Gnat Problem?

[chickeneer45]

Hi guys. I am still pretty new to chickens so I may be asking beginner questions. I have only had my chickens for about six months and I see that you only have to clean the coop about every six to eight months- at least that's what I have heard. I recently discovered that there are many, many, MANY gnats/ flies all around my coop in the run area which is a 10x10 dog cage which surrounds my coop. They are all over the ground and flying everywhere. Some are near the food as well, and I haven't really had a chance to check for them in the food/water. The run area has no grass and when I first got my chickens, I put gravel in it as the "bedding". All of their poop, plus a lot of mud, has piled up now and the gravel is pretty much nonexistent now. The ground is pretty squishing so I was wondering if maybe that is the ideal environment for gnats/ flies. I haven't really seen much information on this, and I haven't seen this problem being frequently posted either. Is it weird that there are so many gnats? And is there any way to get rid of them? I plan on cleaning the coop soon, but what about the run? Is this many bugs dangerous to my chickens, especially if they are near/ in the food? Thanks so much for any answers because I have no idea what to do about this.

 

[4 the Birds]

Keeping your coop/run dry and clean will go along way with keeping bugs away. Fresh water and feed daily and any basic cleaning is a daily must. If you have a poop board then that needs to be cleaned daily. If you have deep litter then fresh bedding should be added or piles removed every few weeks if not sooner. DE dusted on poop boards and in the coop every now and then will help keep things dry and deter insects. Chickens are bug eating machines and they will take care of most anything that does not fly. Hope this helps!

 

[chickeneer45]

how can I dry my run area? It is always muddy and pooey.