the gnats killed my hen!!! How do i get rid of them?

[ninny]

My poor silkie hen died last night from blood lose due to being attacked by gnats.

My rooster is ok at the moment but the gnats get under their fluff and just chew them to death. he got a bath the other day for mites and she was gonna get one but then she started laying and i didnt want chemicals on her. i feel so bad. i want out to check on them and she was covered with them. so we ran her inside and was spraying her with water trying to get them off her when she had a seizure and died. i cried all night. i love that bird. but now shes in my rose graden.

my other birds need help now. the gnats are so bad that we can't be outside at night. what can i do?? i dont want to lose anymore birds. plus i have her two eggs that i dont have a way to hatch. ugh what a bad day.

any suggestions would be great. and i have bantams that need new homes now that i cant keep birds in the barn cause of the bugs.

please help!!!

 

[BearSwampChick]

There's information here on how to help. Please read the whole thread. Good luck and so sorry for your loss.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=64202

Here's another one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=65060

 

[ninny]

thank you for the link.

 

[kees]

You can try food grade diatamaceous earth. You can rub in all over her, throw in her her coop, put it into her food and throw some on the lawn. Your neighbors will look at you like you're crazy but who cares? You will need to reapply the DE every time it rains though.