How do I get rid of flies?

[shawluvsbirds]

It does seem like d e helps a little bit. Not that it kills any flies I just think it helps stuff dry out. But with ducks everything is always going to get wet lol.

 

[Leighe]

How close to your coop is your placement? If it would actually draw flies away from my ducks pen I might wanna try it. I've been having to feed less more often because any leftover feed just gets swarmed with flies! There is more on the feed than on the poo it seems like. I just worry about making it worse. And I'm like you I don't want to use chemicals around my birds.

I have mine in the area where they eat and drink (which is outside the coop and pen). I happened to have one of those planter hanger things he uses in his video so I did the exact same thing. I think the flies "prefer" the chef's special (dog poop) over the chicken food....the aroma from the poop seems to draw them more so, so yes I have noticed fewer ones around the eating area.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

ha ha, well I don't have any hair left for that to be a problem, LOL! the thing that weighs on me heavily is the thought of a city inspector with a clip board walking around looking for things to ding me for, I just don't need that. part of the reason the smell bothers me so much is that I worry that it bothers my neighbors, then I stress about mr inspector. neighbors are ruthless around here and the city just seems to live off of the violation revenue. I've heard of one thing leading to another leading to another, enough to want to stay way ahead of my neighbors. If I was on a large lot, not 10,000 sf, I wouldn't have to worry, but the good jobs are near the city so here we are, with neighbors practically just a few feet in every direction.

I know what you mean about the city people! Same here. Give them one reason to give you a ticket and they are on your case about everything.

 

[Leighe]

Yeah, I have no neighbors.....so stink away

 

[NorthTexasWink]

@Leighe "I'm thankful that everybody likes different places otherwise Texas couldn't hold everyone, lol. Although I tell all my friends and family, who live out of state, that everybody will be in Texas once in their life....when everybody dies, the first rung of the ladder to Heaven is in Texas "

How's that song go? "If I die, I may not go to Heaven, 'cuz I don't know if they let cowboys in. So if I die, just let me go to Texas, 'cuz Texas is as close as I've been!"

Isn't there something in there about Hell and Oklahoma? Well. There oughta be.

 

[tigger19687]

Ok, I have less poop today and less flies. I started the FF feed again 3 days ago.
Well, I soak it over night then fed it.
Then I put in too much water so had to use more feed.
Which lead to just taking 2 spatcula scoops in the AM, and today I did am and pm only because they ate it all up like they were starving. Which is what I want. They were not eating it all before... which brought more flies. {where is the fly Emogji ?}
I am not leaving dry out in the PVC feeder. Not sure who spilled it all over but it was all over and I had filled it that day ! It should have lasted a few days ! I think the chipmunk got into it. Plus the chickens learned how to get the yogurt cap off . Who knows.

I also re-sprayed the Vanilla Trees every day since Saturday. Who knows maybe it is working better then I thought. But if a combo of FF and Vanilla Car tres works, so be it !

 

[HCB]

Actually was looking at Forestburg area first, but brother is moving to Greenwood so that's probably where I'll end up at. Have never had anything stolen but we live on the property and there is rarely NOT somebody here, not to mention the 2 large guard dogs. I'm on Ag taxes and don't have other land elsewhere so we're safe so far. What a mess.

Forestburg is a nice area based on the terrain (not all table-flat) but kind of isolated (not close to a Wal-Mart (I'm so proud to live in the country...:-/) Greenwood is very close to where we live (maybe a couple of miles) and much closer to Decatur and a Super Wal-Marts (intentional)...and 287 which will get you to the big world.

And Wise county has a much better tax base and Decatur, being the county seat, has the SD, plus their PD, and a whole nest of DPS...we got the law running out of our bo-bo's here. With experience in Montague county and low LEO presence and here with high LEO presence...I recommend here.

All the best with moving. Take care.

--HC

 

[HCB]

@Leighe "I'm thankful that everybody likes different places otherwise Texas couldn't hold everyone, lol. Although I tell all my friends and family, who live out of state, that everybody will be in Texas once in their life....when everybody dies, the first rung of the ladder to Heaven is in Texas "

How's that song go? "If I die, I may not go to Heaven, 'cuz I don't know if they let cowboys in. So if I die, just let me go to Texas, 'cuz Texas is as close as I've been!"

Isn't there something in there about Hell and Oklahoma? Well. There oughta be.

No, no, no. SO wrong. Oklahoma is like purgatory...California and Massachusetts are hell.

--HC

 

[HCB]

last year the flies got real bad for some reason and got into our house, mostly it was medium sized black flies with the most evasive flying pattern of any fly ive ever seen. we got a fly zapper swatter and that works ok for the flies inside though these damn flies seem to be able to disappear into thin air, that or my vision ain't what it used to be. after a couple misses I start to get that sinking feeling that someone is watching me swat at nothing and thinks I'm going crazy, LOL! outside we've tried the putrifying traps and wow, they stink so bad that the neighbors can smell them and I live in an urban area so that is really something I need to avoid. this did work pretty well though. this year I tried buying an 8 pack of fly magnet fly paper and so far, it's working well. it does not smell at all, that I can tell and I have hung weights on one to keep it from curling on itself and I used a tack to secure both ends on another. it seems to be working well but will require replacement more often than the stink traps but I'll do just about anything to avoid ever having to empty one of those stink traps out again. I have a pretty tough stomach and I seriously almost hurled pouring out one of those traps to reuse this year. it was so bad I just couldn't bear buying any more of the lure this year. we also tried a light bulb bug zapper but that did not attract the kind of flies that seem to like the chickens so it's fly paper for now!

No, it's not your eyesight (or mine); they kind of morph like those evil twins in the 2nd or third (or both...it's been awhile) Matrix movies. Definitely not our eyes, they're perfect. Really.

Check out the "Rescue Disposable Fly Traps" you can buy at TSC, HD (link to follow), Lowe's, Amazon...blah blah blah: http://www.homedepot.com/p/RESCUE-Disposable-Fly-Trap-FTD-DB12/100083352

No emptying, just throw them (in the neighbor's yard...you know the one...the ONE...late at night). They do NOT stink (if you're a fly or a buzzard).

Sticky strips (to my limited knowledge) do not have an attractant; it's poor, dumb luck that the fly lands on it and gets stuck. Putting them near a stinky trap (or suspending the stinky trap from one) helps.

There used to be a fly bait called Golden Malrin. In the early '80's, my parents killed piles of flies with it in the rabbit barn. 30 years later I tried it and didn't catch so many...maybe I placed it too high (hungry flies *supposedly* hunt near the ground), maybe the formula changed.

FWIW. HTH. YMMV. EIEIO.

--HC

 

[HCB]

You had me crackin up, hilarious. "The most evasive flying pattern of any fly I've ever seen" to "that or my vision ain't what it used to be. after a couple misses I start to get that sinking feeling that someone is watching me swat at nothing and thinks I'm going crazy, LOL! "

I miss the good-old-days when, if you saw someone talking to themselves they were crazy (ever been to New York City...jeez). Now, maybe they're crazy...maybe they're on a Bluetooth headset on their cellphone.

--HC