Well, we have had a humid summer in southern CA. Last summer, I did see some of those big roaches around the neighborhood and a few in the yard. But, this year, my husband went out to close the chickens up a little later than usual, and in one of the cracks of dirt, he said there were so many it looked like the ground was moving. They are not near the coop, but I can't help but wonder if having the chickens keeps them in our yard. I use DE, in the coop and around the house and yard and I know I can't eliminate them completely. (my house backs up against a rain drainage ditch) BUT, I don't want them that crazy...plus I am freaking out about them getting in the house. I read about setting boric acid traps, but I have not only the chickens, but a small child and a dog. At least one of my hens will eat them, but they are active at night, when the chickens are in and not active, so I don't see that being a great pest control.... Any tips?
Roach traps. Be carefully with poisons as he chickens will eat a dead cockroach. Disgusting but true. Kill all the roaches possible. Keep food unavailable for roaches. It's hard to do but to win the battle with em you can't be feedin em. Wish ya the best.
Boric acid is poisonous in sufficient quantities, so you might skip that one. DE will help with the roaches, but if there is an outdoor environment for them to flourish, you will be fighting an uphill battle. The only aspect of keeping that chickens that strikes me as keeping roaches around would be spillage of food. Roaches eat almost anything, but I doubt that the menu includes the never ending supply of chicken poop that attracts so many flies. One thought is that the area with the cracks where the roaches are legion might benefit from being mulched with a few inches of gravel. I don't know if there are any plants that dissuade roaches or not, but it might be worth researching. Chris