Carpenter ants and chickens

[Kubotabear]

Agh! We had a sudden heat spell. When I opened the main doors to the coop this afternoon I discovered a double black line of carpenter ants traveling back and forth along the door. When I stepped inside I saw they were all over the walls too. Heat brings them out.

The chickens just stood there looking at them, but not one ventured to peck at them. All the chickens are 3 months old.

Everything other than the outside shell is new in the coop, new floors, insulation, walls. I can't find a source of entry for the ants.

Do I need to be concerned about this? If so, what do I do? I don't want the ants in the coop at all but not sure how to get rid of them. I thought the chickens would eat them but they are not interested in the slightest. I don't dare spray insecticide with my babies living in there now, and I don't really have another place to house them unless I left them in their pen outside overnight while I have a chance to clean out the whole house. I'm sure they would be very stressed if I did that.

Are there any natural deterrents for carpenter ants?

 

[TheRusticRebel]

You could try diatomacious earth. The food grade should be safe for chickens. Mine for sure woulda ate them. I see them pack flys off walls. Maybe they were full.

 

[Mvan42]

Salt... regular salt you use in your food.. pour it out in the high traffic ant areas. They take it back to the nest and when they eat it, it dehydrates them... and kills them.. good luck

 

[trumpeting_angel]

See if you can figure out where the nest is, and remove the damage. Usually you have to spray the nest, too, but maybe it’s not in the coop. They are most active during that first warm spell in spring. Maybe your babies will learn to eat them!

 

[hispoptart]

Salt... regular salt you use in your food.. pour it out in the high traffic ant areas. They take it back to the nest and when they eat it, it dehydrates them... and kills them.. good luck

Wouldn't the salt be bad for the chickens if they ate it?

 

[BlueBaby]

Follow the trail of ant's back to the hill and douse that good too with diatomacious earth. I had a real bad ant problem here last year, and they ate some of my chick's up alive. I got every hill that I could find in the whole yard. This year I started early on the hill's before they can re-populate as bad.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I never had a bit of luck with DM. I understand the theory (sharp crystals damaging insects’ bodies) but I never got any results from major applications. Clearly it won’t work if it gets wet, but it didn’t help a bit inside while the ants trooped through it, day and night.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Carpenter ants eat rotting wood, they aren't predatory like fire ants. They won't hurt your birds, I don't think. The ones that hurt birds are mostly the invasive ones.
If you sit and watch the ants, you should be able to figure out where they're coming from. There'll be a line leading to their nest, unless they're nesting in your coop, in which case you'll have to get rid of them somehow.

 

[NewBoots]

I've used sugar mixed with boric acid for regular ants. I don't know if it works for carpenter ants or not. AND you'd have to place it in the path of the ant train but out of reach of the chickens.

I still am betting your chickens will eat them if you teach them they are good to eat. Kill or injure a few of the ants and then peck with your finger at them. If your chickens are too old to "train" that way, scatter a few meal worms or other choice treat among the ant bodies.

 

[Mvan42]

Wouldn't the salt be bad for the chickens if they ate it?

A little wont hurt them.