Brown recluses in the coop I'm fixing up?

[metalman488]

So that back part of our shed used to be a chicken coop when the last owners had the house and I decided I wanted chickens, so I bought some chicks and started cleaning the coop. I have already gotten most of the old cans and other trash out of there, but since the coop has been sitting awhile there are lots of abandoned dirt dobber nests on the rafters and a lot of cobwebs. Yesterday I cleaned most of the dirt dobber nests out, but my friend and I found out that not all the webs were old and abandoned.,. We found big brown spiders living in them, which we killed, and then yesterday evening I found out that they were brown recluse spiders. I also picked up a small piece of brick and found a small coral snake (red touched yellow). I killed it with a .22 though, then burned its body. Anyway, I'm not that worried about snakes, because I think I can keep them out, but the spiders are everywhere. What I need to know is: Can these spiders hurt my chickens when they are old enough to be put in there? and Should I bother cleaning it up still, or should I just make myself a new small coop? I'm not really sure I want to work in there after that, but I will if I have to.

 

[enola]

How big are these spiders? I googled them...... they sure sre ugly!

 

[akelley]

I say once you get it totally cleaned out, aired out, and start coming and going on a daily basis the brown recluses will find a different place to build their webs. Having chickens in there moving around constantly will be a big deterrent to spiders as well as coral snakes. Coral snakes are small, with small fangs, and I don't think they'd go for a chicken, and they stay away from people.

I'm reusing an old coop too, and once I got it cleaned out and chickens in it, I have only seen one spider. I say go for it!

 

[Ridgerunner]

When we moved into this house it was full of brown recluse spiders. We’d see two or three on a slow night. They tend to colonize and they had colonized our attic and walls. We’d had a couple of friends bitten previously by brown recluses so knew the damage they can do. It may sound like it but we really did not take them lightly.

We hired a profession pest control company to take care of them. They sprayed, not so much to kill he spiders which are hard, but to kill their food source. The reason the spiders are so hard is that they hide so well. They also put out a bunch of sticky traps. I killed one in the garage last night but that’s the first one we’ve seen in a few months. That pest control company still comes by every three months to spray and set sticky traps. We hardly ever see a brown recluse in those traps now.

They are called recluse because they like to hide. They do tend to avoid people and won’t go out of their way to bite. Be careful working down there, especially reaching into dark places or turning things over. Where you will get bit is where you accidentally touch one. They will defend themselves. Wear gloves and long sleeves.

Will they hurt your chickens? I don’t know. I would not worry about them biting the chickens. I don’t think that is a risk. The chickens will eat them. Whether or not it will cause any damage to the chicken by swallowing them I really don’t know. My opinion is no, it would not be a problem but I really don’t know. Chickens will eat small poisonous snakes without harm. They peck them to death first and swallowing the body with the poison inside doesn’t hurt them.

What I suggest is that you spray that real well with something that will kill the spiders but also the food source. To get the spiders you have to get all the hiding places and that’s not easy. Then let it air out really well before you go back in there or put chickens in there. You might even follow up with a second spraying after you finish cleaning it out.

 

[metalman488]

Would it be a bad idea to call an exterminator? Does anyone have any idea about how much it will cost for them to spray in my coop? I haven't measured the coop, but I think it's around 25x25x8 (WidthxLengthxHeight). I'm not worried about the snakes so much, but I really hate spiders. :/

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have no idea on costs. The only way I know is to call a couple and get estimates.

 

[Mehjr10]

Go to your farm supply or garden supply and buy some Permethrin concentrate, mix it up in pump up sprayer and spray everything. Keep cats out, they are overly sensitive to it..

This can also be used for Mites.. I keep a spray can of it for the occasional spider..

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...ory_rn=&top_category=&urlLangId=&cm_vc=-10005

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/gordonsreg;-permethrin-10-livestock--premise-spray-8-fl-oz



You can also look for a product called Spinosad, it is organic and will not harm mammals. I use it for fleas on the dogs and cats and mites on the chickens or general spraying for fly control.

http://www.amazon.com/Monterey-Spinosad-Organic-Garden-Insect/dp/B000BWY3OQ

 

[metalman488]

So guys I looked up some more stuff online about these spiders and it looks like I was wrong about what kind they are. I think they might actually be "southern house spiders" which are apparently mistaken for brown recluses very often. They do look a lot alike and they are about the same size. I also googled pictures of brown recluse webs and couldn't find much, but when I googled "southern house spider webs" I found a couple of pictures of webs that look exactly like the kind that are in the coop. I'm still going to spray some poison in there for them and clean the webs out, but I'm not as worried anymore. I'll post a pic of the spiders and webs when I get the chance.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If they are not poisonous those spiders will be free protein for the chickens. And they'll enjoy catching them.