Ants!

[Guinea and Chicken raiser]

Will chickens not eat fire ants? I just noticed Fire Ants in the run this morning for the first time, not a hill but just on a piece of some treat the chickens left behind. I was hoping the chickens would take care of them for me...

they do try to peck at them and eat them.. good protein.. but my chickens been bit up by the fire ants... the ants bite the legs, the feet, the beak... it's not good to allow fire ants around chickens.

 

[malorymug]

After ready this thread and a few others on ants, I decided on Sevin dust. But after ready the label I'm not so sure. It says it is dangerous to honeybees! So I got some ants traps instead. The ants have totally taken over my whole yards. My chickens hate them.

 

[the outdoorsman44]

i have the same problem and where do we get this DE stuff?

 

[Cochaura]

I ordered 20 lbs of DE Online but u can find it in garden stores in smaller quantities. Make sure to get food grade. I sprinkle cayenne pepper wherever I have ants and they disappear quickly. Not sure how it would affect chickens though because ive never sprinkled it in their area....only where ants are getting in the house.

 

[Wolfie07]

I used DE on the red ant hills in my yard and it works great. But they still come in from other yards. So I have to get more DE and dust the whole yard and dig down a foot or so and get the sub floors of ants in my yard. I'm having some success.