Flies, flies, flies!

[Jesseanne]

This is my second summer with my fourteen chickens, but last summer they were just babies. Now that they are grown, they poop all over as they free range. We seem to be having a real fly problem. Is there anything that I can do to reduce the number of flies in my yard?

 

[incubatingisfun]

sticky fly traps

 

[Dar]

I try and keep my hens in the run until the later part of the afternoon i find they stay closer to the coop and poop there and it keeps the flies there and i sprinkle around the coop with DE

 

[Jesseanne]

Thank you for your replies, both are great suggestions that I will try!

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I swear the flies are worse this year than in the past....I have resorted to hanging those sticky fly papers in the chicken houses...up high and out of reach of the birds though...I was amazed at how many it caught in a day.

 

[HennyJenny]

This was going to be my post tonight! I can't go into my coop without being eaten alive by flies - closely followed by chickens pecking at flies on my legs - it's a brand new coop and it feels grossly infested already!

 

[anythingbutsandy]

This year the fly problem in our area is particularly bad. I've read about DE and everything I've seen is that the results are either great or not so great. I've been reading about a product for horses & other animals that is a fly predator and I'm wondering if anyone has had success using this? At this point I'm willing to buy it and try it but thought I'd ask first if anyone has used it.

 

[jeni51]

I bought a Victor Magnet last week to hang in my run and it works great, already full. It is a pint size plastic cup with lid, comes complete with attractant. No poisons so great in coop.

 

[Bawk Vader]

I swear by DE and also Indian Runner ducks. My ducks keep most of the flies under control.

 

[tellynpeep]

Where are the flies breeding? I would think the chickens would eat any maggots around...
I like the idea of the fly traps. The fly paper strips are great for seeing lots of dead flies, but I don't know if they really help reduce the population significantly. (And be sure to hang it way higher than your head... I have a traumatic childhood memory of fly paper stuck to my hair.... ewwww!)