cock roaches and chickens

Posted by Fred Gerten on October 1, 2013 at 10:43am

I have recently noticed that at night there are a lot of cock roaches in my chicken coup and pen area. I figured out that they were getting into the feed so I fixed that but am still seeing quite a few. I tried diatanatious earth but that didn't help much if at all. I am concerned about using poision around the birds so looking for suggestions on how to control the cock roaches without harming the chickens.  Thanks 

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Replies

  • erniee85017 October 9, 2013 at 12:12pm

    I read somwhere that cockroaches are where chicken eyeworms come from.

    True?

    Otherwise, I have a lot, too, in the bedding that I see at night.  I'd like the chickens to eat them.

    • Suze Scott > erniee85017 October 19, 2013 at 3:18pm

      Tjhere are a number of parasite that can come from cockroaches.  They are far from the types of bugs I would prefer my chickens to eat.

  • Fred Gerten October 1, 2013 at 5:05pm

    Thanks for the info everyone. I will give your suggestions a try.

  • Sheri Schmeckpeper October 1, 2013 at 11:19am

    Any container with straight sides will become a trap. Take a small pail, food dish, or pan with sides that go straight up and are a few inches or more high. Put some food/poop in there, and in the morning you'll find a bunch of them. Usually they have no problem getting into buckets of and trays of food, but can't get back out. But to help them get into the trap, you can make a ramp with a stick. They'll walk up the ramp and drop into the trap. In the morning scatter the goods to the chickens and they'll be very happy campers!

    • Becky > Sheri Schmeckpeper October 1, 2013 at 1:23pm

      You can also supply the roaches a hiding place by placing a damp piece of plywood on the ground.  The roaches will hide under it and you can lift it up during the day for the chickens to feast.

    • Donna Bruce > Becky October 1, 2013 at 3:10pm

      I use the container with straight sides as a feeder. I put it next to a wall. The roaches climb the wall to get into the container. The sides are too slick for the bugs to climb out and bright and early the birds eat the cockroaches. 

      I also bury a few of the dishes in my compost beds, and put chicken food in them. In the morning I carry the dish to the chickens.

       

  • chris trammell October 1, 2013 at 11:01am
    A light that you can turn on for couple hrs at night so they can see there meal helps too! It's really a blessing to have this problem not a curse. Glass jars are great traps especially buried most of the way. They crawl in and can't crawl out. It worked well for me but we moved no more roach ala carte.:-(
  • K. Neil October 1, 2013 at 10:53am

    Capture them at night in containers they cannot escape and feed them to the chickens in the morning :]

  • Dolores Testerman October 1, 2013 at 10:45am

    protein for chickens :)

    • Fred Gerten > Dolores Testerman October 1, 2013 at 10:53am

      yes, you would think so but the cock roach are out at night and the chickens are roosting so their schedules don't match up too well for that. Maybe I need some vampire chickens that only come out at night :)

       

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