Flys

[mstricer]

How does everyone keep the fly population down? I've tried fly traps but they are on the ground and not willing to just fly into jug. Any suggestion?

 

[trishamonks]

What you need are these: http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenho ... _Trap.html[/url] I used 4 of them over the summer, so it wasn't cheap - but I think the reason I needed 4 was that we are surrounded by trees - and the chicken free-range area is totally enclosed by trees. This makes a haven for flies. They are not just a nuisance, they can be a danger to chickens. Hens, if they have a minor injury, or dirty behinds, can get fly-strike. The fly traps are fantastic. We are surrounded by fields of sheep and cattle, and usually flies are a horror all summer, but this year, we didn't notice them at all- except in the traps, which ended up full of horrible dead blue-bottles! The traps do smell horrible though - and you have to hang them well away from your house and from the hen house. I think they were well worth the money. I got them from Flyte-so-Fancy in the UK,i got this from somebody else on trhis site so just spreding the info hope it helps

 

[mstricer]

Thanks I'll try the one I bought. I have the kind you attach to a water jug, but they don't seem to be going in them. They are all on the ground. I bought some DE and I am also going to try it.

 

[winchesterva]

There is a very long post somewhere about flies and several folks recommended those car air fresheners in the Vanilla scent. I tried it and believe it or not it really works. I have four hanging in the "pen" and there are very few flies. Before I hung them, you could hear the flies buzzing around when you walked up to the pen. It's cheap and effective.

Mary

 

[crperdue]

I use muscovys.