Pesticides and chickens ???

[waterguy81]

I am thinking of putting some lime out around my yard to kill off and deter ticks / fleas and lice.

Will lime hurt chickens ?

Also, I need to spray my yard with some kind of pesticide to kill off nats and mosquitos.

Is there a good type or brand that will not hurt my chickens ?

what is the safe distance away from my run and coop ?


Thanks for any good advice.

 

[RMDelete]

I would also want to know an answer to this since my Sister just recently had her house treated for Spiders and pests and it just rained a little.. I also want to know what the answers are because I plan on returning the chickies as soon as I find it to be safe again.

 

[zzzzac]

I called/emailed the #s on the back of the bottles of pesticides and from what i learned all are harmful and dangerous to any grazing animal, cows, horses, goats, chickens, and turkeys. they told me if you spray them in the yard i would need to keep the aniamls away for at least a year.
this what I got from the makers of BUG B GONE

Thank you for your interest in Scotts and for the opportunity to help you with your lawn and garden endeavors.

Mr. -------, any animal that uses grass as a food source, such as horses and cattle, chickens, ducks, and geese, will not be able to graze in an area where Ortho Bug B Gon MAX Lawn & Garden Insect Killer has been applied for at least one year. You may want to contact your local agricultural extension agency for more information on the availability of an appropriate product.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in Scotts. Please feel free to contact our company anytime we may be of assistance.

Michelle Kindell
Consumer Response Representative
The Scotts Company and Subsidiaries
14111 Scottslawn Road
Marysville, OH 43041
800-225-2883

I bought 100% Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth to use for most bug issues.

 

[RaZ]

Anytime you put a poison in your yard, you are going to have side affects.
You might kill some of the "pest" bugs but you'll certainly kill the good bugs that eat the bad bugs. Then with no good bugs (or spiders) around, the bad bugs come back in spades and you are usually worse off than before.

I got my chickens and ducks for pest control in the first place, They eat those bad bugs (and the good ones too) and their eggs and meat are much better than what you can get in the store.

I stopped using fertilisers and pesticides years ago and my yard has never looked better. I put in a pond and now have frogs and dragonflies that eat tons of bugs. Planted native species that attract birds, bees and butterflies. People are telling me they are seeing birds here that they haven't seen in decades.

Sorry for preaching, but you can't make your environment better by spreading poison on it.

 

[WillieBoy]

In over 20yrs that i've been on my land, i've only used hornet spray when they build their nest in a place that affects my daily chores.I never use chems/poison in any other situation.Since i'v had hens for over 5 yrs in the yard, i see way fewer deer ticks on me..!

 

[Mattemma]

Well that stinks! I wanted to spray the yard for ticks.I got 4 off the dog,,one off the other dogs ear,and a wall crawler from where the dogs lay.I hate ticks. I hope the chickens eat them!

 

[Baymule]

Quote:
Get guinneas.

 

[BigSmart]

Lime is used as a soil amendment to lower soil Ph and has no pesticide quality . Cedar has an acidic quality that is a deterrent to ticks and fleas, so cedar chips my be a better option. In response to some of the comments made, depending on the type of insect you are trying to kill, you can apply pesticides that target specific insects. Bacillus thuringiensis, for instance, only targets caterpillars and leaf miners while miticides will only target mites. These will leave beneficial insect predators alone. To say "you may kill some bad bugs but certainly kill all of the good bugs" (A) isn't logical and (B) doesn't apply to all pesticides. There is research available from non-biased third parties that will classify if a pesticide is particularly harmful to mammals, fowl, or aquatic life either acutely or chronically. Finding those pesticides beforehand is going the key instead of putting down the first thing you find and looking up the effects after. If your "yard has never looked better" since you've stopped using fertilizer and pesticides than you weren't applying them correctly. Pesticides serve an enormous benefit when applied correctly.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

There are many insecticides and some of them are truly harsh. Others are gentle enough for a baby's bottom. In fact one insecticide called Permethrin is so gentle that doctors prescribe it for babies in % amounts far greater than is used on a chicken or in its pens and coops. Being concerned about the environment is great but unfortunately too many so called Environmentalist earn a dishonest living by scaring the living bejeezus out of people who while intelligent enough to know better, never take the time to learn the truth like you just did.

The safest and first thing to do about skeeters is to empty their breeding grounds of water. The next is to pour a small amount of diesel fuel or kerosene on the water. This suffocates the wigglers when they stick their hollow tails above water to breath. To use an insecticide effectively against flying skeeters you'll need a fogger and that might be a sprayer too far for your needs. Some ticks do use chickens for a host but horses, dogs, cows, and other large livestock act like a tick super factory if the farm animals owners are lax in their animal husbandry.

Good luck.

 

[Folly's place]

Bacillus is a bacteria, not a pesticide, and very safe for grub control. The 'mosquito dunks' work great in standing water and are safe. Birds will eat the ticks, and meds directly on the dogs and cats work very well. By the time you spray enough insecticide on the yard to kill the ticks, all beneficial insects are in trouble too. Mary