Is there a safe way of keeping mostiques off your chickens

[Big Chicken Little]

Cedar wood oil works great ...smells good and is all natural

 

[lceh]

This might sound like a dumb question but...are you sure the mosquito bites bother your chickens? I ask this because we have a massively infested back yard, full of those Asian tiger mosquitoes that bite all day long. A few years ago I noticed my dog coming in with welts all over the thin skin around his muzzle, so I called the vet and asked what I should put on him to deter the mosquitoes. The vet told me that the bites don't itch for dogs and other animals; the itching is a uniquely human response. I noticed then that while the bites alarmed me, my dog didn't seem to notice them at all. Have you noticed your chickens acting like the bites are uncomfortable for them? If they don't care then I'm not sure I'd take the risk on a mosquito repellant.

 

[mamaKate]

I live on drained swampland with rice farms to the south. I carry a spray bottle of chrysanthemum tea and use it often when I work outside. It's effective but I sweat it off. I also spray my black mosqito magnet of a dog. Dogs definitely DO feel mosquito bites, at least mine do. When the bugs are thick, they run out, pee and make a dash for the house. As for the chickens, they're still coming inside at night. Their coop(when finished) will have screens and caulked cracks.

 

[007Dawn]

Quote:
Good morning and I thank each of you for your wonderful posts. To answer the above. No we do not have any itching issues the problem that we have found is they carry a virus that apparently affects our chickens and now we have my rooster, Roo Roo, and one of my girls, Tag Along, who now have infections due to the mostiqoes biting them.

Also we noticed now they they don't feel as well more and more of the blood sucking varmits seem to follow them. Low oxygen levels I think? Who knows.

Roo Roo for those who had read has had his eyes closed now for two weeks. I have been up and feeding him everyday to keep him going. He seems better in some ways but his eyes are still closed. I have done everything suggested, which helps to a point but...I'm wondering will my sweet ever loving Roo Roo open his eyes again?

Tag Along, the hen that likes for me to sing to her (scary but true) seems to be doing better and she has one eye completely open but the other eye is partially closed in a strange almost "sealed" look to it. AND I can not pull her eye open. But she has no weight lose and still roams and keeps her position. I think Roo Roo we had no sign of before hand and perhapes caught it to late.

I'm told by a vet in CA, being I coudln't find one here in FL that would help me, that this is caused by the blood suckers. So I want to keep them off my babies.

Having chickens is really heart breaking!