baby chicks and mosquitoes

[wanttobefarmer]

Hello I have 3 silkies and 1 EE chick that are going to be 4 weeks old on Sun. I have biult them an open air coop (It is very hot here in texas) until they are old enough to introduce them to the rest of the flock. I've noticed that mosquitoes are really bad right now and was wandering if i need to be concerned for the chicks. They have been outside since Sunday and seem to be o.k. Any suggestions? Am i worrying for nothing?

 

[RAWR]

im not sure

but they should be fine

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

If you take there mosquito's away from them there gonna be Soooooo angry at you.

 

[detali]

They are probably eating the mosquitos. Goof protein!

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

Nothing better than a good mosquito feast...better than TV watching them chase them!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Mosquitoes can give your chicks Fowl Pox. Which usually just gives them ugly symptoms, black crusty spots on their combs & wattles, but they usually can fight it off themselves and manufacture their own lifelong immunity to it. Some chicks get the wet form of the pox and some of those can die. But I don't know how you could mosquito-proof a cage like that (it's really nice!) unless you wrapped it in mosquito netting.

 

[Lesalynn]

I live in Louisiana, where it is hot and humid, so we have lots of probs with mosquitos. We made one brooder cage using the smallest gauge wire we could find, and it works well to allow for air flow without letting so many mosquitos in. I also took another cage that had way bigger gauge wire, and wrapped with screen.....like the kind on a screen door. Was very tricky, had to sew it on using needle and fishing line, but turned out real nice. Am still looking for another solution, tho, cuz it sure wore my old arthritic hands out. Don't think I can do it again, lol.

 

[flgardengirl]

We made large windows in our coop with small gauge hardware cloth on the inside of the windows which dh framed in with wood strips. Then on the outside of the windows we put up screen. We just stapled it to the outside of the windows and then used strips of wood to frame it, nailing the wood over the stapled areas. It works great to keep out all the skeeters at night. The chickens will eat the skeeters during the day but at night, I didn't want the mosquitos biting them while they slept. Yep they are spoiled lol.

 

[DLS]

what about screen porch wire?

 

[Supermommy486]

Hey there,
I'm down the road from you and we haven't had any issues with it. Other than them eating me alive at night HA! Anywho we also have an open air coop.