Arizona chickens. .....new to BYC!

[AZChickie]

Hello! I have 5 chickens and this is my first summer with them. They are still young and haven't began to lay yet so looking forward to that. I have started using a misting system in order to keep them cool in our now 112 degree weather but have found that the dampness has created a huge fly issue. Any ideas on how to treat the ground to get rid of flies and the larva? It is a pinned dirt area....

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Welcome to BYC!

Have you tried using sand in your coop and run? I use it here in New Mexico and it is the greatest thing since sliced bread! You can hose it down in the summer time and the birds will stay incredibly cool. Cool feet mean cool birds. It stays dry when wet, it is easy to clean and you won't have hordes of flies. It is soft on the foot pads and the chickens love to scratch an bathe in it. AND....being that you live in AZ, you can go out into the desert and dig it up for free. I get mine from a nearby dry wash and arroyos. You can tell it is sand when you wet it and squeeze. If it falls apart it is sand. Dirt will clump. Once you find a sand vein, remember where it is. Here is what mine looks like..


I hose or sprinkle mine down once or twice a day and the birds rarely pant, they stay so cool. That an a fan running, they don't over heat and there are no flies!!! If you keep it clean as possible, you won't have flies. Flies need wet dirt. They don't care much for sand.

Here is a nice link you can read thru for more info on sand....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

Good luck and I hope you can get your fly situation taken care of!

 

[AZChickie]

Sounds like a fabulous plan! I now know what my afternoon plans will consist of....the flies are horrible! Thank you!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your flock, looks like TwoCrows has set you on the path to get the flies under control!

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us! We have a contest running for our new members, if you are interested. Rules and how to enter here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/885886/welcome-to-byc-sign-up-and-win/0_30

Enjoy the site!

 

[AZChickie]

The girls! 2 Rhode island 2 americauna (spelling? ) 1 white leghorn

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[gander007]

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to the flock.

 

[K9Dave]

The girls! 2 Rhode island 2 americauna (spelling? ) 1 white leghorn

welcome.

I like my RIR's but turns out I picked 4 roosters. I have a young leghorn that hates my guts. Maybe 4-5 weeks old. Hope it's just a teen phase. What part of Az are you in?