take it out thatching ants successfully. I've heard claims that it is safe for for wildlife, but maybe it is just safer than regular poison.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Eek! We use it to take it out thatching ants successfully. I've heard claims that it is safe for for wildlife, but maybe it is just safer than regular poison.

We use DE to help with fire ants because they are so bad here in MS within our run for our chickens. I mix it when they are in their coop inside the mix for their dust bath. It does help with the insects and ants. I was told that putting down barn like under the shavings helps with mites so I have done that also and the DE did stop ants from coming inside their run as much and it stopped an active trail at work. We put regular poison for fire ants outside of the run in the rest of our yard around it because they do not free range at all.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

Eek! We use it to take it out thatching ants successfully. I've heard claims that it is safe for for wildlife, but maybe it is just safer than regular poison.

Yeah, DE is so confusing...I hear some rave about putting it in chicken feed and dusting them with it and others saying it gave chickens lung infections and its cancerous. Who knows! Fire ants I believe are a alien life form of ants!; The old timers say the only thing that kills fire ants and German roaches is diesel fuel or a boot stomp!

 

[CHlCKEN]

I think diatomaceous earth is safe around birds. Check on this before using it!

Never use DE.. there are so many people that say it’s a miracle for chickens- but it’s a silent killer! Since it’s made of rocks, it is very sharp, dust sized sharp and when it is inhaled it makes microcuts, in their lungs!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Yeah, DE is so confusing...I hear some rave about putting it in chicken feed and dusting them with it and others saying it gave chickens lung infections and its cancerous. Who knows! Fire ants I believe are a alien life form of ants!; The old timers say the only thing that kills fire ants and German roaches is diesel fuel or a boot stomp!

I agree that it is. I wouldn’t dust them with it if they had a mite infestation I would spray them with the permethrin I guess but I think that DE is one of those things that exists in the environment anyway and a reasonable amount is healthy. I wouldn’t flog them with it or feed it to them for breakfast but if they see fit to eat some then I feel like they know they need it or are lacking in something it provides. Now as to the fire ants and the German cockroaches you and the old timers are exactly right. We have these water bug or what they call pecan or tree roaches that get as big as your thumb. They will hide under the bark of the pecan trees during the day or especially in winter time they hibernate more. Now those require some major boot stomp if you let one get inside your house and they are seriously hard to kill unless they get into a sink and hot water will kill them instantly. They don’t seem to be able to take it at all. They have a shell as hard as a turtle and hitting them you need a 2x4!!!