mosquitos in the chicken coop

[lowndes92]

We have a chicken coop that is covered in Mosquitos. I feel so badly for the chickens. It sounds like a swarm in there and it looks like it too. There is not any standing water in there except in their water holder but it has never been like this before in the whole past year we have had them. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of them. I wonder if it will hurt the chickens or their eggs. I sell my eggs and do not want to get anyone sick with our eggs. Please help. I will be cleaning out their coop this weekend so maybe that will help some. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..Thanks

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I hope someone gives you some good tips. I just put mine out tonight and I know we have tons of mosquitos around but as I was sitting in the coop I only saw one.

 

[gila_dog]

Mosquitos are the most horrible things on this planet! One thing you might try is putting up one of those electric bug zapper lights a little ways from the chicken pen. That will help to attract them away from the chickens, and kill them by the thousands. Of course they breed by the millions, so you're really not having any impact on the mosquito population. But at least you are drawing them away from the chickens.

I remember watching some chickens eating mosquitos off the necks of grazing cattle one time. I thought, "That's so cool! There's a symbiotic relationship for you. The cows feed the mosquitos, and the mosquitos feed the chickens." Then a cow stepped on a chicken's foot. The chicken started squawking pitifully while the cow just slowly kept munching. It move all 3 other feet before it finally moved the foot that was standing on the chicken. So much for symbiosis.

 

[pips&peeps]

You really need to take care of that mosquito problem. Mosquitos are notorious carriers of west nile and pox.

If your chickens are losing blood they will produce less also.

A bug zapper will take care of them...........

 

[ravenfeathers]

try a bug-zapper light. you can also purchase "mosquito dunks" for your waterers if you're concerned that the bugs are breeding in there. the dunks are non-toxic and interfere with the larval process.

for long-term consideration there are several herbs that will help repel bugs, including tansy, which requires absolutely no care but can definitely become an invasive weed if you don't mow around it religiously. you can plant that around the outside of your coop and run. i'd steer clear of insecticides in the coop, but desperate times call for desperate measures. a natural spray with citronella and/or permethrin, sprayed on any gaps, vents (not the kind on the hen

), or mesh, should help a bit.

 

[WikkitGateFarm]

Mosquitoes are attracted to that wonderful plume of CO2 from all those birds breathing, the heat from their bodies, and the moisture.

You say you don't have any standing water other than their drinker, but take a look around your place and your neighborhood. Depending on the species of mosquito (we have over 60 kinds here in Ohio, if you're in the south, you could have quite a few more!) they travel a few hundred feet or as much as five miles from the water they grew up in.

If you can find their breeding and larval habitat, get rid of it or treat it. This is a great feel good project for neighbors. When I did vector control, people were easy to convince that mosquitoes were bad, and easy to motivate to eliminate habitat.

I can offer a few ideas about discouraging mosquitoes around your flock. I've never been faced with the problem, so I don't know how well any one might work for your specific situation.

1) Go Old-School. Malaria control in developing countries often uses DDT (bad) or malathion (not really that good either) sprayed onto interior walls. This will work, and won't really cost much, but malathion is unpleasant stuff. Still, I'd consider this if the flock was under lots of stress from the mosquitoes, or there was a confirmed arboviral outbreak going on.

2) Exclusion. Screens and nets and such to keep the insects out. Those work well if you keep the birds in.

3) Mosquitoes have a hard time with wind. A 5mph breeze will keep them from flying. I don't know if this could be used to your advantage.

4) Give your neighbor a bug zapper, or a Mosquito-Deleto. These things do a great job of catching less than half the mosquitoes they call in from all over the world. Let your neighbor call them out of your coop and over to his porch.

5) Flypaper? Never tried it. Run an experiment and let us know!

 

[ravenfeathers]

Quote:
maybe a fan rigged up to blow on the roost at night?