Cobwebs....spiders

[bluetrain]

Man, the cobwebs are everywhere....is that a normal thing?....are the spiders attracted to the extra flies or poop or something? I was reading a post about cleaning coops and someone mentioned the cobwebs. I have not seen that many spiders so I am not too concerned about them but are they an issue for the flock?

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Pretty much any spider that MAKES a web is only going to be your friend. They have been drawn by the steady food supply (Flies and such) and will help to keep your levels down.

Wolf Spiders are friendly enough, and some seem to be on filmy webs and some are free-ranging. I don't know what would happen if a chicken ate a wolf spider.

Daddy Long Legs, my favorite, will not stay where a chicken can eat them, but if they do and are eaten, they will likely not hurt the chicken. They certainly won't BITE the chicken.

If you're seeing black widows, that's not so good.

I'd like to point out that I am NOT a spider expert, but I have a house full of spiders and I'm okay with that.

 

[Chicky Mama]

From what I've read in the books to many spider\\cob webs and can mean not enough ventilation in the coop,which is important.

 

[fordmommy]

Quote:
That's very interesting. Is there really any truth in that???I really would like to know!

 

[lleighmay]

One thing I've noticed is that all the dust produced by the chickens sticks to the webs and makes them MUCH more visible... at least in my own coop I don't seem to have any more spiders than usual but it looks like Halloween at the Addams Family... Thank goodness the chickens don't live in my house and highlight those webs!

 

[Chickn chick 46]

It seems to me the more ventiation I have, meaning open windows in the summer 24/7, the more cobwebs I have. I have never seen a spider in my chicken coop, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.

Anyway, I keep three things in my coop at all times, one is a broom for sweeping the cobwebs down, a childs snow shovel for moving around the floor shavings and cleaning them out and a childs sand shovel for fluffing the nest boxes.

I have to say it can get pretty creepy looking in there. Good thing they don't seem to mind

 

[tattooedchickenlady]

My coop looks the same!!
We get some of everything around here, We have had a golden orb spider in the coop too. We try not to mess with them and let them do their job, but I do need to get some of the cobwebs down!