FLIES-BIG & BAD

[flasunshine]

What do we do about them? We got fly bait. It's in a bag and you but water in it and hang it. we have gone thrue 4 in the 2 last week's. The girl's coop gets sprayed out with the water hose every night and gets scrubbed with bleach & soap once a week. When the bag gets full with flies it STINKS! What else can we do? we don't want to fog the yard because we are afraid it will make the girls sick. Any suggestions?

 

[nccountrygirl]

DE, plain and simple, get some FOOD GRADE DE and throw out in the coop, it will help with the flies

 

[flasunshine]

OK Thanks i will try it

 

[tiffanyh]

I just did that-made a big difference.

 

[flasunshine]

Sorry to keep bugging you all about this but... I just called the feed store to see if they had Food Grade DE. And she said no that they just carry regular DE. I asked her were i could find the Food Grade DE and she said she hadn't seen it out for a while. I told her my situation and she told me that the regular DE would be ok around the Chickens. I don't know what to do now. HELP!

 

[Dawn419]

Check out Custom Milling for food grade DE.

 

[silky ma]

check your locak pool supply for pure DE, thats were I got mind. Keep all rotton fruit and veggies
buried. Flies love them.

 

[poppycat]

Sweet PDZ also helps a lot, and is easier to find on short notice.

 

[Dawn419]

Quote:
From my understanding, pool supply places Do Not carry food grade diatiomaceous earth. The DE that they do carry is for pool filters and is poisonous to ingest. Check out this food grade DE link. Third paragraph discusses pool filter grade DE.

Hope this helps!

Dawn

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

I use a version of the Deep Litter Method (only remove stuff that is wet, and remove poop under roosts.. add some fresh and mix up). I had heard that this method allows fly predators to breed, and then they take care of any eggs before they become flies. Not sure about that, but the only time I've seen flies is when it has rained, and there are wet spots in the litter. I also rake the poop and any leftovers/wilted leaves from the run once a week, and make sure it stays as drained as I can (it's on a bit of slope, and no low spots to collect puddles)

I had read that if you choose to COMPLETELY remove shavings in the summer, you have to do it constantly or there will be flies. Not sure how true that is, but I can honestly tell you that there are no flies in my henhouse. Once in awhile a spider will attempt to spin a web in there, but the spider either starves to death, or the chickens eat it (neither of which I feel badly about!!). I have heard in barns that you can use those fly stickies.. although not sure how those would work near the hens .

Meghan