worried about fire ants and free range chickens

[trunkman]

I have six hens I let free range in the evening and weekends and now that spring is here I'm worried about my hens getting into fire ant mounds. I also have 17 chicks that will be going into the coop in a few weeks and would like to let them free range also. Has anyone out there ever had problems with fire ants and chickens? Should I keep them in the run for a few weeks and try to treat the yard for fire ants or will the chickens not bother the mounds?

 

[bgelber]

In my experience the chickens seem to have a nack for knowing where the any mounds are and head straight for them, needless to say the mound doesn't last for long. I don't have fire ants so I don't know how that will effect them but I do know they will eat ants.

 

[ericsplls]

I live in south Georgia and if were not the fire ant capital of the US we're in the top five. I can probably go outside now walk around for a while and count a hundred mounds. There's 11 acres of fallow field beside our property and I have given up hope for beating them. While they have made gardening about impossible without the aid of pesticides they haven't bothered the chickens a bit. They are said to effect ground nesting bird populations but haven't bothered my chicks. I've never seen a chicken attack a mound Down here about every ant mound is fire ants.

 

[twentynine]

Chickens are smarter than you give them credit.

They will eiter stay away from the ants or they will eat them.

 

[tnchickenut]

I had (emphisis on HAD) a fire ant problem big time. Then I got chickens (not for the ants) and between them and me pouring DE (not the food grade) on the hills... no more ants. I have one mound left and it is up in the front where the chickens don't play. I used to have about 25. I only put DE on two... so do the math. The chickens took care of them. YAY!

 

[GreenGoddess]

I am in the sandhills of NC and even though spring just hit, my back yard is already crawling!! I don't have just a mound here and there.. I mean, if you look at the ground, all you see is ants!! Last spring I got chicks and thought the problem would be solved because well, chickens eat bugs, right?? Nope!!! They seem to avoid the ants!!! I've already gotten more than a dozen bites just from weeding last week where the garden will be this year.. But the chickens don't seem to have a problem with them...

Goddess

 

[trunkman]

Tnchickenut, What is DE??

 

[rcentner]

Quote:
Diatemaceous Earth (I hope I spelled that right) it is a powder that you sprinkle on the ground and if bugs crawl across it they die. I think it's like a real concentrated salt that dries them up. someone correct me if I am wrong. comes in food grade that you can use to keep the coop floor dry or the other kind used as a bug killer that you don't use for your chickens

 

[bonnylass79]

Quote:
Demascus (sp?) Earth. It's basically ground up fosil stone. Bugs don't like it and will avoid areas where it is spread. It's effective in controlling fleas, mites, ants and other bugs.

I'm in Central Florida. My chickens love to eat fire ants. They will find a mound and the entire flock will attack it until every ant is gone. I will also treat the mounds when the chickens aren't out. Just make sure the bait is gone before you put the chickens back out or they will eat it.

 

[tnchickenut]

Diatomacious Earth - it's a powder - really fossils, that dehydrate the bugs. I got a bag for plants and things and another "food grade" bag that I put in ALL the critters' food for wormer. It has never let me down and also... don't "sprinkle" on ant hills... lay it on.

Wear rubber gloves too... because it will dehydrate your skin on your hands.