Chickens, ants and ant poison?

[montyhp]

This a bit of an old thread, but I wanted to say that the fire ant baits that are made of bacteria should be harmless for animal or human consumption. I heard the garden guy on the radio talking about it. In south Texas, the brand is Greenlight if I recall. You should be able to ask about it at the nursery.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
Spinosad is a product formed from a common bacteria found in nature," Engler said. "Once ingested by the fire ant, spinosad attacks the nervous system causing paralysis and death."

Engler warned that to work correctly, baits must be applied at the right time and used with patience. Baits are only effective when the fire ants are searching for food.
"Fire ants will forage when the soil surface temperature is between 70 and 90 degrees, which is usually between May and September," Engler said. "To see if fire ants are actively foraging, place a small amount of bait or food, such as a hot dog or potato chips, by the mound.

Also, only fresh bait products should be used. Fire ants will not pick up the bait if it smells rancid."

 

[KnobbyOaks]

I thought I'd post on this existing thread and hopefully get a reply to my problem. While most everyone is posting about fire ants (and having just moved from Houston I've dealt with fire ants for 30 years), I have a different ant that causes different problems: LEAFCUTTER ANTS. Just built a new house and I've been doing battle with them for a year. I'm sure they sting but I've never been stung by them unlike the fire ants who attack and hurt. Ouch, ouch and more ouch.

Normally leafcutters saw up pieces of green leaves to their liking and haul them down into their monstrous caverns where they grow mushrooms to feed to their babies. I've never been sure what they themselves eat, if not the mushrooms, but I've read on the State Ag sites that baits will not work on them since they don't eat normal ant food. They are reddish-brown, large and about half the size of a large red ant and twice the size of a fire ant. Until now, I wouldn't have thought they ate anything but green leaves since they've never gotten into any food around the house.

So, now this morning I wake up to the attack of the leafcutters on my chicks feed, hauling for the hundreds of feet until they reach the mouth of their multitudinous entrances to their tunnels. There's more traffic on this ant highway than I-10 in Houston at rush hour. At the rate they are working, the chick's feed will be gone today even if the chicks ate nothing else. So I proceeded to move the feed to a hanging feeder which I was prepared to do anyway when the chicks got a little bigger.

So here's the questions:

1. What can I use in the coop, which is on the ground with DE and pine shavings, to keep them away. I have liquid sevin and intend to spray their trails and all around the coop. Can I spray in the coop, knowing that some of it will get on the chicks, contaminate the food under the shavings that the chicks will eat?

2. Why don't chickens eat ants? Here's more protein than they would ever get from their own food, just prime for the taking? They look at them, sometimes a peck at them and then just walk off. Think maybe they want the crumb of food that the ant is hauling. They are everywhere.

 

[galanie]

Your Sevin will likely keep them at least away from the coop. I am not familiar with the spray, having only used the powder before. I know the chickens won't be hurt by the powder so long as it's not overdone. As for the spray, I'd imagine they'd also be ok.

I've have read that they likely don't want to eat them because of the acid they have in them that they inject when stinging. In other words, they don't taste good

 

[Wdsfaery]

I'm in town and try to let my 5 chickens out after work when I am home until they coop up.

We have a horrible weed problem that developed as we spend time building the tractor and coop and neglected the yard. I pulled weeds along my driveway and old concrete patio and found what seemed like hundreds of ant nests. Its a small yard, the birds don't want to eat them (which is too bad really) and ifni dont want to keep them cooped all day and night i have to give them unfettered access to my yard. (Along with my 3 dogs.)

There are just the tiny little black ants, no fire ants thank goodness. But im afraid if i just leave them they will find their way inside (they always do and I dont want it to be worse.)