Need help on feed choice

[dogdollar]

Tomorrow I have to buy more feed, and I need some advice. I have been feeding a starter/grower crumble up until now, and let them free range for 2-3 hrs every day, but now all of the girls (4 barred rocks, 5 Production Reds) are fully feathered and one of the BR's has actually started laying.
The crumble is a food source for stinging ants in the coop, and I'm sick of it...on the one hand, i don't want to start poisoning the coop to get rid of the ants...on the other, I don't want to think I have put these creatures in a cage where there are stinging ants and there's no way for them to get away from them.
If I switch to laying pellets, will it be better or the same? What about just feeding them scratch? I need to find something to feed them that is good for their condition, and that is not food for those little ^&%$#^&*(^ stinging ants !!!!!!!
Thanks in advance,
DD

 

[Chickenlover7711]

I use layena and it works great!

 

[nordahlbunch]

Sprinkle some DE (diatomaceous earth) on the ground all around the food and inside the coop. This will kill the ants and keep other insects and flies at a minimum. As far as the food goes, they should be on a layer feed if they are begining to lay.

 

[dogdollar]

Quote:
As it is, I "frost" all of their wood shavings with DE...every square inch of the coop looks like a powdered doughnut, and every time I rake the shavings in the coop it stirs up a cloud of DE dust....hasn't slowed the ants down one little bit. YES, it's food grade, suprcalifragisticexpialidotious DE...keeps the flies down, the smells down...good stuff. Just doesn't kill the ants...maybe because when one dies, four more are there to take it's place.
Surely there is SOMEONE out there who has had a similar experience...
Thanks,
DD