How bad ARE the flies?

[Chicky_Baby]

I am seeing multiple posts on flies... is there something I should know?!?!?

I was sort of under the impression that chickens would cut down on the number of bugs in my life and now I hear they attract them.

I live in Va so the climate is pretty warm now and I haven't seen an unusual amount of flies...yet. Then again my immediate next door neighbor has about 100 head of cattle that graze right up to the property line. Is there something I should know? Is there something so horrible I really do not want to know it?

Give me the skinny on how bad the flies really are, please.

 

[Judy]

When I start seeing flies in the coop I sprinkle pelletized lime around. Last year I hung a few fly traps and one or two of those paper spiral things. We also have a cow pasture behind us so there are going to be some, but it's not that difficult to manage.

I don't know why the chickens don't eat the flies, they eat everything else. Maybe they just gave up on catching them.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Hi there! I too am from VA. I don't have a huge amount of flies around. I mean, I have them, but they don't come in swarms or anything. I use the bag traps- they come with a little tube of foul smelling liquid. You pop the tube inside the bad, fill with water and hang them somewhere around your coop. They are very effective. Tsc sells them.

 

[duckyfromoz]

If they are anywhere near as bad as the flies we get here during the Australian summer- I sympathize... I also use those tubes - here you put a powder in and fill with water- the only bad thing is emptying out the flies if you want to re-use the tube- but they are cheap enough to just toss anyway. They do help a bit- but there still seems to be an awful lot around.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

I started using Stall Dry in the coop a couple of years ago and haven't had a fly problem whatsoever. Of course, TSC has stopped carrying Stall Dry so I'm going to have to find another product that is as inexpensive and effective.

 

[dawj]

Agway has it. The only thing I don't like about dry stall is it doesn't seem to compost well so i have to take it to the dump or use it to fill holes on my property. Agway SKU# – 06657999

 

[Robin'sBrood]

I don't think there are any Agways in this area. We have an AgriSupply store nearby, maybe I'll check with them about Stall Dry. I think TSC is now carrying Sweet PDZ (even though I've never seen it in either of my local stores) so I looked up Sweet PDZ's website and found this...

Chickens

Chickens have a lot of benefits, but they are by no means the neatest of barnyard animals. In fact their coops, hen houses and pens can get really stinky. Sweet PDZ is the answer to your smelly, dropping filled coops. Sprinkle Sweet PDZ liberally where the birds make their mess. Reapply regularly on the most frequently used roosting areas, and you’ll be well on your way to a healthy, safe and pleasant smelling chicken house. Sweet PDZ also makes it much easier to remove the droppings when cleaning out the chicken’s house. As an added benefit Granular Sweet PDZ can be safely eaten by the birds and used by them to grind their food. Clean smelling chickens = healthy chickens.

If TSC ever has any in stock I guess I'll try a bag. I'll use ANYTHING that is safe to keep the coop dry!!​