FLIES!

[motherofmolly]

hay in the outdoor chicken run will mix with the poop....which equals a breeding ground for flies. i turned mine over the other day and found tons of maggots. now i go out there daily and turn the outdoor chicken coop stuff so the chickens can get to it and eat the maggots. some of it was too thick and they werent pecking to the bottom. this has helped keep the flies down.

i also hang up the fly strips inside the coop (not in the part the chickens are in, but my part) to keep the flying ones down.

the bag of water with a penny in it is supose to work. the penny ultimately looks like a spider in the flies eyes.

i also have a electric bug zapper.

this just helps. doesnt get rid of them.

 

[Erin K]

I recently got the bag kind of fly thing and it might be my favorite $5 purchase EVER. There are about a million flies in it after just a few days. I noticed a HUGE reduction in flies around. I don't mind some, it's outdoors and there is poo and such, but before I got the bag thing it was out of control. I feel like it is at an acceptable level now.

We had had a TON of rain and I heard that really contributes to it. Last year I didn't really have a problem.

We did get a few inside but my 6 year old son is magically awesome at using a fly swatter. He can get all the flies in the house in just a few minutes. I've never seen anything like it. I should send him over to your house!

 

[1stTimeChknMama]

It has been 4 weeks since my last post & having done what I said I was gonna do am pleasantly surprised there is little to no fly problem in my coop.!

I try to keep poop scooped up daily and there is no hay in the pen except for their bedding so it stays nice & dry. We have an all sand floor which dries the poop up nicely.

 

[terryg]

Good for you! Keeping things dry is the key.

 

[rosesm]

Glad to hear things are going smooth again. Flies, how to get rid of can be a pain staking job that no one likes.

 

[Ivytwilight]

We have a serious fly problem. Our chickens have only been outside in their run/ coop for TWO DAYS and there have to be close to 100 flies already. People are saying to keep things dry...well I live in the desert it can't get anymore dry than it is. I have sand on the bottom of their run and pine shaving in their coop. The coop is small. We only have three hens and the coop is enclosed so we haven't had any flies in there, but in the run it is crazy! I was shocked at the number of flies that gathered so fast for just three little birds...we got one of those bag fly traps two days ago and so far it only seems to be attracting more flies, but most don't go in the trap...? I use a cat litter scoop to clean up their poo...which there isn't much of considering they have only been out there for a day, night, and day!

Does anyone have any suggestions as what to do about this problem? I understand flies come with living with livestock. I used to have a pig growing up, but even he didn't attract this many flies...the number of flies seems to be obscene.

We have a decent sized backyard and wanted the birds to free range in it as pest control (we have had scorpions and heard chickens were good for eating their bug food supply so we got our 3 Dominique pullets), but seeing as a hawk landed right on their run today that seems out of the question as well. The hawk didn't even care I was out there and didn't leave until I told the dog to "Get the hawk". We are very new to chickens and this has been a very bad day for us. We feel slightly overwhelmed with problems right now and the flies are the very annoying cherry on top to a frustrating day. Do the vanilla air freshers really work for people? Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Sylvestor12]

Check your hens for wet poopy butts. If there are wash them imeadiatly and watch for maggots. Flies cover little individual poops like CRAZY 10 flies can COVER 1 little poop. The fllies eat it

and clean up your area so you may not be seeing how much they're pooping if you're away (job, doc, etc) which is likely to be what's attracting the flies. If you have the time and patience, you might want to scan the area for an egg laid outside that got broke or for any dead pests or rodents that may be attracting the flies.

 

[Ivytwilight]

Thanks! They don't have wet bottoms ( I checked them! Their little, cute bottoms are clean!) I haven't seen anything dead! And they are only 6 weeks old so the egg thing is not an issue, from them at least. I look anyway for a fallen birds nest, because we had one in the front yard a few days ago, but saw nothing. I did take the fly trap and moved it about 30 feet away from the coop now instead of 15 like the reviews of the product suggested. I will see if this helps the situation. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the fact both my neighbors have outside dogs in their yard... Thanks for the advice!

 

[Sunnysimplelife]

What is the issue with the poopy butts? I noticed my BR has some white stuff on her butt feathers but it looks dry. Now I have to clean their butts everyday? Ugh. I am having a fly issue too. We hose down everyday as they free roam in the backyard. What is worse the wet from hosing down or the poop laying about? It seems the poop really attracts the flies so I thought I was keeping it cleaner this way and I don't want to step in the poop. I am feeling very frustrated right now as I clean the coop daily and I am worried my neighbors may complain about the flies.

 

[Sylvestor12]

If the poop is fully dry, you don't have to worry about it because flies need the moisture. If you hose your area it will probably attract more flies becuase they NEED wet areas to breed. For chicken poops you find I'd crumble some nearby dirt and cover it to dry up the poop. Over time it will decompose into the dirt. Poopy butts are an issue because if the poop is watery and caught on the feathers, they will lay eggs. Once the eggs hatch they'll eat all the poop, nearby feathers, and move to the skin via flesh. They will eat her til she's gone. The best way that I know to treat it is screw worm spray, indoor time, and a water hose. Tip just in case you didn't know, fly eggs are less than an inch, pure white, and narrow ovals. Hope your hens never get them.