asking about mosquitoes, again.

[perstephone]

Alright, I've read tons of older posts regarding mosquitoes and chickens. We have a small backyard flock- four hens. They lay, we're happy. Right now, they have a little three sided coop, which opens into a completely screened in run. They are totally protected from all manner of bug and critter which could annoy or eat them.

They're about to move into more spacious digs, though, and the thought of having to screen the entire thing makes me tired. We live in central Florida, though, and to say we have mosquitoes would be an understatement.

Locally we use sentinel chickens to track West Nile virus. I've read some about avian pox. While I don't want my girls to get sick, I know there are free ranging (and some just totally gypsy chickens) around. Obviously those guys are ok.

So, what's the general consensus on protecting chickens from mosquitoes in particularly buggy areas? We do the no-standing water stuff, so on our city lot we're doing what we can, and we know about mosquito prevention stuff, but really. It's Florida. There are skeeters- it's just the way it is.

Thank you!

 

[GardeNerd]

We get tons of mosquitos in our rainy months + just after and more because we live next to a duck pond, a canal, and a large river. The screening over my hardware cloth cost extra and took a little while to cut, but I think it was worth it. I never see flies buzzing in my coop and I have yet to see a mosquito in there.

 

[perstephone]

I took a look at your coop and run- wow! That's adorable. I love it- particularly the murals.
I have to admit I'm a little jealous! Ours is fairly utilitarian (craigslist-ed panel dog run; 10x10), and It's in the corner of our yard, so I didn't feel like I needed to make it pretty, although the pictures of yours make me want to add a picket fence, or at least do something decorative.

Thanks!

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
Thanks! Paint worked wonders to make my recycled wood look good. The murals draw the eye away from the dirt and other mess nicely.

 

[jjpiper]

I love your coop and your gardens.

 

[GardeNerd]

Thanks, jjpiper.

I also like looking back the pictures since I haven't really put them together like that anywhere else. Thanks BYC.

A lot of the Pics were taken in Late Winter and early Spring when everything is still lush and green, all except the veggie garden pics. As the summer wears on, some of the drought tolerant plants go dormant like the alstromerias and calla lillies, and the nastursiums die back. At this point in the summer all the hot colors like the tiger lillies, black eyed susans, asters, and gailllardia dominate the landscape.

I should take some photos to represent this season as well.

 

[blackclownfish16]

Up here in Alaska some of our mosquitos could give a Serama a run for its money....lol and I've never had any problems with them, my birds just eat any that fly around them. Of course we don't have them year around and they don't carry disease's.

 

[Elwar]

Ok, I guess I've missed the mosquito threads...my coop is going up basically in a swamp. The lot next to mine floods when it rains (which is often) and has sitting mosquito infested water for days. When I was building the coop I'd lift a board and swarms of mosquitos would come up.

I'd figured the chickens would just eat them...do I need to put screen in there? I have 3 open sides facing the "swamp"...

 

[luvarabhorses]

It's a little late for this year but consider putting in a little standing water pond and dumping wayward tadpoles (ones that are in puddles destined to dry up) in it. I gather them with an aquarium net and put them in my little pond next to my chicken pen, i think it helps. Love hoptoads!!!! You can put one small small goldfish (or two) in it to eat the larvae that may get in their, tadpoles usually stick with dead bugs and vegetable matter (algae).

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
What a cool idea! I totally wish we could do that here! The few species that are native here are gone due to urbanization. I haven't seen tadpoles locally since I was a kid.

Dragonflies are the main predator around here for the mosquito larvae at the pond across the street. Swallows seem to eat the adults at dusk.