Chicken-safe pesticide(s) to get rid of American cockroaches/Palmetto bugs. HELP!

[KByrne]

We have a 3 hen/1 rooster flock in our side yard that abuts our home. Since having our chickens (about 2 years), we've noticed a drastic increase in the number of the large (and gross!) American cockroaches/Palmetto bugs and other roach-like insects in and around our home. We've had to go from an annual exterminator visit to a quarterly contract. The bugs are so numerous now that we're really considering getting rid of the chickens. That a last resort thing for me, but I have to be realistic. I cannot and will not share my home with roaches of any sort; it's just a deal breaker! We recently signed our quarterly contract with the exterminator and have instructed that the inside of our home as well as the outside perimeter be sprayed WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CHICKEN YARD. However, even though I bring the chicken feeder in each night and close it up in a lidded 5 gallon bucket and the chicken feed is stored in an airtight container, the d**n roaches are all over.
I promise you, we are not unclean people. Our home is kept reasonably clean ( with 3 inside dogs and a husband it isn't spotless by any stretch) and I'm just about at the end of my rope. PLEASE tell me there's something I can use in the chicken yard to rid us (or at least drastically decrease the numbers of) of the roaches! I've also tried DE under the nesting boxes, which is where the feeder hangs during the day, and all over the brick steps leading from the chicken yard to our laundry room. I'm not noticing any benefit from that. Thank you all in advance!

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
I lived on Okinawa for two years, and discovered that living in the semi-tropics is not for me! Bugs galore, not so nice.
Permethrin spray or powder is effective against many insects and is approved for use on chickens with no egg withdrawal. The spray concentrate is very inexpensive at TSC or many other feed stores.
DE is a waste of money and time, and very unsafe to inhale.
Treat the coop and maybe the run, for sure.
It's hard to use anything all over the yard, killing butterflies, frogs, and other useful critters. Cockroaches are the pits!
Mary

 

[cmom]

Where do you live? I live in Florida. I agree with Mary. Permethrin works great. I use the spray in the coop and the dust on the birds and in their nest boxes, and if you have flies around in you coop, it also helps to get rid of the flies. Good luck and have fun...

 

[KByrne]

We're in the Sandhills of NC. My concern is that the chickens will eat the bugs killed by the insecticide and become ill or worse. Thanks for the reply, btw.

 

[KByrne]

Welcome!
I lived on Okinawa for two years, and discovered that living in the semi-tropics is not for me! Bugs galore, not so nice.
Permethrin spray or powder is effective against many insects and is approved for use on chickens with no egg withdrawal. The spray concentrate is very inexpensive at TSC or many other feed stores.
DE is a waste of money and time, and very unsafe to inhale.
Treat the coop and maybe the run, for sure.
It's hard to use anything all over the yard, killing butterflies, frogs, and other useful critters. Cockroaches are the pits!
Mary

Welcome!
I lived on Okinawa for two years, and discovered that living in the semi-tropics is not for me! Bugs galore, not so nice.
Permethrin spray or powder is effective against many insects and is approved for use on chickens with no egg withdrawal. The spray concentrate is very inexpensive at TSC or many other feed stores.
DE is a waste of money and time, and very unsafe to inhale.
Treat the coop and maybe the run, for sure.
It's hard to use anything all over the yard, killing butterflies, frogs, and other useful critters. Cockroaches are the pits!
Mary

Thanks for the welcome and for the reply. Should I be concerned that my chickens will eat the nasties killed by the permethrin and get ill or worse? And yes, I'm also concerned for the safety of my anoles, skinks, etc., but these roaches are grossing us out! And it's embarrassing, even though the exterminator has assured me they're not in our home because of dirty living conditions.

 

[EggWalrus]

I live between a river and a swamp and there are always bugs of some kind. Luckily my chickens seem to like how they taste. This place would be overrun with bugs if I didn't have all these birds. My neighbor on the otherside of the swamp is plum ate up with bugs. If you walk in to any of his out buildings and turn on a light, it looks like everything is moving because of so many roaches. They aren't nasty but even his house is that way. I've tried to tell him get some chickens but he won't listen.

 

[KByrne]

I live between a river and a swamp and there are always bugs of some kind. Luckily my chickens seem to like how they taste. This place would be overrun with bugs if I didn't have all these birds. My neighbor on the otherside of the swamp is plum ate up with bugs. If you walk in to any of his out buildings and turn on a light, it looks like everything is moving because of so many roaches. They aren't nasty but even his house is that way. I've tried to tell him get some chickens but he won't listen.

Unfortunately, the cockroaches come out after my birds have gone to roost.

 

[Folly's place]

If you fed them PILES of dead roaches, it might be a concern, but otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it.
Permethrin is much safer than most of the other home but not poultry approved products for them.
We had skinks living in the house, and they ate some of the roaches and other nasties, a good thing.
Mary

 

[KByrne]

If you fed them PILES of dead roaches, it might be a concern, but otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it.
Permethrin is much safer than most of the other home but not poultry approved products for them.
We had skinks living in the house, and they ate some of the roaches and other nasties, a good thing.
Mary

Thank you, Mary. You and cmom have given me hope. I'll be hitting my TSC tomorrow after work and picking some Permethrin up. I still welcome other tips for keeping the nasties at bay from other folks.

 

[EggWalrus]

Thank you, Mary. You and cmom have given me hope. I'll be hitting my TSC tomorrow after work and picking some Permethrin up. I still welcome other tips for keeping the nasties at bay from other folks.

When you go to feed them, flip over any thing on the ground and if you see bugs, toss some food there. They will come for the food and eat every bug that moves.