HELP! Fly Problem - Deep Litter Method

[Jennine746]

I live in Ontario, Canada, so I'm sure our weather is much different than yours! But I use just a small amount of shavings in the coop through the summer, with extra amounts in the nest boxes. Every morning when I go out to gather the eggs and let the chickens out, I shovel the noticeable poop out of the coop. The coop stays cleaner and flies are manageable. I have tried the vanilla air fresheners like someone has suggested here, and found no difference in the number of flies around, but the coop smelled a little nicer. I usually have between 20 - 50 chickens in my coop. Through the winter, I use the deep litter method and still try to shovel as much of the obvious poop out as I can.

 

[blondiebee181]

I've never read anything about FOOD GRADE DE being bad for birds....however, I have heard that you shouldn't use GARDEN GRADE as it may cause irritations....apparently it is somewhat different.

 

[kilby]

Good bacteria will be killed by the DE. The bacteria is supposed to breakdown the organic material.

 

[karen18]

aw, you're not a failure, and not alone! I just got 4 easter egger hens (one of which started, um, crowing...so 3 girls and a roo lol), and I put them in a 4x6 coop - which seems to need cleaning every other day, and attracts flies. ugh. I started cleaning it out every two to three days, but am at a loss as to what to do with all the hay and pine shavings, especially because they don't compost quickly (or maybe I'm doing that wrong too). I tried alot of bedding, and a little bedding, but it still gets too stinky & poo-ey. I bought a coop with a glass board botom over wood, and think maybe a screen bottom would have been a better idea, but I live in New England and I didn't want them to get cold in the winter.

 

[austintxchick]

-3 pack Little trees Vanillaroma in the Auto section $2.43

That is definitely worth a try!

 

[austintxchick]

aw, you're not a failure, and not alone! I just got 4 easter egger hens (one of which started, um, crowing...so 3 girls and a roo lol), and I put them in a 4x6 coop - which seems to need cleaning every other day, and attracts flies. ugh. I started cleaning it out every two to three days, but am at a loss as to what to do with all the hay and pine shavings, especially because they don't compost quickly (or maybe I'm doing that wrong too). I tried alot of bedding, and a little bedding, but it still gets too stinky & poo-ey. I bought a coop with a glass board botom over wood, and think maybe a screen bottom would have been a better idea, but I live in New England and I didn't want them to get cold in the winter.

Yep, sounds like me...experimenting with what's going to work. I'm kind of over the pine shavings. They get all over and the dogs are tracking them into the house.

 

[OKSmileSnap]

Thank you for your response. I do the same thing, cleaning out the poops from the shavings and on the floor under the perch. Then I water down all the poops in the yard too. I only have four chickens but they sure do poop a lot! I have much to learn about them and this forum is very helpful. Right now they have their coop for night and free run of the whole backyard in the day. That will change once I decide how much space I'm going to give them and build a mobile enclosure. I'd like to keep them corralled off for a couple weeks before we want to have any backyard functions so we don't get poop tracked all over the house and then let them run free at other times. I want to learn how to safely use their poop in the garden as fertilized. Being a newbie I don't know whether it's safe to just dump it on the ground and mix it in with the plants or if I need to compost it first. So much to learn! Anyway, thanks again for your comments!

 

[1chickendog142]

Ok I will go a little bit further with MY findings? Where I live in the very far south part of Okla. we have high temp and humidity conditions with mainly clay type soils, that said. This year the flies are terrible, I have 24 chickens and 30 rabbits so there is poop abound, and I have a full time job keeping up with it, The coop is open to the chickens at all times but they only use it at night and to lay their eggs,(except for one broody hen lol) . It is completely open on all sides even the top -summer set up - chain link kennel run with light tin only on top, with a box fan on a stand in the middle. So air flow is not a problem, and this sits under a huge oak tree in good shade. I have a 1 acre bug zapper hanging right outside the coop gate running night and day w attractant and it does nothing, 2 jugs from TS 1 gal. W attractant and almost 3 weeks later stinky clear water in both. I do use DE on my chickens and dust them once a month, I also sprinkle DE on the nest boxes that have hay in them. I do not put it in the coop because some bugs that go through there are forage for the chickens and I choose not to kill off their food sources. Any DE kills bugs weather food grade or not. I have had good luck with these little trees from Walmart or whoever you want buy them from, and to those who don't believe TRY EM IN UR AREA?

 

[austintxchick]

Ok I will go a little bit further with MY findings? Where I live in the very far south part of Okla. we have high temp and humidity conditions with mainly clay type soils, that said. This year the flies are terrible, I have 24 chickens and 30 rabbits so there is poop abound, and I have a full time job keeping up with it, The coop is open to the chickens at all times but they only use it at night and to lay their eggs,(except for one broody hen lol) . It is completely open on all sides even the top -summer set up - chain link kennel run with light tin only on top, with a box fan on a stand in the middle. So air flow is not a problem, and this sits under a huge oak tree in good shade. I have a 1 acre bug zapper hanging right outside the coop gate running night and day w attractant and it does nothing, 2 jugs from TS 1 gal. W attractant and almost 3 weeks later stinky clear water in both. I do use DE on my chickens and dust them once a month, I also sprinkle DE on the nest boxes that have hay in them. I do not put it in the coop because some bugs that go through there are forage for the chickens and I choose not to kill off their food sources. Any DE kills bugs weather food grade or not. I have had good luck with these little trees from Walmart or whoever you want buy them from, and to those who don't believe TRY EM IN UR AREA?

Maybe it's a bad fly year. Heck, even if they don't work on the flies, they'd be good for the smell. Worth a shot at 3 bucks a pop.

 

[austintxchick]

I've never read anything about FOOD GRADE DE being bad for birds....however, I have heard that you shouldn't use GARDEN GRADE as it may cause irritations....apparently it is somewhat different.

That's what I've read as well.