Flies!!! What to do?

[1stepcloser]

Well yay. The byproduct of our new coop seems to be about a million flies. They have only been in there one night! I have dry cobb covering the floor. What do I do...ignore them? Just chalk it up to part of having chickens? Should I have fly strips or anything else to catch them in their coop? Thanks...being a newbie kind of sucks sometimes. LOL

 

[msjones]

I was floored by the number of flies in my dirt run.

Then, I put sand on the floor of the run. Presto! Hardly any flies. Amazing. Try sand.

 

[1stepcloser]

I just found this...a homemade chemical free fly trap.

http://ecobites.com/eco-tips/1233-repurposed-plastic-containers

 

[powerline]

Apple Cider Vinegar at 2 oz. per gal of water will keep blowflies away.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

OK, I saw these ziplock baggies full of water hanging from the rafters at our local fair (at the apple dumpling booth)... each one had a penny in it ... we were joking that it was a crazy way to have a 'sprinkler system' for fires ... but then they said it was to keep away the flies.

I went to snopes and it says that is 'undetermined' if it works or not. Let us know if you try it and what results you get.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/flies.asp

 

[ShaggysGirl]

I tried the bags of water too...didn't seem to do much.
I put DE in the coops litter and in their food that does seem to work a lot. Now we only get a couple here and there

 

[txchickie]

Get yourself some DE, quick!


I love that stuff

 

[1stepcloser]

Uh, what is DE?

 

[grandmaof5]

DE= diatomacous earth (and that isn't spelled properly, I don't think). There are different grades, and you HAVE to get food grade. It is available at a feed store. Here, have a look

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1560-Food_Grade_DE

 

[rdranch]

I would start with the sticky traps this late in the season. They are cheap and very effective. Replace as often as needed