pest control

[amymboxer]

Hi all. I just got my baby chicks am a chicken newbe and started thinking. I have someone that sprays for bugs every 2 months around the house. We live in Central California where it doesn't get that cold and the black widow and fire ant population around my house can get really bad. We don't spray the yard and it is supposed to be safe around animals. I have a healthy population of benifical bugs in the garden and I am very limited on chemicals such as round up in the yard (only if there is a weed I am unable to erradicate by hand such as bermuda in the flower beds). Should I be concerned?

 

[curious chickee]

No, I also have a pest control company that sprays for ants and spiders. So long as the area they are spraying is dry before you should be fine. My spray around the house but not around the coop. The I have chickens and pets of all sizes. I would suggest using wood ash for dusting bathing in the coop all natural and kills mites and lice. Welcome to chickens.

Word of advice. We get very hot near Fresno, I have a fan just outside my coop to help circulate air in the summer. I also have drip irrigation that goes off for about 20 min around 2pm to give them a cool spot, and they love corn frozen in ice cubes, frozen water bottles with cap dripping water onto a tray, and other frozen treats.. Summer time is the hardest on our birds.

 

[amymboxer]

Thankyou. I was thinking how to manage them in the summer. My dogs stay inside mostly when it gets hot and just go out to potty, but having several chickens in the house obviously not a good idea. I have a misting system I was thinking for setting up in the hot afternoons. That is great about wood ash. Where do you get it? I am in Fresno towards Sanger.

 

[curious chickee]

My fireplace.

I am in the Madera ranches. Some use misters. I just don't like getting the whole bird wet. I would rather let the bird cool off in the wet cool ground. I also use deep litter (2-3 inch deep shavings/bark/chip pings/clippings). It helps to keep the ground cooler in summer, and provides good bugs and microbes.

 

[amymboxer]

Hm. Good idea. I do have an overhead shade structure the coop is goimg underneath.

 

[curious chickee]

Perfect, shade is important