Bugs in the chicken tractor

[jamiebelle1207]

I'm almost two weeks in to owning three hens.....and they are doing great. They free roam some in the yard, and we also have a chicken tractor for them. I'm using pine shavings in the nest boxes and sand as the "litter" where their roost is. I've noticed every time I go to scoop out poop that there are gnats and small ants in there, and flies (which I expected). It's not like, infested....but is this ok? They sleep in the sand at night and it makes me sad to think of ants being on them. What do you guys think?

Thanks!

 

[B-Goock]

They will be ok. If it gets to be a problem you can sprinkle DE https://www.google.com/search?q=de&...hrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#q=diatomaceous+earth around the coop and it might help. Food grade only and don't snort it.

For gnats I put up vanilla car fresheners in the coop. We have terrible buffalo gnats here. They bite and it swells up worse than a mosquito. You can use vanilla flavoring, maybe vanilla air freshener, renuzit, or something similar. My sis taught me that for the gnats. They hate vanilla. She mixes hers with water in a squirt bottle. A couple people around here lost some chickens due to the gnats.

Another thing I do is I get skin so soft from a local avon lady (only thing I buy lol) and I mix it in a sprayer bottle about 1/5th skin so soft and the rest water. Shake it up and put it on the girls when the gnats are really bad outside. They don't like it but it keeps the pestering gnats away.

Take care Jamie

 

[jamiebelle1207]

Thank you B-Goock. Interesting about the vanilla. I will have to try that.

I've been mixing the diatomaceous earth (or however it's spelled) with their food mix, like just a little bit. I thought they were supposed to eat it? Maybe I've been doing that wrong too. haha.

 

[B-Goock]

No they can eat it. Your not wrong at all. Supposed to keep the inner bugs out.

I sprinkle it outside the coop too. Kind of the perimeter of the coop so bugs don't go in.

Oh and you can make your own vanilla. Buy some vanilla beans (b grade, no need to buy premium and very dry is fine too) and soak them in cheap vodka for a month or so. Alot cheaper than buying little bottles at the grocery store for $ and the bonus is you mix you a drink while your making it. HA HA

 

[jamiebelle1207]

haha! That sounds like a FANTASTIC idea. lol. I sprinkled a little of it in their nest boxes and in their litter this afternoon and we'll see how that goes.

 

[subhanalah]

From my understanding of DE, you need a LOT and it doesn't work once it's wet.

 

[jamiebelle1207]

... and of course it's raining every day.... haha