My meaties have gnats BAD

[brandislee]

The gnats are crawling in their feathers and seem to be driving them crazy. I'm processing in the next two weeks, but in the mean time is there anything I can do for them? I have some DE, but it's not the food grade stuff, would that at least be better to use than Sevin or something (I ideally don't want to use any chemicals). I also have some insect spray made from cottonseed oil that I could spray around their pen that shouldn't hurt the chickens... anyone have any other suggestions or guidance?

 

[sourland]

I would suggest a pyrethrin based horse spray. I'm fairly certain that pyrethrin is a naturally produced product that is far more efficacious than DE.

 

[Baymule]

Try the vanilla trees used in auto fresheners. They work for flies.

 

[crazyhen]

Hang sticky yellow traps like you use for flies. They are really trapping lots of gnats here as well as flies and mosquitoes. Do not hang them where the hens can fly into them. They will stick to them too and be the heck to remove. gloria Jena

 

[brandislee]

Thanks for the replies! I might try the pyrethrum... that won't harm the chickens? I know it's naturally derivied, but it's also very toxic and I don't want to kill my chickens a week before I plan to process. Do they make powder with pyrethrum?

 

[fried green eggs]

Do a search on this site about Gnats I read that they can kill chickens by getting in airway. I use a electric Bug Zapper 24/7 for mosquitoes and it also kills gnats. It's like watching a pretty sparkler at night when we sit out on the patio

I use DE and Vanilla scent plug-ins in coop.

 

[NevadaRon]

SteveH in another thread was having the same problem. Someone suggested he try this product:

http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/

He had been using fans which the chickens were standing right in front of. As soon as he sprayed this, the chickens left from in front of the fans. It's apparently non-toxic.

 

[brandislee]

I did do a search (unlike some I always search first) and all I found was that they can kill chicks, not full grown meat birds.

And that Mosquito barrier stuff may be useful for the future, but these birds are only going to be around a few more weeks, so by the time I order and recieve that (assuming it's something I would use on my property, I haven't looked that closely) it will be too late. I need something I can do for them tomorrow...

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

Quote:
They can kill full grown meat birds. And layers. And horses. And deer.

We had buffalo gnats April 2011. Dang near wiped out our flock. Vanilla didn't do anything. Mosquito nets over the chicken tractors with fly strips inside seemed to do OK.