How to deal with flies, urban setting?

[Seattle Garden Girl]

Hello,
This is my first time on the forum. I have a few 6 mo old backyard chickens in Seattle. I've fenced off the back half of the yard for their run, but have noticed the number of flies increasing alot over the past two weeks (the girls have been in the run about 2 months now). Any suggestions on how to keep the flies down, other than removing all the straw/shavings every few days (it would take a bale or two of straw)? Also, do I need to worry about the flies carrying any other pests or hurting the chickens?
Thanks very much for the help.

 

[miss_jayne]

get a good trap. they work very well.

also, sprinkling DE helps.

it is time for black biting flies to hatch. give it a week or two and they'll be down.

happy chickening!

 

[Opa]

Tractor Supply carries a very effective product called Golden Malrin. You could also try fly traps

 

[mrsengeseth]

DE seems to be working for us. Sprinkled where they dust bath, in their food, and in their grass pecking yard.

 

[Seattle Garden Girl]

Sorry, I'm a newbie. Is DE diatomaceous earth? If so, do you get it in garden supply or feed stores?
Thanks again! Very glad I found this forum.

 

[miss_jayne]

yes, you are correct. warning, many feed stores, because of law, cannot carry DE.

DO NOT use anything but food grade, and don't let store employees tell you it is the same. NOT the same.

the internet has suppliers if you are hard up to find some in your area.

 

[cmom]

I use FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth (DE) . I sprinkle DE and put some scratch in the part of the coop that has a floor. They scratch and do a good job mixing it up in the pine shavings. My pine shavings stay nice and dry, easy to clean out. Also I sprinkle the DE in their nest boxes and in their poop pit under their roosts. I sprinkle it in their run and where they like to dust bathe. I have no problems with flies, stink and such.

 

[MagsC]

There was also another thread in this section on making fly traps with a soda bottle, vinegar and sugar. That in conjunction with DE would probably work great. Seems like a people are having more of a fly problem this year as well.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Hi Seattle Girl! I'm a Tacoma Girl!

The flies are soooo ucky right now. I've been sprinkling DE, putting out homemade fly traps (1/4 c sugar, 1/4 c vinegar in a 2 liter bottle that has been cut in half and the neck put back on the bottom upside down), and hosing down the poo as often as possible.

At this point I'm kind of waiting for the first frost to kill the flies.

 

[chickiebaby]

Good old flypaper strips, old-school granny style, actually work great.