Flies Flies Flies. Need help

[Morning]

So the flies are very happy with my new chicken hobby. I have never sees so many. I don't really guess I know what to do with chicken litter. How do I cover it or contain it or neutralize it so that the flies stop swarming. I threw it in the compost, but that's clearly a fly's idea of Christmas. Any ideas soon will help. I only have today off to solve this problem.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Basically speaking, anything that goes into the top end of a chicken is a fly banquet once it exits a chickens' bottom end. Sanitation coupled with dryness goes a long way to cutting back on the fly population. In a free-range situation this may be easier said than done unless your flock can be potty trained.

Welcome to BYC.COM

 

[feather13]

Sorry to hear about the flies! We have that problem too. I've been using fly traps for over a year now and they work to really bring the fly population down. I use this disposable trap (http://www.homedepot.com/p/RESCUE-Disposable-Fly-Trap-FTD-DB12/100083352) as well as a reusable one. The only downside (besides being expensive) is that in a week or two the trap will smell awful, worse than anything you've ever smelled. If you use one, I advise putting on gloves (and possibly a mask) and dumping it in a Ziplock freezer bag. Then triple bagging it with plastic bags before you throw it in the trash outside. Seriously... the smell of the fly attractant and the dead flies is nauseating, although possibly a good thing if you're on a diet! Good luck

 

[Bengt747]

If I didn't live in town, I'd buy some half-grown Muscovy ducks to eat the flies on my property. They're not too picky about what they eat.

The sanitation aspect is definitely key. Once it becomes routine, it becomes a lot easier to implement. I have used some sort of fly tape in order to remove some of the flies as well, but it has not proven overly effective.