Stop me if this is too chicken crazy

[TOMTE]

I know this isn't meant to be funny, but if we get chicken pox, why don't they get people pox . . .hmmm?

On a serious note is there something I can put in their coop/run to deter the mosquitoes?

Traps would probably work better than deterrants when it comes to skeeters, but!

Lemon grass, lemon balm, lavender, marigold, and some mints like catnip or peppermint can help repel them. Definitely not foolproof though.

 

[redinator]

Traps would probably work better than deterrants when it comes to skeeters, but!

Lemon grass, lemon balm, lavender, marigold, and some mints like catnip or peppermint can help repel them. Definitely not foolproof though.

Are any of these safe to have around, or better yet, be feed to the chickens cause that'd be a great idea.

 

[TOMTE]

Are any of these safe to have around, or better yet, be feed to the chickens cause that's be a great idea.

Chickens tend to love marigold. It's perfectly safe for them to eat and can even give their yolks a richer orange color. Some chicken feeds have marigold in it for yolk color.

Lemongrass is safe. Lemon Balm is safe and has some antibacterial properties, and the scent has a calming effect.

Lavender is safe and also has a calming effect.

Catnip (and other mints) are safe and catnip has the added benefit of, you guessed it, calming effect!

All of these plants smell great (imo, some people don't like lavender for example because it is very strong), look great, and are beneficial for the chooks!

Just be aware of 2 things: mints are not native and spread like crazy and force out native plants. Plant them in containers to control the spread. And, if you let your chickens at the plants, they're going to scratch and pick at them. Either let the plants grow and establish before letting the chickens at them, or have several plants ready that you can cycle out when one gets destroyed.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Do you just dump the jars out and let the chooks pick through the bugs? I might have to try that this year

Usually yes if it’s full. If it’s not full…well I may have stolen one of my kids little toy colander spoons from their toy kitchen that they don’t use anymore. It works great for scooping bugs out

 

[TOMTE]

Chickens tend to love marigold. It's perfectly safe for them to eat and can even give their yolks a richer orange color. Some chicken feeds have marigold in it for yolk color.

Lemongrass is safe. Lemon Balm is safe and has some antibacterial properties, and the scent has a calming effect.

Lavender is safe and also has a calming effect.

Catnip (and other mints) are safe and catnip has the added benefit of, you guessed it, calming effect!

All of these plants smell great (imo, some people don't like lavender for example because it is very strong), look great, and are beneficial for the chooks!

Just be aware of 2 things: mints are not native and spread like crazy and force out native plants. Plant them in containers to control the spread. And, if you let your chickens at the plants, they're going to scratch and pick at them. Either let the plants grow and establish before letting the chickens at them, or have several plants ready that you can cycle out when one gets destroyed.

Oh! And since you're allergic to wasps, obviously these plants attract lots of pollinators, bees and wasps included. So keep that in mind too!

 

[redinator]

Chickens tend to love marigold. It's perfectly safe for them to eat and can even give their yolks a richer orange color. Some chicken feeds have marigold in it for yolk color.

Lemongrass is safe. Lemon Balm is safe and has some antibacterial properties, and the scent has a calming effect.

Lavender is safe and also has a calming effect.

Catnip (and other mints) are safe and catnip has the added benefit of, you guessed it, calming effect!

All of these plants smell great (imo, some people don't like lavender for example because it is very strong), look great, and are beneficial for the chooks!

Just be aware of 2 things: mints are not native and spread like crazy and force out native plants. Plant them in containers to control the spread. And, if you let your chickens at the plants, they're going to scratch and pick at them. Either let the plants grow and establish before letting the chickens at them, or have several plants ready that you can cycle out when one gets destroyed.

This is awesome information I use lemongrass and mints in cooking from time to time, but never enough to bother planting it. Now I have three excuses to plant some. I could do a few pots inside and outside the run to switch out if they destroy the one inside.

 

[redinator]

Oh! And since you're allergic to wasps, obviously these plants attract lots of pollinators, bees and wasps included. So keep that in mind too!

There's always a but, ugh!

Wait, the mint too? I didn't think they flowered . . .

I'm guessing growing them indoors and hanging them dried would be less effective as a deterrent . . ?

 

[FrostRanger]

Traps would probably work better than deterrants when it comes to skeeters, but!

Lemon grass, lemon balm, lavender, marigold, and some mints like catnip or peppermint can help repel them. Definitely not foolproof though.

I can say that lemongrass doesn't work. I can be sitting right next to my lemongrass plant and the mosquitoes don't care a bit

If you're worried about fowl pox there is a vaccine for it, it's inexpensive and easy enough to administer yourself. Valley vet sells it if you're interested

 

[Zenmonkey]

Growing most herbs indoors isn't really an optimal choice. Most of them become more potent with more light while they're growing.

I've seen yellow jacket traps on YouTube made by attaching meat to a stick and then suspending that an inch over water in a jar, bucket, etc. The meat is upside down. The yellow jacket, or other protein eating wasp, lands on the stick, crawls underneath to the meat, and then launches "vertically", hitting the water.

The "bug people", those who collect beetles, moths, butterflies, etc, a well as those who keep them as pets, collect large numbers using a black light at night.

I'm not entirely sure of the science surrounding it, but supposedly the insects navigate using reflected UV light. So a black light pointed at an old bed sheet collects large numbers of nocturnal insects.

Given that you specifically mentioned night time insects available while you're chickens are roosting? You might do a web search for black light insect collecting. Long story short, relatively inexpensive black lights available online, pointed at a bed sheet, might result in significant harvests. And if you really get into it, and get some interesting beetles, you might find that you can sell them in the dark corners of the internet!

 

[redinator]

I can say that lemongrass doesn't work. I can be sitting right next to my lemongrass plant and the mosquitoes don't care a bit

If you're worried about fowl pox there is a vaccine for it, it's inexpensive and easy enough to administer yourself. Valley vet sells it if you're interested

How is it administered?

They're 6 weeks and it can be given at 8 weeks this is perfect timing. Who's gonna give them the shot, I hate needles . . . .