# Ants!!!



## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

In our run, ants are digging holes through the sand and picking up the chicken's poop and taking it with them. Black ants and harvester ants are everywhere!!! Any safe ant repellent for chickens?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If they're not a threat to the birds, I'd leave them be if all they're doing is housekeeping.

I don't know of any repellant but Sevin dust and ag premise sprays are safe to use.


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

As long as they aren't fire ants. They will hurt baby chicks and eggs esp if the egg is cracked. Ask me how I know! I lost some hatchlings that way.

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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

You can put oatmeal or grits down for them to carry away and eat.After they eat it,they die including the queen(s),if you chickens don't eat it first.Or I use the Permethrin II spray and pour it on the mound and in the coop and around the house and on the chickens.As the result of 2 warm winters,I have been finding mounds everywhere and have been spraying a lot this year.Fortunately,we don't have fire ants up here,yet....Good luck,Nanny!!!


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

Fire ants are vile little creatures! Their bites are horrid and leave blisters and scars. I've seen signs around here that says " beware, we are protected by fire ants".

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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Just wait, CQ, they are adapting and moving further North. Right now we have a lot of them due to the too warm winters.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Oatmeal and grits kills ants? ?

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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

I think the theory is that the ants eat it and then it swells inside their little bellies and that is what kills them.

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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I never heard of that. I wonder if it's true

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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

I have never tried either, so, I really don't know.

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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I don't have any ants so I can't try it..

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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I tried grits in the kitchen but didn't notice a difference.I know the Terro stuff don't work.I'd put that out and it was like an all you can eat buffet for ants.Instead of seeing less,I saw more,piled around the stuff.This year I'm using sprays.I know that kills them and the Permethrin Spray won't hurt my birds and dog.What I really need to spray is the cricket hanging out under my bedroom window that keeps waking me up at night.


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## Wigwam7 (Mar 29, 2017)

Ok! We got diatamacious earth and it did the trick beautifully.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Put a handful of DE on a fire ant mound, then put a handful of sevin dust on a different fire ant mound and leave both mounds sit over night. 
The next morning when it warms up, take your shovel and stir up the DE fire ant mound, then take your shovel and stir up the sevin dust mound.
Then tell us what the results are.
On a different note; if you have multiple fire ant mounds, shovel one mound onto another and stir it up. Do all the fire ant mounds like that. Fire ant mounds have different scents (to the ants) and they will kill each other if one mound is mixed with another.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Battle of the Ants-I like it.....


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