How do you get rid of pesky creatures?!

Quote:

Originally Posted by americana-lover 

Ok, so I live in an urban area, and also own 5 Americana chickens. They are all just over 1 year old, and dont make too much noise. The real problem is the fly problem. I always clean their small coop every other day, but there is still wayyy too many flies! There has to be over 50 er so, and before the chickens, there wasnt any flies, and Im scared that me neighbors are noticing, and I dont want to get rid of my pets!

     So is there any natural ways to get rid of there pesky creatures? I dont want to go out and buy any chemicals that will hurt any of my other animal, so please help me!

 

 Thanks!

There are several things you can do: Put sand in your pen. Sand cuts down on the fly/insect population and wont wash away in a downpour. It dries quicker than dirt. You can hang rolls of flypaper strips around your pen. Hang them high enough where a chicken wont jump up for a tasty meal and get tangled/wrapped in it. (I had it happen with one of my hens lol)

Some people (including me) have used vanilla air fresheners, used in cars and they seem to work. I especially noticed it in my garage. Sand here costs $25 a cubic yard. I have it 4-5 inches deep and I noticed the flies just about disappeared in a few days. I removed the fly strips and havnt used them since, nor the vanilla air fresheners.

What you want to do is go down to your local feedstore or garden store and get food quality diatomaceous earth. You'll want to put a little bit mixed in their feed to ensure they don't get worms and sprinkle it in their coop, especially in whatever you are using on the bottom - shavings, sand, etc. The DE will kill the larvae so the eggs cannot hatch. We find just the DE works for us. :D

Additionally, you may want to put out several small pieces of sponge soaked in natural vanilla scent or extract. Flies hate the scent and will avoid it. You can sometimes find natural (must be natural, not synthetic) vanilla car fresheners, those work great, too - just hang them in your coop. The fake vanilla doesn't seem to work as well, in our experience.

Simple homemade fly traps:

You can put an inch or more of apple cider vinegar (or fruity substance like orange juice or wine) & a squirt of dishwashing soap into a deep dish or jar, cover it with plastic wrap or lid, then poked some holes into it. It might have to be changed every couple of days.

If you like some action, you can also put 1/4 cup vinegar and a squirt of liquid dishwashing soap in a cup or jar and add water until the bubbles reach the top of the cup. Leave it on the counter and the flies are attracted to it and they get stuck in the bubbles.

Here's another fly trap you can use:
fill a quart jar with this mixture...
3 cups of water
¼ (one quarter) cup sugar
¼ (one quarter) cup white vinegar
Mix, punch holes in the lid, and set it where needed.
This method is used by folks who have to deal with safely keeping flys away every day. They have other fly remedies here:
http://www.moniteausaddleclub.com/flyspr…

A forum about homemade fly traps: click on the steps for illustrations:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Fruit-Fl…
You can also use a funnel over a jar that holds the fruity liquid:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Super-EZ…
http://www.instructables.com/id/make-a-f…
http://www.instructables.com/id/Fly-Trap…
 

With all those options, you'll find the right combination that works for your coop. Good luck!

DE is useless when wet, the insides of a chickens are wet and wont kill worms. It will kill insects by dessication.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=576245

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawg53 

 

There are several things you can do: Put sand in your pen. Sand cuts down on the fly/insect population and wont wash away in a downpour. It dries quicker than dirt.  Sand here costs $25 a cubic yard. I have it 4-5 inches deep and I noticed the flies just about disappeared in a few days. I removed the fly strips and havnt used them since, nor the vanilla air fresheners.

Guess I know what my next project is