Ever since we got the young ducks the flies are everywhere in their enclosure and so are fire ants... I don't really mind the flies but they're annoying. But OH BOY do I dislike fire ants.
I don't know what you can tell me on the flies, I don't expect anyone to give me for sure answers. How about the ants? Is spray okay as long as I am careful, I'd only spray the edge of their house and spray their feeders. I would remove all food from the feeder, spray, leave out for a little while, and then put it back. Not the inside of the feeder though. I do have ant poison but I'm worried the duckies may eat it... Cuz it looks like their feed crumbles.
Also there's this stench coming from the ground! I was tilling the dirt in there with a little shovel, and this smelly smell came from the ground. I can't really describe it, but I've smelled it before. A little story... So there's this flat, heavy, marble table top (small too and can be picked up). I keep it in one place. I put the leftover feed powder from the hens' lay mash and water under it, then I let it stay in this one spot for weeks. Sometimes when I lift it up and poke around with a stick theres these tiny white worms in all that mush and the chicken who gets there first just gorges themselves. But oh the stench! Is it from the feed powder?
Is that what is attracting the flies or do flies like duck poo better than chicken poo? Or both?
I'm also worried that the ants are biting my duckies feet, they are very young, 3 weeks probably. When I put them in their house they didn't stay long in it, they usually stay there the whole night, it's a fairly warm night though, gotta appreciate the summer. Plus they only stay on the left side of the enclosure when they feed, while I noticed most of the ants are on the right side.
I don't know what you can tell me on the flies, I don't expect anyone to give me for sure answers. How about the ants? Is spray okay as long as I am careful, I'd only spray the edge of their house and spray their feeders. I would remove all food from the feeder, spray, leave out for a little while, and then put it back. Not the inside of the feeder though. I do have ant poison but I'm worried the duckies may eat it... Cuz it looks like their feed crumbles.
Also there's this stench coming from the ground! I was tilling the dirt in there with a little shovel, and this smelly smell came from the ground. I can't really describe it, but I've smelled it before. A little story... So there's this flat, heavy, marble table top (small too and can be picked up). I keep it in one place. I put the leftover feed powder from the hens' lay mash and water under it, then I let it stay in this one spot for weeks. Sometimes when I lift it up and poke around with a stick theres these tiny white worms in all that mush and the chicken who gets there first just gorges themselves. But oh the stench! Is it from the feed powder?
Is that what is attracting the flies or do flies like duck poo better than chicken poo? Or both?
I'm also worried that the ants are biting my duckies feet, they are very young, 3 weeks probably. When I put them in their house they didn't stay long in it, they usually stay there the whole night, it's a fairly warm night though, gotta appreciate the summer. Plus they only stay on the left side of the enclosure when they feed, while I noticed most of the ants are on the right side.
