how to manage maggots in the coop?

[lauram42]

I have 3 chickens that are in a coop big enough for 8-10 chickens. However where the food and water are kept, I keep getting maggots. I clean out the coop every weekend and it doesn't seem to help... any advice or ideas? I tried hanging the waterer (thinking this might be causing part of the problem) so it wouldn't spill but they keep knocking it around and spilling it anyway. So I'm not really sure what else to do???? They are driving me INSANE!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Do they have an outdoor run? Can you move their water out into the run? Only do this if you are able to let them out for fresh water just as soon as they come off their perches in the morning. Can you move their feed out into the run? What style feeder are you using, and what type of feed are you giving them? I do a deep litter in the lower level of their coop which consists of hay, leaves, and grass clippings. During the winter, i kept their feed and water in the lower level, setting it up on a pallet to keep them from kicking so much litter into the feed and water. Unless we've been in a deep freeze where mid day temps in their sun room did not get above 20 degrees, i gave them fermented feed. If the weather was colder than that, I gave them crumble. But, i can tell you that they prefer FF, and their poops do not smell and are not as nasty when they are on the FF. Just as soon as the weather warmed up a bit, i moved their feed and water out into their run. They get FF 2 - 3 x/day, and they lick their bowl clean. Their poops melt into the DL in the coop. So, the flies really don't have much of a breeding ground. Check out the fermented feed thread. It's super easy to do, and gives your flock an extra nutritional boost. I suspect that your girls are billing a lot of feed into the shavings, and mixed with the water they are spilling, it makes an excellent breeding ground for flies, not to mention an attractant for rodents. Fermented feed will save you a whole lot of money b/c they will not waste so much as a grain of feed, and the feed that they do eat will go much further.

 

[lauram42]

Thank you! I will look into FF. They have access to their run 24/7 (even though they do put themselves to bed every night!) so I will move everything out there tomorrow and see if that helps. I was afraid putting it all outside would bring in other animals (even though I have them in an enclosed area with chicken wire and then a surrounding 6 ft fence) but at this point I'm desperate to get rid of the maggots. So I will move it all outside first thing tomorrow. thanks again!

 

[lazy gardener]

One thing i do is to be sure there's never food left out over night. And even in the winter, when it's in the lower level of their coop, i cover it if there's any left at night so mice can't get into it.

 

[centrarchid]

Separate food and water. Make so spilled feed fall onto flat dry surface birds can glean over. You might also consider restricting ration a little so they invest more in gleaning.

 

[The Triplets]

I am so glad I found this thread!! I as horrified to find maggots and all sorts of creepy crawlies when I was scooping my coop today. I use construction sand and clean it once a week. I am new to this and apparently water accumulated in their with a short burst of rain. Since the sand is on concrete it didn't drain.

I now realize reading this thread that I should not have their food and water in their coop. It seems the odor and the nastiness was concentrated near the spill area. I am removing everything today, but am scared...I don't know what bedding to use now and I realize that this winter my coop floor will flood. I'm in SO CAL so not much rain, but it was just a tiny bit of rain last week and that was enough to create a disgusting mess. I only have three pullets and think the



maggots probably started before the rain. Any suggestions or my flooring???

 

[lazy gardener]

Without a roof and drainage, any thing that you put over that concrete will continue to hold moisture. Is there an option to move your set up so their run can be on the ground? Your only other option would be to build a raised floor over the concrete, but you'll still need to cover it to keep the rain out of it. I wish you the best with this dilemma.

 

[dheltzel]

Don't your chickens eat the maggots? Mine think it's a treat when I find an infested bowl and dump it over. Maybe try turning over the bedding with the maggots and let them find it.

 

[Peeps61]

Can you put your coop up on blocks? It would at least keep the water from going in when it rains. My feed and water for my chickens are in a covered area where water rarely reaches it. Water splashed onto the ground will keep it wet - mix anything organic in with that and you have a fly problem. Flies lay eggs and then you get maggots. You might also try some fly predators. They reproduce by killing the maggots and laying their eggs in the dead larvae. The more predators you have the less flies reproduce. The problem is that you have to sprinkle them out of range of your chickens as they think the larvae are a treat! However, the young predators can fly up to 150 feet to find maggots as hosts, so you don't have to put them directly in the coop. You can study about them online.

Your best bet is to keep the feed dry in the first place.

 

[The Triplets]

Thank you - the coop itself has a roof and it is on bricks not sure if you can them in the photo (grey color). My concrete is not level so that water can drain into a hole and out to the gutter (we have a pool) The sand just worked like a sponge and since the covered part of the coop faces the south the sun doesn't shine in there. It has been in the 90s and I would have thought that would have dried it, but with 3-4 inches of sand apparently not. I think I will need to slide a piece of plywood on the bricks and then put shavings on that. Then there would be a void space under it so it can run out???