Fly Problem In Run???? Help!!

[stux2c]

Now that its warming up here in New England, the chickens are hanging out in the run most of the day. I DLM inside the coop, and it is dry, odor free and for the most part, fly free.

Outside is 12x10 run attached to the coop. I have 10 hens, see signature for roll call. Anyway...like I said, it is warming up here and now the flies are coming, attracted to the poop they are leaving. Is there a powder or odor generating something that I can use to keep flies away?

Also, I have a compost bin (plastic 95 cu ft ones you get at Home Depot), and I filled it 50% full of my last coop cleanup (pine shavings and poop). Well...the ammonia smell is getting bad!!! What is there that I can do to alleviate this problem?

This is my 4 months of having hens, and its the first time I have experienced warmer weather. I dont want a real bad odor problem, so any help would be appreciated!

Thanks !!

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Same problem here on the 1st hot days. Remove as much poo and shavings as you can and then rake the dirt so that what is left get mixed in. Spread some garden lime around and rake it in. That helps mine but in the heat I have to do it once a week. You can mix lime in with the compost as well.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

the ammonia smell is getting bad!!! What is there that I can do to alleviate this problem?

Pelletized lime will neutralize ammonia
Mix it in well​

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

We use Sweet PDZ in our coop and run. It is a horse stall deodorizer and it absorbs moisture. We sprinkle liberally over the poop pit and coop once a week and put down a layer of new pine shavings. It sucks the moisture out of the poop. We have no ammonia smell in our coop at all and while we do have flies, it is only a few here and there and not clouds and clouds of them. The chickens pick them out of the window when they go to roost in the evening. We then do a super clean of the coop once a month, removing everything, spraying with orange oil and putting down new shavings.

It sounds like your mix is off in your compost. The poop is decaying too fast. It may be too moist. You could add more brown material (more shavings), or try leaving the composter open and let it dry out a bit.