Mosquito problem in chicken coop

[ryjamsan]

Noticed last night all the mosquitoes in my coop. Read somewhere else about Adams flea spray for the girls. Anyone else heard of this.

 

[kardar2]

Why not feed them Garlic?

 

[janes3girls]

I'm just learning about chickens but know quite a bit about mosquitoes. This is just a thought and I might run it by chicken people before using it.


Permethrin used in sprays that are used on clothing (not on skin) to repel ticks and mosquitoes. It is actually an insecticide if I remember correctly and there are variations of it used on plants as well. You might try spraying that on the inside walls and allow it to dry. It can last 6 weeks on clothes even with washings so you probably good for that long before reapplying. I would probably only apply it with no chickens inside until it dries.  Available under the brand Sawyer and others, available at Wal-Mart last I looked. Might not keep them all out but may be better than nothing.


BTW test show Citronella is pretty worthless. There are bug coils (camping section) and Therm-A-Cell which will keep them away but you have to keep them burning to keep repelling.


Good luck,

Jeff

 

[janes3girls]

What about citronella plants? Can you hang them in the coop?

 

[Tinderbox]

Thinking about trying this, with a smaller fan ventilating air (and mosquitoes) out of the coop rather than blowing in.

 

[awarmrainyday]

How do you feel about introducing some muscovy ducks into your flock? This is my first summer with Muscovies and my normally horrible mosquito problem is non-existent. We usually have to run between the house and the car and practically bathe in repellent to spend time outdoors, and I worried with their pools of water that the mosquito problem might get worse. I believe I've swatted at two mosquitos so far this year. They have done an absolutely amazing job at getting rid of the mosquitos and other bugs.

 

[Llelyn]

Mosquitos hate the smell of chickens. If you sleep with a chicken in your room you will not be bitten. True - discovered in 2016/

 

[trudyg]

I use a chicken tractor and the grass in the chicken pen (almost 3/4 of an acre) is very thick. The mosquitoes breed on the ground in that thick grass, it stays very moist even if cut short. So, when I move my chicken tractor, the mosquitoes are there in the ground. 5 X 8 tractor for 6 birds and I open it at dawn and close it at dusk. If the mosquitoes are very bad, I don't let all of them out right away in the morning--the ones still in there scratch and peck then eat them. So, that reduces how many there are. Also, mosquitoes are very light and a slight wind can blow them away. Maybe you could get a battery powered fan (light you see at the ball park, personal fans ) and let if blow in there? They really breed in the moist areas, so keeping it dry should help. I don't leave water in the tractor anymore, just too much chance of leaving a puddle.

 

[BarbiD]

How do you feel about introducing some muscovy ducks into your flock? This is my first summer with Muscovies and my normally horrible mosquito problem is non-existent. We usually have to run between the house and the car and practically bathe in repellent to spend time outdoors, and I worried with their pools of water that the mosquito problem might get worse. I believe I've swatted at two mosquitos so far this year. They have done an absolutely amazing job at getting rid of the mosquitos and other bugs. 

sorry if this is a dumb question....but can the ducks go in the coop at night with the chickens? Will they get along with our hens?

 

[awarmrainyday]

My muscovies are in with my chickens and they all get along just fine. The female scovies only go into the coop to lay eggs and eat some chicken feed, otherwise all the muscovies prefer to stay and sleep outside, even with negative wind chill temperatures. I provide them with shelter and hay but they spent most of last winter just sleeping in the middle of the yard. They will need to have a water trough (I use a feed mixing pan from Tractor Supply) and their water has to be changed at least once a day, preferably twice. Keep the water away from the coop as they splash and make a mess. Aside from a little extra work they are fun and goofy creatures.