Bugs!

[adreilly]

Hi! I'm new to chicken keeping and working on keeping the flies, roaches, ants at bay. My girls are still too young to free range in the pasture so they are confined to a large run currently. We have rocky clay soil and no matter how much sand i add or how much i rake it gets compacted. This lead to lots of wet poo and flies. I have the victor fly magnet and need to empty it twice a week. I also have roaches and ants in the coop. I build this feed system https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/704443/diy-chicken-feeder-pipe/240 and have begun capping it in the evening but I still have ants going in. Advice?

Thanks!

 

[0wen]

I would get rid of the sand and use an organic matter for ground cover. I use a wood chip (not shavings) base of DLM with grass clippings, dried leaves, dried pine needles (no more though since I removed all the pines from my property), garden scraps, weeds, etc. The wood chip base controls moisture well enough, and the edibles tossed in encourage the chickens to scratch it around to keep it fresh. I also keep a rake in the run and will move it around whenever I go in to feed or such. I also use wood chips in their coop, and just move it to either the run or compost pile when it needs freshened up. Most of my composting is done in the run/coop by my chickens. Sand is too much work for me...

 

[adreilly]

I would get rid of the sand and use an organic matter for ground cover.  I use a wood chip (not shavings) base of DLM with grass clippings, dried leaves, dried pine needles (no more though since I removed all the pines from my property), garden scraps, weeds, etc.  The wood chip base controls moisture well enough, and the edibles tossed in encourage the chickens to scratch it around to keep it fresh.  I also keep a rake in the run and will move it around whenever I go in to feed or such.  I also use wood chips in their coop, and just move it to either the run or compost pile when it needs freshened up.  Most of my composting is done in the run/coop by my chickens.  Sand is too much work for me...

 

[Folly's place]

Fly traps and attractants do just that; they attract more flies! If you use them, hang them away from your coop and house. Deep bedding; shavings, chips, other stuff, is a much more natural and user friendly coop and run base. No daily cleaning!!! If you have a tiny flock, dry conditions, and love to scoop poo daily, use sand. Otherwise, deep litter is the way to manage your coop. Mary

 

[adreilly]

I'm using wood chip (shavings in a bag) inside the coop but having a hard time keeping it clean. The poo is dry but theres lots of it and so I end up taking all of it out and replacing weekly. I'd like to stop having to do that but my girls don't scratch around inside the coop. They dont seem to care much for scratch grains. They go crazy for oatmeal but cant see it mixed with the litter. Any suggestions for keeping up with the poop? They have just begun roosting so I am wondering if adding a poop board will work now, whereas before they were sleeping all over the place on the floor. My coop/ run is fly free this week, the only change being I covered the part of the run nearest the coop entrance with a tarp to keep it dry and shaded and threw down some fresh grass clippings that have since dried. HMMMM....