Can fire ants bite chickens?

[Bstruss]

In N Fl our property is full of those nasty fire ants that leave red welps on you. I have started letting my young hens free range and saw one of them stand right in a bed. She imnediatelt started lifting and pecking at her feet. So my question is whether these ants can penetrate the skin on their feet and/or get under theur fearhers and bite. It would be impossible to control the ants anywhere but right around the coop.

 

[chickenweirdo1]

Unfortunately, yes fire ants are actually capable of killing a chicken. They can get under the feathers and penetrate the skin and really irritate a chicken.