Small flying bugs in duck coop

[woknrouen]

I went to clean my duck coop this morning and saw it was infested with small flying, jumping black bugs. They were crawling around in the straw bedding. It has been pouring rain for a week straight so the straw in my run was super wet and dirty. The back of the run that turns into the fully enclosed coop was dry and had no bugs however. I cleaned out all the straw and pressure washed the whole coop. I'm still worried however. I can't identify the bugs. I don't think they're mites, I've also checked my ducks and they don't have any bugs on them. I ordered first saturday lime but I'm scared it's not enough to keep them from coming back. What can I do and are my ducks safe? Also, are the eggs still safe to eat?

 

[Maddcatter]

Outside of the fact that there are small black fly like insects flying around, are they causing harm? Do they bite? Are your ducks actually bothered by them?

I am unsure of exactly what kind of bug you have, though I think it's similar to a fungus gnat. I think I tend to get the same thing when my ground get soaked for the first time after it warms up. Mine go away after about a week, or if the ground dries up. They don't seem to cause any harm, they just are annoying.

Your duck eggs should be fine to eat, your ducks might be snacking on the gnats, but bugs are a pretty normal snack for ducks. Mine are particularly fond of moths.

 

[woknrouen]

Outside of the fact that there are small black fly like insects flying around, are they causing harm? Do they bite? Are your ducks actually bothered by them?

I am unsure of exactly what kind of bug you have, though I think it's similar to a fungus gnat. I think I tend to get the same thing when my ground get soaked for the first time after it warms up. Mine go away after about a week, or if the ground dries up. They don't seem to cause any harm, they just are annoying.

Your duck eggs should be fine to eat, your ducks might be snacking on the gnats, but bugs are a pretty normal snack for ducks. Mine are particularly fond of moths.

They don't seem to be harming my ducks from what I can tell. There's no bugs on them and they are acting normal.