Auto-fly sprayers in coops - toxic or safe?

[EightIsEnough]

My husband thought it best I create a new "indoor" coop inside his horse barn. This way my chckens will be safer, cooler (fans) and protected from misquitoes and flies (screens on the barn doors and windows). He also has an automatic fly sprayer over the horse stalls to keep the fly population down in the barn.

I am concerned to have the chickens in the same barn as the auto-sprayer. He tells me that the chickens will be on the opposite end of the barn, maybe 30 feet away, so out of harms way of the insecticide. The barn is plenty ventilated and has screens on all the doors and windows, with a nice breeze blowing throughout.

Any words of advice as to whether or not to put my chickens in the barn withthe auto-sprayer? I am not convinced that they will be safe.

 

[patandchickens]

If this is spraying a proper (as per label) concentration of a pyrethrin-type compound, I would be surprised if it killed your chickens.

I would still not do it myself -- I loathe auto fly spray systems in horse barns (but I suppose there may be one or two places on earth where simply well-placed fans to keep flies off the horses would be insufficient) -- but I would expect your chickens will likely be basically ok. Especially if they do not get misted directly at and are hopefully at the upwind end of the barn.

I have absolutely no idea whatsoever whether some or any environmental pyrethrin exposure transfers to eggs and if it does whether that makes a difference to humans. I would tend to suspect it's probably ok just b/c of the miniscule numbers that would be involved.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[jenjscott]

It is labeled for use in barns, kennels, milk and egg handling areas of dairies and poultry houses, so I think it should be fairly safe. I used it last year trying to get rid of the buffalo gnats, but it didn't seem to help, so I stopped, but it didn't seem to bother the chickens either.

 

[EightIsEnough]

Pat, Jen,

Thank you for your responses.

Will check with hubby as to the specific fly spray system and chemicals he intends to use in the barn. I have the same concerns as you regarding any harm to the chickens as well as an issues with their eggs. I give my eggs away to family and friends and I would hate to have issues with my egg's validity due to exposure to insecticides.

I like his idea of getting the chickens inside a secure barn, especially during the rainy season/hurricane season here in FL. Not sure about the whole fly spray business though.

Who knows like you say a fly spray system didn't really work in your case, so maybe not worth the investment. Have screens on every window and door so can't imagine the fly situation warranting a fly spray system. Another toy for hubby.

I could be wrong. Thanks again!

 

[eponagirl]

We use fly predators here. www.spalding-labs.com
Has REALLY cut down on the number of flies here (I have 3 horses). I have the automatic fly spray thingy, but don't use it now that I've been using the predators. I have a small can of the spray and will manually do it if I feel the need.

 

[EightIsEnough]

Thanks - will check out Fly Predators! Looks like a good alternative.

 

[patandchickens]

I'm not saying barn spray systems don't *work*, I'm just saying I loathe them, I think they're a terrible idea. Among other things I do not like my horses basically drinking flyspray, which they are because there is no way to keep it out of their buckets.

Honestly the best thing I know of to keep horses happy in a barn in a very fly-ey or mosquito-ey environment is a) screen the windows and doorways, and b) have (barn-safe, securely mounted) stall fans to blow on the horses so flies will not land on them.

Fly predators do *some* good, but only if there are no other substantial numbers of livestock nearby. If your neighbor two fields over has 100 cattle, fly predators are kind of a waste of money.

JME,

Pat

 

[chickens3]

:/the spary is fine for those chickens they will move when they get cold.

 

[eponagirl]

Just to offer our fly predator experience so you have all sides of the spectrum: we have both a horse farm (12-20 horses) around the corner from us and a dairy farm (100 or so cows) down the road...all well within a mile from here and our fly population has decreased every year since I began using them. That is not say the flies disappear, but with some of the things Patandchickens mentions and proper cleanliness (we also use Stall Dry in the stalls)in barns and trim weeds/grass around the property, it helps us alot to have them (or so I want to think!

)

 

[humi chick]

i saw some ants in my chicken's house and i sprayed Doom, a household insect killer. is the insect killer harmful? it s in the EXACT place where they sleep and i'm worried. i just sprayed it a few minutes ago.