Ants?

[bdfive]

Hello, I'm new to this line and have a question. Actually a couple. Is there a way to get rid of ants (possibly fireants) in a pen without harming peachicks?

Next question is: I don't have chickens and never have and keep my peafowl (mostly free range) wormed. How safe would it be to put my peachicks on the ground at a month old? I only have a 4' by 6' brooder with wire bottom but have 8 chicks. Feel it's not enough room for them and they fuss wanting out constantly. A peahen has been in the 10' by 30' pen where the brooder pen with the chicks are. She refused to leave and thinks she's raising them even though there is wire between them. Only 4 are hers.

Thanks much,
bdfive

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[deerman]

Alot of peafowl breeders do place their peachicks on the ground after a month without any problem. Myself in my area i like to wait till 2 to 3 months.

If you do just keep them on a medicated feed.

 

[Pavo Royale]

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[bdfive]

Don't know if I'm doing this right but want to thank you folks for the replies. Maybe I'll still get some suggestions on the ants. I don't see that the chicks are interested in eating them so maybe I can put some ant bait inside something and then put that inside something else to be safe so they can crawl through getting the bait but the chicks can't get to it. Problem is if they will eat the ant dragging off a piece of bait. Thanks again!

 

[Imp]

People have posted pouring boiling water on anthills to kill the ants. Watch your legs

Also putting DE on anthills.

I haven't tried either, but worth a shot. And safe for birds.

Imp

 

[bdfive]

I did pour a big pan of boiling water on an ant hill way in the front of the pen a couple days ago and it seemed to take care of that area. I think the ants I'm seeing now is coming from someplace else but can't tell where. There is a 4' by 6' brooder pen in the big pen and it's about a foot off the ground so I can't see very well under it. Guess I need to move it out to check. Thanks.
bdfive

 

[deerman]

trick i use to keep them out of the bee hive. place the legs of the brooder pen in short cans, place oil in the cans. they won't cross the oil. use like cooking oil, or something like that. That way that won't be able to get in the brooder.

 

[featherhead]

This is a little OT, but I do the same thing as Deerman to keep ants out of my hummingbird feeders. Take an old plastic cap from a spray can and run a dowel thru it, seal the bottom well. Put a hook in the top & bottom of the dowel. Put a little cooking oil in the inverted top and hang your feeder. Ants won't cross the oil.

Be careful of putting any bait out, because when the ants eat it and start to carry it to their hills, the chicks can eat the ants and ingest the poison.

 

[little blue]

they are supposed to be on wire for the first 3 month and then they can go to the ground but they could get sickif you put them on the ground for the first 3 months

 

[evonne]

i put my chicks on the ground at 1 month for hte same reason.. they were just too big for the cages they were in and i didn't have the $$ to build a new one.... a month later and they're doing fine....

my theory was if the momma hen had brooded them they'd be on the ground.. ??

i also figured if they didn't make it, i didn't spend money on these chicks or eggs so i wasn't loosing anything except a piece of my heart and some time and feed $... but i lose that with chicken chicks that don't make it too.. and i get over it.. if i had spent $$ on these i might feel a little different...

good luck!!