Gnat attack!!

[set9987]

Help!! Our chickens are being brutally attacked and their blood drained by gnats. Today I found one of my silkie roosters listless and his comb was yellow and there was blood on his face! The other chickens are scratching themselves raw and are covered in clouds of gnats!!! Please help!! Any suggestions will help out tremendously!!

 

[dawg53]

Help!! Our chickens are being brutally attacked and their blood drained by gnats. Today I found one of my silkie roosters listless and his comb was yellow and there was blood on his face! The other chickens are scratching themselves raw and are covered in clouds of gnats!!! Please help!! Any suggestions will help out tremendously!!

Sand gnats... aka no see-ums/flying teeth. I went fishing early this morning and they ate me alive...I forgot my Cutter's bug spray. They come out of the mud and marsh at/near the coast in early mornings and late afternoons. They only come out in the spring and fall, disappear when there's hot and cold temps. They usually disappear after the sun has been up for about 2 hours. Smoke will help deter them...but dont start a wildfire. Treating the soil/ground with chemicals or natural products is useless. IF they are sand gnats, perhaps you can put your birds inside a screened porch, ensure the screen is fine mesh to prevent the gnats from going through the screen. I had to do that on occasion when I lived in southeast Georgia, especially when the wind was coming in off the ocean from the east. You should be able to let your birds out a couple of hours after the sunrise. Also, if you have windows or vents on your coop...screen them. You can buy a roll of screen at any home improvement store, not expensive. Perhaps you can put Avon Skin So Soft on yourself as well as your chickens, that will stop the gnats. Avoid their eyes and nostrils if you decide to use it. I dont recommend Cutter's bug spray for your chickens. Sand gnats are the only gnats I know of in this area.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Vanilla mixed in water helps keep the gnats off. I have also sprayed vanilla body spray from B&BW on them. Please search BYC for buffalo gnats.

Whole flocks can be killed by them.