Is Mosquito Spray Safe For Chickens? 9 Clear Facts

One of the questions you may have, before making use of a mosquito spray, is as to whether the spray is safe for chickens. This question is likely to arise if you live in an area where mosquitos are bothersome, and you also happen to keep chickens. So you figure out that an effective way to get rid of the mosquitos is by using a spray. But you fear that the spray may harm your chickens: hence the question on whether mosquito spray is safe for chickens.

Is mosquito spray safe for chickens? The answer is that some types of mosquito sprays are safe for chickens, while others aren’t. Some of those that may not be safe for chickens are the likes of Raid and Ortho. Sevin and Frontline are also in the category of those that aren’t ideal for chickens. Generally, commercial sprays and pesticides aren’t ideal. However, there are those that are made using food-grade materials. Those may not be particularly harmful to chicken.

Besides sprays, there are other methods you can use to control mosquitos. Those include getting rid of stagnant pools of water and using plants that repel mosquitos. Trimming the grass around your property can also be effective.

Do Chickens Attract Mosquitos?

Before venturing to answer the question on is mosquito spray safe for chickens, it is important to first find out whether chickens attract mosquitos.  So, do chickens attract mosquitos? Well, mosquitos have been observed biting chickens. Chickens do have meaty combs and wattles, which mosquitos can bite into.

Therefore if you keep chickens, mosquitos (especially females that need blood for egg making purposes) may find them attractive.

Does Spraying for Mosquitos Harm Birds?

It depends on what you are spraying. If you are using the sprays that are made using food good materials, they probably won’t do much harm to birds. But if you are using commercial sprays such as Ortho, Raid, Sevin and Frontline, they may be harmful to birds.

This is an important thing to point out while answering the question on is mosquito spray safe for chickens – because chickens are birds, after all.

Is Citronella Toxic To Chickens?

No, citronella is not toxic to chickens. But it is unpleasant to mosquitos. Therefore it is one of the things you can use to control mosquitos without spraying.

Indeed, citronella usage is recommended to people who pose the question on is mosquito spray safe for chickens. That is because through the use of citronella, you can repel mosquitos without actually having to spray.

How Do I Get Rid Of Mosquitos Around My Chickens?

One good strategy is that of installing a screen around your chicken coop. The screen works by serving as a physical barrier to the entry of the mosquitos.

Another good approach is that of using plants like citronella, lemongrass and marigolds. These naturally repel mosquitos. Of course, the problem with these is that they take some time to grow. But then again, you don’t need a mature citronella or marigold plant to keep mosquitos away. The moment the plant germinates, it starts to give off a smell that the mosquitos can’t withstand.

Yet another good strategy is that of ensuring that there are no pools of stagnant water around the place where you keep your chicken. This includes small pools of water. It is important to remember that mosquitos lay their eggs in stagnant pools of water. Thus if there are no stagnant pools of water, the mosquitos won’t have a place to lay eggs. Therefore their populations will naturally go down.

Trimming grass around your property can also be quite effective at keeping mosquitos away. And besides keeping mosquitos away, it also helps to keep your property looking good.

There is of course the option of using a spray. But you may have concerns – mainly on is mosquito spray safe for chickens? If you use the sprays that come from food grade materials, you can keep the mosquitos away without harming chickens.

Can I Use Mosquito Spray In My Chicken Coop?

It depends on what is in the mosquito spray. If the mosquito spray is made using food grade materials, it may be safe to use in your chicken coop. But if it is something like Raid, Ortho, Sevin or Frontline, then it may not be ideal for use in your chicken coop. This is the general advise for people who pose the question on is mosquito spray safe for chickens.

Of course, instead of a mosquito spray, you can use other methods to keep the mosquitos at bay without harming your chicken. Something as simple as having a citronella, lemongrass or marigold plant around your chicken coop may work wonders at keeping mosquitos at bay, without harming your chickens. So can installing a screen around the chicken coop. Or just getting rid of stagnant pools of water around the coop.

Is Mosquito Beater Safe For Chickens?

Once Mosquito Beater dries, it is safe for chickens. But when it is still wet, it can be harmful to chickens. Therefore if you have to apply it in a place where there are chickens, it may be ideal to first remove the chickens. Then apply it, and wait for it to dry. Only after it dries fully can you return the chickens there.

Will Roundup Hurt Chickens?

It may hurt chickens, if you don’t follow safety precautions. The precautions include ensuring that the chickens don’t feed on plants that roundup has been sprayed on for at least three days.

This is an important thing to note, if you have the question on is mosquito spray safe for chickens? That is because besides mosquito spray, there are other substances (including the Roundup in question here) that can be harmful to chickens.

Will Peppermint Oil Hurt Chickens?

Peppermint oil is unlikely to hurt chickens. But it can be effective at keeping mosquitos away. It is therefore one of the things you can use to keep mosquitos away from your chickens, without having to spray.

Indeed, people who pose the question on is mosquito spray safe for chickens should consider using essential oils, like the peppermint in question here. These keep mosquitos away, without hurting the chickens.

Is Triazicide Safe For Chickens?

Well, triazicide is not very safe for chickens. You should ideally not spray it in the place where you keep chickens. If chickens ingest a high enough does of it, they may become very ill, or even die.

If chickens happen to free range in an area where triazicide has been recently sprayed, and they are laying eggs, people are advised not to eat such eggs (for up to 3 weeks).

Final Verdict – Is Mosquito Spray Safe For Chicken?

As we have seen, whether or not mosquito spray is safe for chickens depends on what it is made of. If it is a mosquito spray that comes from food grade materials, then it is probably safe for chickens. But if it is a commercial spray such as Ortho, Sevin, Frontline or Raid, it will likely not be safe for chicken.

There are other methods you can use, besides spraying, to get rid of mosquitos. Things like getting rid of stagnant pools of water, making use of plants such as marigold, citronella and lemongrass as well as installing a screen around your chicken coop can be quite effective. Therefore spraying is not the only mosquito control method that works. If you have concerns about the safety of spraying, you can use those other methods to control mosquitos.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️