Chemicals on the ground-in the air??

[BabyGirls]

Hi everyone. I'm not sure this has been covered but I have heard stories about you can't use any chemical products around birds of any kind to treat :Mosquitos (like a canned fogger) and also how to treat weeds (using a checmical spray).

Does anyone have suggestions as we can't enjoying being outside to watch them as we are just infested with Mosquitos due to a neighboring pond and tons of weeds that I could never have enough hours of pulling them. My girls just can't eat enough weeds (maybe a goat is another option)

PLEASE help-suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Rosalind]

Can you explain a little more about the pond? Do you have access to it or is it on someone else's property? Is it on government property, like in a park? The easiest thing really is to put mosquito-killing bacteria in the pond; most pond supply and fish supply stores sell these for outdoor koi ponds, they are pretty cheap and harmless to animals. And if it's on government property, the Fish & Wildlife or Park Service has to supply that sort of thing to keep down EEE and West Nile in most areas. But if it's your neighbor's private pond, all you can do is nicely ask them to do something about it.

For weeds, how big an area are you weeding? I refuse to weed/mow a whole lot of acreage, so I planted most of my property in bushes and trees, weed-whacked as much as I could, then put landscaping fabric and mulch (i.e. chicken coop sweepings) on top. It sorta worked.

 

[RoyalHillsLLC]

I am in the pesticide business. I can assure it is safe to spray something like Roundup on weeds to kill them out. I do it all the time and I free range ducks, chickens, and guineas. Insecticides are a different story. You must be more careful with them. I found out recently that "approved for poultry" is not the same as "approved for ducks".
Based on what I have read and experienced, I would try
Pyronyl 303 or a similar product http://www.rrsi.com/index.php?act=products.view&pid=287
It is made primarily from natural pyrethrins and PBO. However, I used some permethrin close to ducklings and made them sick. I would suggest avoiding times when you have baby ducklings around because of their high growth rates and their terrible eating habits. The spray will settle on the ground and ducklings literally eat dirt, as they will eat everything in sight. Mature birds seem more resistant. Mature chickens have been tested around most of these and appear unaffected.

 

[foxtrapper]

Quote:
Vastly overblown statement. Comes in part from a "holistic" or "organic" perspective, and isn't based on reality or truth.

Many chemicals are perfectly safe around poultry. Some are not. The packaging will give you the information regarding poultry toxicity usually.