Flies.......Flies......& More Flies.....How To Rid????

[_Randall_]

I've got my pens about 42" off the ground, and of course, the poop collects pretty quickly with 150+ Bobs (with the pens under a big shed). I've got some of these.... http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail....rce=froogle&utm_medium=free&utm_content=27934 ...... but that ain't cuttin' it!!!! The jugs are filling up with flies, but them suckas are multiplyin' quicker than ............well..........flies!!!

Just wondering if it would be safe to spray Malathion or a wettable Sevin Dust ever so often (42" under their pen). I know pestisides can do poultry in if exposure is too close, but lemme hear some opinions???????

 

[Yessur Ebob]

Diatomaecous(?) Earth kills flies and wont hurt your birds. Throw a good amount directly on the manure and it should clear up your problem. Just keep applying it.

 

[_Randall_]

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Duhhh, Dummy Me!!!!! I've seen that stuff mentioned a few times on here, but it never occured to me it's for fly killin' ....... Before I go shoppin' for some, is it readily available at most farm supplies?
........Oh, and thanks for the tip......

 

[cranberryroo]

I'm not sure about farm stores, but it is also used in swimming pools, so pool stores should have it too.

 

[watersoflethe]

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sorry but be careful which one you get
you want the FOOD GRADE DE
that's not the one used for your pool that one is TOXIC for birds.
Food grades the one that's safe to ingest and will be safe if your birds ingest it.

some feed stores will carry it some wont.
i have 5 feed stores close to me and only 1 carries it. so you should call and ask. if not you can always order it online although it'll be a lot more expensive.

 

[chunkydunk]

Actually you can use all DE around animals except the ones that specifically state not too. The pool stuff can be used at a rate of less than 2% of food weight to feed for internal parasites. The reason for this is silica crystals. Itll cause respiratory problems. The De thats not intended for use around animals or feed has a chemical added and food grade has less of the silica.

 

[bigredfeather]

You can try spraying the droppings with vinegar every few days. It works well for rabbit droppings, so I would think it would work for quail. Cheap and safe for everybody. It doesn't kill them, just keeps them away. "You can catch more flies w/ sugar water than vinegar." is what they say.

 

[aprophet]

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white vineger??

 

[bigredfeather]

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white vineger??

White or AC. Doesn't really matter.

 

[katharinad]

Get some ducks. They love to hunt down flies. They even get more efficient if you hang burlap and make it wet. Attracts the flies and the ducks have it even easier. Some people say the laundry softener sheets help. Some even paint laundry softener to their rafters. I have not tried it, so I don't know about it for sure. I know ducks and wet burlap work like a charm.
Katharina