Pesticides and chickens ???

[BigSmart]

Anything that you apply, organic or not, to control or eradicate any organism is a pesticide. I agree that to apply enough insecticide/pesticide to kill ticks, you'd most definitely kill any beneficial insects. Ticks would need to be controlled with a broad spectrum insecticide that would eliminate any insect; good or "bad".

 

[JanetS]

I wish I knew the answer to this question. We're having big problems with ants in our coop and run. They are even climbing on the chickens.
I have been using a mixture of vinegar, water and dish soap. It's helps a little but not enough. The ants just laugh at DE so I'm not sure what we're going to do.

 

[CrazyTalk]

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

No, its not.

Bacillus Thurigensis pesticide is a toxin produced by a bacteria. It's also genetically engineered. Neither of which makes it dangerous, or not a fantastic pesticide.

 

[Folly's place]

If you google BT, it is a bacteria that works well for certain applications. Mary

 

[Traphill]

Amen...love the replies against poison.....

 

[CrazyTalk]

If you google BT, it is a bacteria that works well for certain applications. Mary

No, it is not.

From Wiki:
"Spores and crystalline insecticidal proteins produced by B. thuringiensis have been used to control insect pests since the 1920s and are often applied as liquid sprays.[19] They are now used as specific insecticides under trade names such as DiPel and Thuricide. Because of their specificity, these pesticides are regarded as environmentally friendly, with little or no effect on humans, wildlife, pollinators, and most other beneficial insects, and are used in organic farming;[20] "

You are not spraying bacteria. You are spraying a coctail of protiens and toxins produced by bacteria. Saying Thuricide (BT) is bacteria is like saying synthetic insulin that diabetes take is bacteria (its produced in the same way).

 

[St Pete Chick]

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to add the dangers of adding sod to yards also. I lost 2 out of 3 of my chickens from them grazing on it and the 4th one doesn't act the same and her crop looks pale. It kills them within a week. They get listless and have a seizure. I am so hurt and angry at myslef for not thinking of what may have been added before I got it.

 

[unbaked pegga]

You know what!! I had an area of the yard graded and sod applied 2 weeks ago! One of my most beloved hens has diarrhea and acts like she is not feeling well. I wonder if that is what is causing that. The other 4 seem ok

 

[St Pete Chick]

You know what!! I had an area of the yard graded and sod applied 2 weeks ago! One of my most beloved hens has diarrhea and acts like she is not feeling well. I wonder if that is what is causing that. The other 4 seem ok

Yes, it most likely is. All my hens ended up dying within 2 weeks of each other. I ripped out all the sod and use sand. The pesticide companies say they would wait up to a year before letting animals graze on it. It messes them up neurologically. My last one was like a Zombie a few days before her seizure.

 

[Avocadoman]

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.

This is not true at all. Unfortunately our perception of the risks of pesticides is tainted with chemophobia thanks to Rachel Carson's propaganda. Different pesticides function on different chemistry and biology and may affect insects in entirely different ways than birds or mammals. For example, humans can eat an avocado and it's nutritious, but it'll kill a parakeet in under 30 minutes. Boric acid is very effective against roaches but entirely benign to higher animals. The controversial DDT was extremely effective against mosquitoes but very low toxicity to mammals. What constitutes "poison" to one animal is not always poisonous to another, it's just not how biology and chemistry work in the real world. What's more, is the dose is that makes the poison effective is often what matters most, so the larger the animal, the less toxic a fixed exposure is. The dose of a pesticide that kills an ant has absolutely no effect on a chicken due to their relative size difference. The real answer regarding pesticides is "it depends," what pesticide you are using and how much of it and where. And chickens don't eat all the bad bugs, they wont touch sow bugs, don't like roaches or flies for example but they'll eat the spiders and lady bugs that eat them.