FLYS- YIKES!!! Help

[MSchickenmama]

We in North Texas had such a mild winter & the drought. The flies are out of control. Battling them in the Barn, Bunny hutches and the coops are so bad. Cleaning,raking up spilled food, DE, shavings-every day. Then they are bothering the dogs and following them into the house. My twelve year old is out bathing furry creatures right now.

Ideas for help in my battle,please? Our yard has fly strips everywhere. I gave the chicken their ice pops(the bunnies love them too) earlier and I felt back because the flies just swarmed in.

I have rue in nesting boxes. Have pick my herbs and roses clean. It's not affecting their laying ability.

Such a nusense, help.....

 

[scwheeler24]

I live in TX as well, and it is a really bad year, the worst since we have been here, 5 years. I guess just keep doing what your doing, we have a fly trap hung in the coop run area to try and help as well. Other than that, I don't know, I have seen sprays for horse barns and wondered if they would be okay to use in coops but it seems most people say sprays arent safe.

 

[chfite]

I have one of the bag traps that smells so bad. It took a while to work, but has reduced the flies to practically nothing.

Chris

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I don't know if it works or not, but I read somewhere here on the forum that car air freshners (the hanging kind) will deter the flies from lingering in the coop. Some people had said it works for them.

 

[dretd]

I have one of the bag traps that smells so bad. It took a while to work, but has reduced the flies to practically nothing.

Chris

Totally agree. I use the kind with the mason jar. You half fill it with water and put in the attractant and because of the lid design the flies can't find their way out. I took a behind the scenes tour of a zoo and they had them hanging up everywhere but they had a half of a dead fish in there for attractant. Ewww, but it worked great.

You can also get a hanging no-pest strip with Dichlorvos. I have one in my hen house because I have/had mites and I was desperate since the 'regular' treatment wasn't getting ahead of the buggers. Labeled to put around dumpsters and in cabins and such as long as people don't inhabit for more than 4 hours. Haven't had problems with the girls overnight and they free-range during the day.