How to keep flies out of the chicken coop/run in the summer?

[OkieChickenGal]

Do you all have any recommendations on how to keep flies out of the chicken coop/pen in the summer? Are there any natural sprays I can buy to keep them down? Or can I make my own? It gets really humid here and the flies have already gotten bad
Thanks in advance!

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Try making a homemade fly trap! Fun with kids and lots of ideas on Pinterest

 

[OkieChickenGal]

Try making a homemade fly trap! Fun with kids and lots of ideas on Pinterest

I'll try that! Thanks!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Have you read about DLM (deep litter method)? Fermented Feed? Poop Board w/PDZ?

I ferment my feed ... Aside from the nutritional benefits & no feed waste, there is less poop, firmer & no stink. I have a poop board under their night roost with PDZ in which I scoop poop daily. Doing the Deep Litter Method, there's no cleaning just a matter of adding more bedding as needed. When replacing the "old stuff" can be used in the garden, compost pile or used for mulch around your property.

 

[PouleChick]

Watching with interest! My coop isn't right at the moment for DLM and I need to sort better poop boards! Will be doing it when I get my big coop built for the autumn. I have read that hanging rosemary helps as they dont' like it.

 

[Albanydog]

My mom and I went to a horse farm a few years back to pick up a goat and were amazed at the fact that they do not have a fly problem so we asked them. They use Fly Predator bugs. They are these bugs that you dump on the poop around the farm. The kill the fly larva so the flies can't hatch and reduce the fly population tremendously! Mom has a standing order for the bugs from somewhere and every few weeks from Spring through late Summer she gets an order of these bug larva in the mail. You keep the bags of larva in the house until they start to hatch, then in the evening you spread the larva everywhere there is poop (in the barns and coops mostly) and they hatch and go to work and we have found they really help keep the flies down! We use the deep litter method in our coops and used to have a large herd of goats, as well as the other animals so we had a lot of flies, but not anymore!

 

[OkieChickenGal]

Thank you all for your replies!