Broody hen refuses to leave nest box even though she is getting bit by ants

[Bryce Thomas]

She just wont stop going back in and she looks very unhappy yet still wont leave the nest box for long, I'm going to put down ant killer later today but why isn't she just leaving than staying and getting bit? Thoughts?

 

[Eggcessive]

Remove her to a wire dog crate with no bedding on the ground. Break her broody spell if she is not sitting on eggs. What are you using to kill the ants? Is there anything in the nest box that is attracting the ants? Be very careful in what you use, since chickens are easily poisoned. Permethrin spray or powder are good for 30 days, to treat lice, mites, and many other insects. Boric acid might be a good choice since it gets rid of ants.

 

[Bryce Thomas]

Remove her to a wire dog crate with no bedding on the ground. Break her broody spell if she is not sitting on eggs. What are you using to kill the ants? Is there anything in the nest box that is attracting the ants? Be very careful in what you use, since chickens are easily poisoned. Permethrin spray or powder are good for 30 days, to treat lice, mites, and many other insects. Boric acid might be a good choice since it gets rid of ants.

de i might use

 

[BDutch]

DE is not poisonous . It doesn't kill chickens or grown up ants. Only the little larva that come out of the ant eggs will die.

Eggcesive is right. You should break the broodiness of you’re chicken if you don’t have fertilised eggs under her. And even if you have, don’t let her stay on this nestbox. Better to have a chicken being unhappy for a few days than a unhealthy or possibly a dead chicken.

 

[dawg53]

If they are fire ants, hit them hard with Permethrin dust or Sevin dust, that'll kill them and wont hurt your chickens.