Flies, flies and more flies

[NanaJune]

Quote:
We raise quail, chickens, bird dogs, and have horses. The flies we have are horrible. The BEST thing we have found are the fly traps at Tractor Supply. DO NOT get the kind you mix up and pour into old milk jugs - it doesn't work. We bought the smallish ones with yellow and black lids. I can't remember the name but will try to find one of the old ones from last year and post it tomorrow.

 

[Carenm]

Quote:
We raise quail, chickens, bird dogs, and have horses. The flies we have are horrible. The BEST thing we have found are the fly traps at Tractor Supply. DO NOT get the kind you mix up and pour into old milk jugs - it doesn't work. We bought the smallish ones with yellow and black lids. I can't remember the name but will try to find one of the old ones from last year and post it tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[cristina33]

I use that ugly fly tape word of warning tho dont walk into them very hard to get gunk out of ur hair LOL trust me i know

 

[poltroon]

I use fly predators for the horses and I find that it makes a definite difference. However, with chickens I'd worry that the chickens would eat them.

http://www.spalding-labs.com/

 

[Chickiemama1010]

I have tons of flies. When we bought our house it was FEBRUARY. The house sat empty for almost a year at that point. It is also pretty old. Built in 1841. Anyway,we began to peel off hideous wallpaper and there were dozens of flies underneath it ALIVE! it was creepy. There was a foot of snow and it was 9 degrees outside and there were hundreds of flies inside the house. When the woodburner got loaded up and the house stayed warm for a few days in a row, those hundreds turned into thousands upon thousands. We used the shop vac and sucked them up by the gallon. I still have flies, all winter there are still a few buzzing in every window, every day. But that is a vast improvement compared to "gallons." In the country, farmland, etc. its fairly common to have flies. And mice. And maybe even ants. I've lived here for 3 years now and I have had chickens for less than half that time. The fies have always been here. The chickens didnt make it any worse.

Moral of the story: Sometimes theres just a lot of flies.

 

[Tala]

I have had success with Rescue brand bag fly traps (the stinky rotten meat ones) and the Fly Motel (I think it's Black Flag brand??) -- both of them stink to high heaven and don't ever get one in the burn pit on a muggy night ----- omg the stench!! (it was hanging from a tree, and I hit a branch on the tree to break it to fit into the burn barrel and well, branch broke and knocked the stink bomb down too!)


I like the solid sticky traps, not the tapes, they look like big orange long cardboard tubes/sticks things, and when those are covered in flies my chickens will pick the flies off for dinner! MMmmmmm (yes the glue is non-toxic) But they get expensive fast.

The best thing is to keep the poop DRIED out -- which is where DE helps. I don't use DE, but I can definitely see how it would help.
In the summertime the flies were the worst in the muddy-mixed-with-poopy areas wherever I would spill water, so keeping it dry definitely helps!

 

[newchickmom09]

We use FOOD GRADE DE. The first time we had chickens last summer the flies were terrible! They were everywhere and no matter how much I cleaned they were just faster then I was. With this group of chickens I found out about DE and now I use that. I put some in there food and when I go threw adn clean out the coop and run I sprinkle a little on the ground to help dry out the poo. It really does help. I where a desposible face mask when I handle the DE because it isn't good to breath in and get into your lungs. I also turn the dirt since the DE never goes away you have to be careful how much you put in the ground. I think the DE does a great job for us expecialy since we have those hot summers here and the flys love it.

I clean out the run and coop every week so that is the main way to keep down the flys and the DE is the added extra help.

 

[bugflipper]

I use this http://www.amazon.com/Rescue-FTD-DB12-Disposable-Fly-Trap/dp/B001O1GMMY Throughout the year I keep adding water to it as it evaporates. It is placed downwind since it has a rotten smell to attract. I would say it is a half gallon bag and I fill up 2 a year. The flies drown in the water, no poison is used. My dumb old dog got ahold of one last year and didn't get sick.

Years ago I used this product http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(q...tdetails.aspx?sku=998012465&source=GoogleBase. It was a corn meal looking poison, also a rotten smell by the way. It was effective. But I really don't know if it is safe or not to children and pets. I would sprinkle it on a trash can lid turned upside down. When I couldn't see yellow anymore for all the flies I would vacuum them up and leave the poison in the metal lid. A pound would last a year.

 

[zorg]

I attended a poultry show a while back and came across a guy pushing a new product that only kills flies. I was skeptical at first but have been using it in one of my houses and it's awsome. I tried to read up on the technology as much as possible and it made sense.
Do a search for a company called "Terregena". I don't know if you can buy it directly from them or not. I picked up 3 bottles of the stuff at the show and I still have 1.5 left and my chicken house is 20 by 25 feet. The liquid has a type of fungus in it that only kiils flies and has no affect on people or anything else besides flies.
cheers

 

[redhen]

you need ducks or guinea hens.. they love flies! I used to see my ducks chasing them all over my yard...