mosquitos

[Akane]

Do mosquitos bother chickens? I can't hardly stand outside to do any work. I have to keep coating myself in bug spray every half hour. I had to get mosquito repellent for my dog to cover her eyes and ears because they were getting swollen from bites. I also put it on my guinea pigs and have to make sure to bring them in before evening or they get all bit up. By the time fall comes around I'm not sure how most animals survive outside all night here. Will the chickens be as badly affected?

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
I really have no idea . We do not have that problem here in our city , they spray for mosquitoes very often .
DO you have standing water near by , or a pond or any low area in your yard that holds water , if so , thats where your mosquitoes are coming from ? Where you located ?

 

[panner123]

Yes they do. This is one way bird flu is pasted , at least from what I am told. Best thing to do is drain all standing water around your property.
If you happen to have a pond, put some fish in it. Here the county will give you a guppy looking fish that eats the lava. Any fish will do that. Don't spray your chickens.

 

[can you hear me now?]

Anyone know about lagoons? Where we are at we have lagoons for our waste. Is there a type of fish that would live in a harsh condition like that?

 

[Akane]

Iowa and there is nowhere to drain water to in iowa right now. It was a horrible flood year. Much of the nearby major towns are still shut down. Half the fields in the area are underwater. Usually our mosquitos aren't this bad for another month or so but they've been insane since last month. Then I live next to crp land that is left tall for wildlife and the gun range... and some forest... and a creek... and another larger creek... It's impossible to alter the mosquito population by changing the land. Which is why I use the essential oil based sprays on my pets. I did cover the coop windows in bug screens but that doesn't help outside or when the coop door is open.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Yup. Some places, nothing you do helps. We are in a flooded area, too. It's really hard for people in other areas to understand the scope of the problem in places like this.

Our chickens are not being followed by a cloud of mosquitoes and their combs are not coated in them, either. They are mostly unaffected, unlike the humans and dogs of the family. So, that part is good. I know they can be bitten and disease is possible, I'm just saying that ours do not appear to be miserable at all.

The biggest problem for our chickens, is that they miss having their humans sitting on the patio with them. They hang out at the doors, waiting for us. They peck on the door and look inside for us. I do talk to them through the screens and they like that.