How Can I Get Rid Of Roaches?

[featherbaby]

I have an infestation of german roaches in the coops. They nest behind the highest boards where neither I nor the chickens can reach them. At night they come out by the hundreds, but the silkies have all bedded down for the night and they won't go chase and eat them. They'll eat them in the daytime if they can catch them, but most don't come out in the daylight. I have sevin dust in the coops but that doesn't faze them.

What can I use to kill the roaches that won't harm the silkies?

If the roaches eat poison, will it make the chickens sick if they eat them?

I don't know what to do and am at wit's end. They're coming into my house now too, around the sliding glass door and baseboards on the outside wall nearest the coops. I can't use any aerosol spray because of my birds delicate respiratory systems (I have finches, eclectus and 3 cockatoos indoors. The silkie chickens are outdoors in coops on my deck.)

The pest control company said they have a gel they use for bait all over the house. It makes the roaches eat each other (YEA!) Does anyone know what this chemical is and does it put my parrots or chickens at risk? The pest control folks don't know 'diddly-squat' about birds and what might harm them.

Can anyone help me with a 'safe' treatment for these invaders?

Sandi
Featherbaby

 

[Gullygarden]

Since roaches are their very favorite treat ( mine prefer a roach over leftover waffles any day) I hope you won't poison. Try leaving a bowl of fruit juice out where they go and maybe you can drown a bunch. I've done that. Then you pour them out on the ground for the chickens and they love it! Another thing to do is go out at night with a small vacuum cleaner and a head lamp.You can acclimate the chickens first by using it in the daytime a few times so the noise is not new to them. The head lamp won't scare t he roaches the way turning on a light would, and you can get most of them. I have not vacuumed in a coop, but I did get rid of an infestation on my porch that way, without any poison. It did take several sessions and then a couple more after the eggs hatched, but they are definitely under control now.

 

[Chris09]

Clean the coop completely and spray all wood surface's with a mixture of Pine Sol and Eucalyptus Oil then set Out a Mixture of Baking Soda and Sugar you can also set out Boric Acid.

Do what you can to get them out of your coop if you don't they will fid there way to and in your house.


Chris

 

[featherbaby]

Well, I have successfully made a "Redneck Roach Trap" that is completely safe. I have Cockatoos (3) and an Eclectus indoors and the roaches have been coming into their room from the deck outdoors. Needless to say, I can't use any poison around them, particularly one with any breathable vapor. So, I took a white (I tried a clear one and it didn't work) corning ware dish with flat bottom and straight sides, liberally smeared vegetable oil on all interior sides, put pieces of banana in the bottom and set it on the floor in front of the cages. The next morning it is completely full of bugs that cannot climb up the sides and escape. The garbage disposal does the rest.

Now that I know what works indoors, I am rigging up a container that hangs on the wall of the coop to do the same trick. I don't want the chickens to be able to reach it, and the bugs nest behind wood up near the roof and come down at dusk. Once my chickens start looking for a place to sleep, they're useless in catching the early roaches, so I'll just have to take care of them myself. No, I don't mean eat them. HAHAHAHAHAHA! I'll let you know if the coop trap is as successful as the indoor one. I know it's not a permanent solution, but it wipes out a very large number of them every night and I feel like I'm winning.

I envy people who have a REAL life.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Quote:
Food grade Diatomaceous Earth is used all the time with chickens. We mix it in their dust bath for parasite control, sprinkle it in the nest boxes to keep out creepy-crawleys, and even dust the chicken with it if they have parasites. It is used in chicken feed to keep moisture out and it is used as a safe and gentle wormer. I have been using DE in the brooder and dust bath since my chickens were babies, with no ill effects. I sprinkle it on the coop floor and the roosts, but it doesn't last long, because the chickens eat it.

 

[galanie]

Quote:
Absolutely correct. NEVER use the type made for pools with animals. It's not the same as food grade and will hurt them.

 

[Triple Willow]

Thanks for the tip.

Welcome

 

[cutiepie960]

If u cook bacon put the bacon oil in a container & leave it where the roaches are u will see tons of roaches in the next morning not to mention those b-52 bomber ones too!!! Something about the smell that attracts them! Good Luck!!!!

 

[Judy]

I've had good success with boric acid ("Roach Prufe"), but haven't used it around chickens. Works great in hidden places in the house. Maybe you could get it behind the boards. Comes in a powder form in a bottle with a tiny tip so you "squirt" the powder out, at the Ace here.

 

[fargosmom]

I wouldn't trust anything that makes them eat each other - that's just too creepy! But sticky traps would probably help - and DE might too. Good luck - roaches are disgusting.