spraying for weeds

[bogeys]

i need to spray to kill some weeds near the coop,can i just not let them out for a couple days.i know ill have to do it when theres no wind.arent most weed and grass killers inert after 6 or8 hours?

 

[realsis]

try to use something natural. I have chickens and raise Koi fish in a outside pond. I stopped using harsh chemicals when one day even though very careful the wind took and brought the spray into my pond. so please be extra careful. I ended up losing 4 fish to it. I imagine chickens would be just as sensitive. now I spray the weeds with salt. it kills them and doesn't hurt my animals. if they accidentally ate a weed with even dry weed killer on it its going to be bad. so consider doing it naturally. better to be safe then sorry. in my case I won't use any chemicals anymore after that happened. and trust me I was very careful and still the wind must have got it somehow. best of luck to you!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

White distilled vinegar will also kill weeds, but you have to soak the weeds with it well, and wait one week or so- come back to inspect the plants (doesn't kill weeds quickly).

I like using it in a spray bottle and really soak the area. Sometimes I pour a little if I need to really get an area well. I do try to pull most of the weed first.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Oh and I forgot to mention- I have read that boiling water also works- just take your kettle out there. I haven't tried this though.

 

[gaitngirl]

Baking soda works but kills the ph in the soil - it's great for areas that you don't want weeds to grow. I'm not sure if it would affect the chickens, though. Vinegar will work but may take several applications, as mentioned above. What about a weed torch? We used one in an area where our pool used to be (before I discovered the baking soda trick) . Once the pool was removed weeds really started coming up through the sand. We wanted to turn it into a firepit circle and leave the sand (eventually I will brick a circle pattern over the sand). The torch works great. Harbor Freight has them for under $30. There's a slightly nicer version that Home Repo, I mean Depot, sells for about $50.