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Post by eggshere on Apr 22, 2015 3:29:16 GMT
The past two years in southern Iowa my fryers in chicken tractors in the backyard have been bothered by gnats so much that I've waited until late summer to start. Wonder if peculiar to a wet Spring or a 'new normal' now? Ideas? Wonder whether to start now and risk this again or wait until July or August to start.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2015 18:55:06 GMT
We have been getting the buffalo gnats every spring for the last several years. Is that the same as you?
I've heard they are here because of receding flood waters. Whatever the reason they haven't skipped a year since the first one. I figure they'll show up very soon.
Our birds are free range but we keep the coop dark with a fan running 24/7 and they will hide out in there until the gnats are gone. We douse ourselves in vanilla to keep the gnats off (they bite and leave huge welts!) It really works.
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Post by bergere on Apr 25, 2015 19:20:44 GMT
I have been putting SWAT on the turkey's heads to give them some relief. Luckily, they don't see to bother the chickens to the same extent.
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Post by eggshere on Apr 27, 2015 19:00:56 GMT
The ones that bother my chicks seem smaller--no welts from bites--but drive the chickens crazy so that they try to get under each other to get away from the gnats. Have tried some sprays in the surrounding grass with some relief, but so far figure on waiting until later in the summer to begin chicks out on the grass. Not near a river but now that I think of it, sometimes water runs across this part of pasture when there is a hard rain.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 19:06:58 GMT
The ones that bother my chicks seem smaller--no welts from bites--but drive the chickens crazy so that they try to get under each other to get away from the gnats. Have tried some sprays in the surrounding grass with some relief, but so far figure on waiting until later in the summer to begin chicks out on the grass. Not near a river but now that I think of it, sometimes water runs across this part of pasture when there is a hard rain. Goodness! Ours leave the welts on people, they kill the chickens by blocking their airways. I hope you get it worked out! |
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