Aren't chickens suppose to eat flies?

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
You should see a chicken get stuck to one of those, it is not a pretty sight or easy to get them out of it!!!!!

 

[Shikens!]

I have a fly problem in my run. The flies aren't in the coop just all over the ground in the run. I have been keeping it as clean of poop as I can short of following chickens around with a scooper. The flies are everywhere!

So far I have tried the vanilla scented hanging things, those were useless. I tried the sticky paper, all that caught was flying ants. I also tried a black flag fly stick thingy, that has gotten like 10 flies.

I really want this to go away. I am a new chicken owner and I am embarrassed to bring people around my coop. I feel like the flies are just proving me wrong to all the people who I tried to convince that chickens aren't filthy. It is a crappy feeling.

I will try the traps listed in this thread. I am seriously starting to feel desperate.

 

[LuvinMyPeeps]

Have you tried the DE suggestion yet? There were 3 things that worked for me last summer when I had HORRIBLE flies. They were:

1. Clear out the litter and replace with fresh pine bedding and mix in DE.
2. Hang the pest strips with pyrethrin in them (they are found at Home Depot). They're white with slats in them and a white plastic hook.
3. Turn over their bedding daily. That will make sure the DE coats the larvae/flies and they won't want to come around anymore.


I really hope you find relief....they can be SO annoying!

 

[Mattemma]

What can be done for flies in the run?Should I cover poo with lime or DE? I have hundreds of flies swarming all over the poop droppings in the run area.Half the poo is loose,so it can not be scooped up. I hose what I see. The area is *buzzing* with the sound of flies. If I can not get things better I may get rid of all of them due to neighbors.I will be buying plastic fencing and putting them all in the far backyard tomorrow,and they will spend ALL DAY back there.No coop there though.

Will try what was suggested so far.

The coop isn't so bad,but my run is horrid.The run is just a fenced off area with trees,shrubs,flowers,wood chips,and grass. I thought it would be a big enough area,but I guess not.