Flies

[speckledhen]

I've gone through 50 lb of DE in two months and this year, it just isnt cutting it like it usually does. The PDZ does seem to help with the smell in the coop just as well and I put DE in their feed, but most of it has been used in the coops and pens. I really think the flies had a real population explosion for some reason this season.

 

[lcountry]

Suburbanchick -

The little things that eat the fly larvae are called Fly Predators. I haven't used them around the chicks, but they made a HUGE difference at the horse barn where I boarded. I was at two different barn over a number of years. One used one of the expensive automated fly spray systems and had lots of flies. (Not to mention I got sprayed more than once. Ew.)

The second barn used the fly predators and it was vastly better. I'm a firm believer in them. I purchased through Spalding Labs. They were a great company with excellent customer service. Their page even had a calculator for how many fly predators you need to order based on the number of animals that you have.

The main thing - if flies are well established it will take a month+ to really see a difference. You aren't killing the adult flies - only the larvae. So you have to wait for the adults to die off before you can really notice a difference.

You get a bag of larvae, wait a day or two for hatching to begin and then spread them around your animal poo areas. I'd make sure to keep them away from the DE as it might damage them as well.

 

[wendy]

Quote:
Hey! i saw this used at the boat landing, when we would pay the boat launching fee. they had this, i had never seen it before. i figured it did not work but they swear by it every year!!!!!!!

 

[suburbanchick]

Thanks for the input, guys. My situation is that I don't really have a 'coop' per say, but a chicken tractor... and they only sleep in it. The rest of the day they are free range in my small, confined backyard. I only have 4, so I guess it's not so bad, but I hate getting bitten when I go out. For those of us who free range, it's probably more difficult bc the area you have to worry about it bigger. Like when I use DE, I don't know where to put it... I just sprinkle it around the places they like to congregate, but I would love to broadcast it all over the lawn! I also find that the hens avoid the stuff. When I put it in the dust bathing areas, they vacate them and find new ones.

Perhaps those fly predators are the answer for us. Icountry, are they not annoyances at all?

Wolfpacker, watch those chickens! Nasty possums!

 

[foxtrapper]

There is spray, particularly the pyrethren types. They are effective against bugs.

 

[justusnak]

Oh my...the FLIES!!! I have hung the "bags of pennies and water" My coops look like a floating bank! LOL. The sweet PDZ....cleaning the coop every 3 or 4 days...nothing seems to be working. So..I hung several of those yellow sticky fly traps....first day...I caught a bat! UGH, what a mess that was...peeling it out...trying not to hurt it. Got it freed..and eventually it flew off. So, yesterday I noticed one of my Langshan roos was not very social. upon closer observation, I noticed he had one of those traps all wrapped up under a wing...down his side, and around to the tail feathers. He was NOT a happy roo while I was peeling him off of it. So...I guess I will take down the rest of the sticky traps....and just "deal" with the flys for now. UGH.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

We still use the disposable traps that you add water to, to capture the adults. Works for us.

 

[jkm]

I am having a very bad fly year, DE did nothing. I trimmed the shade trees and hung a fly organic flycatcher, its a bag you add water too, its not a pesticide, just an attracttant. the flies get in, but not back out.
I have two up and in four days they have really dropped the fly population. The one near the back door is working well, I have a good nose and can smell the attactant, not a nice smell. but its catching flies.
I may move it near to the coop in a few days.

I saw this bag type at Lowes, about 4$, read the directions carefully!!!!

Trimming the shade trees helped, fly strips helped, after a week I am feeeling better about fly control.

 

[speckledhen]

I know that awful smell from those bags! Yuk! I have a couple of them, but when I put the last one out, it was full to the brim with thick fly soup in two days. They just keep on coming and coming. I think the only thing that will cure the flies this year is FALL!

 

[justusnak]

Come on FROST!! I know we have a Looong way...but I for one am looking forward to the very first HARD frost! UGH, I hate bugs..and snakes.