How to get rid of spiders, bugs, insects in the chicken coop?

[Lazy Farmer]

I wish there was some sort of spider trap so i could just move the large ones,

A straw broom. Hook the web real slow and calmly, the spider will be on the broom. You will have the choice to dispatch it or chuck it in your neighbor's yard.

 

[Jemma Rider]

Wolf spider is eating your earwigs. They don't build webs ever they ambush. They aren't venomous and would only bite you if you somehow pressed on it. They are capable of eating small mice. Wolf spider will also NEVER fill your coop with baby spiders, she carries them on her back. She's big yes, but she's actually an asset to you and no harm to you or your chickens. Natural pest control, go to rainbowmealworms.com and buy a few house geckos give them a home in your coop. Your chickens can't catch them to eat them just put them in while your girls are out and they'll be none the wiser.

That's a wonderful thought, i love reptiles of all kinds, i keep a few reptilian pets as well so i wouldn't mind having them around. And i know they'd take care of the earwigs which might help the spiders lose interest.

 

[Jemma Rider]

Most likely. No prey, no sense in setting up the hunting blind.


No way I would be flooding my chickens' areas with pesticide spray. The chickens will not say "hey look, a dead bug, bet it was poisoned, I won't eat it".

With regard to earwigs and the spiders eating them. If your chickens aren't eating the earwigs, you have some seriously weird chickens!

Yes i decided not to use pesticides for that precise reason after more research, I'm going to see if i could use some herbs to repeal the spiders especially, and I'm also going to have my father pressure wash the crevices and get rid of all the webs.
And also yes, i do have some very odd birds, they all have their quirks and they're all scared of the coop (i think because of the predator attacks when they were with their old owner).
Thanks!

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Yes i decided not to use pesticides for that precise reason after more research, I'm going to see if i could use some herbs to repeal the spiders especially, and I'm also going to have my father pressure wash the crevices and get rid of all the webs.
And also yes, i do have some very odd birds, they all have their quirks and they're all scared of the coop (i think because of the predator attacks when they were with their old owner).
Thanks!

I know others may say differently, but I have had luck with peppermint oil to keep spiders out of closets. When we lived in a house that had a lot of brown recluses, I put peppermint oil on cotton balls and placed them in each corner of the closet. It didn't work for the whole house, since it was too big of an area, but it did keep them out of the small spaces. I don't know if mint plants would work as well, since they are not as potent, but maybe place some oil soaked cotton balls in the crevices where the chickens can't reach them. I refreshed the ones in the closets about once a month.

 

[Jemma Rider]

I know others may say differently, but I have had luck with peppermint oil to keep spiders out of closets. When we lived in a house that had a lot of brown recluses, I put peppermint oil on cotton balls and placed them in each corner of the closet. It didn't work for the whole house, since it was too big of an area, but it did keep them out of the small spaces. I don't know if mint plants would work as well, since they are not as potent, but maybe place some oil soaked cotton balls in the crevices where the chickens can't reach them. I refreshed the ones in the closets about once a month.

I have some mint plants and some essential oils laying around somewhere, i could try that.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I have some mint plants and some essential oils laying around somewhere, i could try that.

It is worth a try. It worked for me in small spaces, so it might work to keep them out of the crevices where they like to hang out.

 

[Jemma Rider]

It is worth a try. It worked for me in small spaces, so it might work to keep them out of the crevices where they like to hang out.

thanks! I hope that works one jumped on my arm yesterday and scared me so bad, thanks!

 

[1 acre willows]

Wolf spiders are good, they generally only hunt at night and prefer bugs to people or critters. That being said they're there cause there's food....

 

[chickeneinstein]

i am a arachnophobic to and that is why i know much about them and i say let them stay they are not harmful to the chickens and help by catching flys and other bugs. On top of all of that insects and arachnids are apart of a chickens diet. so don't try to get rid of them unless messing up the coop's structure.

 

[Jemma Rider]

i am a arachnophobic to and that is why i know much about them and i say let them stay they are not harmful to the chickens and help by catching flys and other bugs. On top of all of that insects and arachnids are apart of a chickens diet. so don't try to get rid of them unless messing up the coop's structure.

I would let them stay, but they're messing with my ability to care for my birds i have such a hard time climbing into that coop, it's almost physically impossible. I did finally manage to climb into the rafters and clean the vents i had been putting that off, but while i was climbing down a spider jumped onto my shoulder and i fell and scared my poor poor birds (my rooster then proceeded to peck the thing thin off of me while i was screaming for help, and offered the spider to his favorite hen winch made up for my trauma since the birds got a nice treat).
That same day though i placed peppermint oil soaked paper towel balls in all of the dark corners and knocked down all of the webs (the birds had a feast as the smaller spiders fell to the coop floor). I sprayed the whole coop with a hose and really tried to get it cleaned and the whole thing looks good as new, then i put a bunch of mint leaves in the litter which makes everything smell so wonderful by the way my father complimented how great it smells,.and i placed the paper towel balls around and threw them up into the places i can't reach and i haven't seen any spiders or earwigs since.
I am really hoping it takes care of it because i would like to really clean out my coop twice weekly but with those spiders in there i just couldn't do what i wanted to, i started cleaning it maybe twice monthly which i just don't think is adequate for my birdies. Now the only issue is the run, since the peppermint oil has worked so far I'm hoping to utilize it somehow, but those are just little guys i knock them down and the birds eat them.
i might just leave the run alone though since i don't need to clean that out as mich since the birds freerange all day and only come back once or twice an hour for a quick drink.