# How to Kill Roaches in the Chicken Coop



## Elie May (Apr 24, 2008)

Every evening when I go out to close the chicken coop the roaches GROSS ME OUT! A few weeks ago I sprayed the walls of the coop with a household spray. I think the roaches drank it like steroid juice because they seem more than ever now!
What can I use to kill them that wont kill the chickens or taint the eggs. I hate using chemicals, but this getting gross!


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## handymama (Aug 22, 2014)

Ducks looove bugs. Stick a couple ducks in there lol.


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## Eagle-eye (Sep 16, 2014)

Don't overfeed the chickens. Mine devour anything smaller than them.


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## Elie May (Apr 24, 2008)

I leave their food bucket out over night, usually has food in it and some on the ground. Do you think I am over feeding them. They free range all day. Maybe I should just nix the food other than a small scoop in the morning or something?


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## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

Definitely put up their feed at night. The chickens sleep at night, so you are instead feeding many other critters instead of the chickens. If you could put up their feed maybe two hours before dusk then the chickens will do a bit of foraging and will help cut down on the bug population.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

Sounds like overfeeding mine will kill anything from a toad frog to mice . Frog was too big to eat but the mouse went after the 6th fumble .Poor mickey. Adjust the amount of food so the just run out before they roost.It will take a little trial and error once you get to that point the greed will kick in .I think it also help if you feed them some live things that will try to get away.I recommend crickets it's also fun to watch.


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## Wild_Bill (Aug 4, 2014)

Mine are on free choice all the time, but would eat anything before going to the feeder. We had a huge toad invasion this summer. Little baby ones everywhere. The chickens went crazy on them. So much i began to get worried they would get sick.

But no matter how much your feeding they should be hot after the bugs...any bugs.


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## Wild_Bill (Aug 4, 2014)

Perhaps they have ate some, and just don't like them. I don't know what roaches taste like, but they sure don't look tasty. We have none at my place so I don't know if mine would eat them or not. Like i said they have ate anything that crosses their path.


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## Elie May (Apr 24, 2008)

I don't see any bugs during day light hours. But if I am late - like after dark, locking the coop. The bugs creep me out. At this point all the hens are asleep so they aren't likely to get up and eat them. I have stopped feeding them for a couple of days now. Just letting them do their thing in the yard. I've decided I've got some fat lazy spooled chickens! And its my fault


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## Wild_Bill (Aug 4, 2014)

Not your fault. Didn't even think about roaches only being around in the dark. Chickens have lousy eye sight in the dark. Even if you turn the lights on by the time they wake up and get their eyes adjusted the roaches will be gone!


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Wonder if you could live catch them in a minnow seine, the kind with the funnel entrance?
Then feed them to the chooks during the day.

I'd put the chicken food up at night tho, the roaches are probably eating it.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

Light. Roaches hate light and the chickens would be able to catch them if they could see. Eliminating the food leftovers will do the most good, however.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

I agree light will help .If you don't have power to your coop you can get a solar light from harbor freight cheap.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

dont poison them, dead roaches laying around for a chicken to eat is a bad thing if they were killed by poison, you can put up sticky pads along the wall or something, but honestly they are only offending your personal sensibilities they are not hurting the chickens at all.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

i'm shocked you have roaches. i'm worried my hens are decimating the wildlife population. cut back on your feed for sure and like others have said, don't leave food out at night. as for taste, i can't say but in florida where they are called palmetto bugs they stink so bad but my hens then pretty much annihilated the population anyway.


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## Janis R (Jun 27, 2013)

Take a box or container with holes big enough for the roaches but to small for the chickens; put a small plate or such filled with water and one with baking soda. The water will attract the roaches, they will eat the baking soda and then blow up and die because they can't pass gas.
I agree to take food out at night.


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