Burra Maluca wrote:I'd heard that the ants spray formic acid on the feathers which acts as an anti-parasitic.
That's the reason they give here too. Lots of birds do it.
The flickers and woodpeckers here rub individual ants on their feathers with their beak, slowly squishing the ant as they go. Then discard it and get another one.
If the chickens find an ant hill, I know they will be mite free for about a year. Works incredibly well.