bluebottles and big hairy house flies

[Xtineart]

my hens free range in the garden and although I am constantly poop-picking after them and try to keep the place as clean as possible, the warm weather has meant we are being swarmed, excuse the pun, by plagues of big black bluebottle flies. They are attracted by the poop but there are so many some days you cant sit out and cant open the house windows without them buzzing in and all round you. I've tried using sanitizing powder which the hens keep trying to eat and poo picking daily but they just keep on coming. I thought chickens would keep the pests down but the summers are awful here with the flies they attract. How do I keep the fly population down a little so I can sit out in the sun with my girls again?

 

[bucky52]

I have been battling the flies in my chicken runs alsoThis year is the worst.Summers past I could control them by putting sticky fly ribbons up.I have caught gobs of them.But its like battling a wild fire.Than I had seen a post on this site that flies hate DE.I have Food grade that I mix in their feed.I springle some in their runs and it made a big difference.Plus we live in farm country.Also i'am dealing with fly strike on one of my roosters.they are some nasty boogers.