Oregon

[Karenmyrrh]

Hey all! Question for you... Ants! In and around the run. LOTS of them. Our house is 110 years old and we almost always have ants of some type. But I don't know what to use around the run. I just don't want it to get out of hand. And they're just outside of where the girls could get them. Thoughts?

 

[RiddleMe]

Quote:
Tammy, given the investment you made in these birds, have you considered collecting hatching eggs before culling and using Oxine to see if you can get any MG free offspring? There is a thread on BYC about someone who did just that, he tells all the details, but basically he collected eggs then culled and cleaned while the eggs where incubating, and was able to hatch offspring that tested MG free.

 

[iwanaplae2]

Hey all! Question for you... Ants! In and around the run. LOTS of them. Our house is 110 years old and we almost always have ants of some type. But I don't know what to use around the run. I just don't want it to get out of hand. And they're just outside of where the girls could get them. Thoughts?

(I have not tried it yet) I have read that diatomaceous earth helps a great deal with ants. Although I don't see the problem with the girls getting them. I think of it as extra protein lol. Unless of course you are talking about fire ants in which case that would be a bad thing because they will attack the girls. But regular garden ants, or sugar/fragrance ants should be ok. My girls eat them all the time.
Now fruit flies/nats are a big problem in my run, because I give my girls a lot of produce. Not a problem for the girls really. More if an annoyance for me.

 

[OR4-hmom]

I'm jealous, my girls will not eat ants! We mixed honey and sugar in boiling water with borax to get rid of them. They carry it back to feed the colony. We put it in shallow dishes covered with screen to keep the bees etc. out. Took about 2 weeks but it worked. I can't remember the portions on the ingredients right now, sorry.

 

[iwanaplae2]

I'm jealous, my girls will not eat ants! We mixed honey and sugar in boiling water with borax to get rid of them. They carry it back to feed the colony. We put it in shallow dishes covered with screen to keep the bees etc. out. Took about 2 weeks but it worked. I can't remember the portions on the ingredients right now, sorry.

I've seen mine snap the little ones up real quick! Like they haven't eaten all day! The bigger garden ants they'll grab, shake their heads a bit lit that was gross...and then grab another lol

 

[Mickey Lou 04]

Hey all! Question for you... Ants! In and around the run. LOTS of them. Our house is 110 years old and we almost always have ants of some type. But I don't know what to use around the run. I just don't want it to get out of hand. And they're just outside of where the girls could get them. Thoughts?

I haven't tried it yet but I found this link on this website and I've been waiting for a chance to use it. Here it is,

http://plantedspace.com/howto/maintain/item/37-organic-ant-control-with-baking-soda

It says all you need is baking soda and powdered sugar.

Hope this helps

 

[Tammy N]

Quote:
Tammy, given the investment you made in these birds, have you considered collecting hatching eggs before culling and using Oxine to see if you can get any MG free offspring? There is a thread on BYC about someone who did just that, he tells all the details, but basically he collected eggs then culled and cleaned while the eggs where incubating, and was able to hatch offspring that tested MG free.
I actually put eggs in the Bator the day before the guy showed up so i have chicks now but no where to put them Until i finish cleaning out everything my indoor brooder is full.
i have put new eggs in the bator after 3 weeks like after i got the first sneeze and None not one of them Hatched so thats when we thought it was LT and the lab cleared them of that . so i thought we where safe Bater got Fumagated and Disinfected so ? wish me luck i do have friends with Babies from hatches 3 months prior from the older birds the juniors where too young to lay

 

[Tammy N]

Hey all! Question for you... Ants! In and around the run. LOTS of them. Our house is 110 years old and we almost always have ants of some type. But I don't know what to use around the run. I just don't want it to get out of hand. And they're just outside of where the girls could get them. Thoughts?

For ants i love an old fashioned remedy Sugar and Yeast and a water or pop plastic bottle with lid get a hole in the lit i use a drill gun and put the hole in the lid i add 1 table spoons of yeast and 1 1/2 sugar Mist with water and set anywhere i can out of the way stay and watch them line up to the bottle and once they go in get the feed and carry it back you not only kill the adults you kill the babies . Now do not soak it just enough to get the yeast to stick to the sugar .

 

[Corona~Barb]

California is basically 'Antshillvania'. The Argentine ant is everywhere and they are all genetically identical, meaning they don't fight each other. They see ants from other hills as 'relatives'. They cause a lot of havoc in the garden but I've never seen a problem with them bugging the chickens or turkeys. I'm surprised your chickens eat them. They have formic acid in them and most animals don't like them.

 

[Karenmyrrh]

Wow!! Great suggestions. The ants run around the boards just out of the girls reach. And I don't want to give the ants poison and have the hens get it. I'll give all of these a try. Thanks everyone!!