I saw a black widow!!!

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Yikes! I went out to move the chicken coop and I saw a black widow spider on one of the wheels. Oh how most spiders scare me. I tried to whop it with my shoe but it fell and crawled up in the wheel mechanism. I rolled the coop to where I wanted it and kept searching for the spider, but I couldn't find it! I poked around up in the wheel and in the grass along and inside the coop but no luck. I'm hoping it got crushed when I moved the coop, but if there's a possibility the spider is still alive and gets inside the coop and one of my girls finds it and eats it, will it kill her, or does the spider have to bite to be venomous? I'm worried.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Calm down! - If a chicken finds that spider and eats it, the spider will be killed in the process of being pecked up, so it can't bite the bird. And venom from spiders is only dangerous when injected into the bloodstream or the tissue.
My ducks eat even the large wolf spiders here and have never been bitten - or shown any signs of discomfort - on the contrary.

 

[getaclue]

Get a little real lemon juice, and dilute it well, then spray it lightly around your coop. Don't get it on the chickens. Spiders hate it, and will disappear.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Whew! Thanks guys! Lemon juice eh? Hmm, I need to get some and try it! How diluted? Like, a teaspoon of juice to a cup of water? I have a ton of little orb weaver...ugly looking crab like spiders that spin webs in my garden. I keep knocking them down because they're in my way where I need to walk or reach. If I spray the webs and spiders with undiluted juice directly will that kill the spiders or just make them move?

 

[townchicks]

Get a little real lemon juice, and dilute it well, then spray it lightly around your coop. Don't get it on the chickens. Spiders hate it, and will disappear.

I've also heard peppermint oil will discourage them. I've never tried either, so I can't vouch for it. I don't like to kill spiders, but we do get black widows in our shed now and then, I used orange oil spray ( the air freshener kind) to kill those. It takes a direct hit though, there is no residual effect, but I don't like poisons around me or my animals if I can possibly help it.

 

[getaclue]

I just use the diluted lemon juice, and it keeps all the spiders away. After a long while, when I see another spider, I spray again. No poisons.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

It is very rare that I see a black widow. But most all spiders scare me, unless it's a daddy long legs, a garden spider(zipper spider) or itty bitty things. No, I don't want to use poisonous stuff either. I use Sevin dust on ant mounds but I stopped using it after I got my chickens and switched to boiling water. Thanks so much for the lemon juice idea!! I will go shopping right after work and pick some up! THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU!!!!

 

[Henry&Friends]

Well I would’ve burnt the coop and started from scratch, but I really don’t like spiders.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Well I would’ve burnt the coop and started from scratch, but I really don’t like spiders.

Lol! Yeah, I know how you feel! I have the same feeling for red wasps! They scare me and no matter who thinks I'm weird... I'm gonna scream and run from them!

 

[slbenter]

Just a note about peppermint oil.
I use essential oils a lot...love them. However, we had a ant problem here in the campground we're staying in..they kept getting into the bus, and I heard that peppermint oil would keep them away.
It didn't work worth beans.
Neither did cinnamon oil.
I hope the lemon juice idea works. I hate spiders too.