So many flies!!!

[cassie]

Reason I suggested the homemade traps... when I looked at the ones you add water to, they were like $8 a pop.

I don't like having to dispose of the sticky strips. But I do always see flies on them where people do use them.

You can get those sticky strips that are on a reel and you just wind them up as necessary. They work well strung around in a barn. We used to make use of homemade fly traps, too. By using the traps, sticky tape, and predators, we used to keep the fly population down to a very tolerable level.

 

[cassie]

We used to have around a hundred in the breezeway of the barn. The nose or mouth fungus really took its toll on them, or something has changed here maybe they switched locations. They’d screech at you if you walked by. Seeing them leave out at night was really cool.

You reminded me of something I had forgotten about. When I had my dairy, there was a bat that flew around the barn during the evening milking. He was dining on the insects that were attracted to the barn lights. On the floor were dozens of toads busily picking up the bugs that hit the lights and then landed on the floor. I had to watch where I stepped to avoid squishing one.

 

[casportpony]

If permethrin doesn't work you could try this:
https://www.bayerlivestock.com/products/tempo-sc-ultra-premise-spray/

 

[BreanneRN]

Yeah, those fly predators are the best! Especially if you are into organic, that is the way to go. Also, encourage your other fly and bug predators, which include flycatcher birds, lizards, frogs and toads, and yes, even those spiders... I dislike poisonous sprays and try to preserve balance in the eco-system, but when something unbalances it, measures must be taken... (like when my neighbor turned his property into a feed lot for cows secondary to his rodeo aspirations). Flies breed in manure and dead stuff, so keep it cleaned up/buried/composted. And yeah, if you use those fly traps from the feed store, put them at the most remote location you can find from your house and coops.

 

[Pensmaster]

Reason I suggested the homemade traps... when I looked at the ones you add water to, they were like $8 a pop.

I don't like having to dispose of the sticky strips. But I do always see flies on them where people do use them.

And at $8 that’s disposable.
I make mine this way. The neighbor buys the disposable kind. I use the top of theirs and nut or candy containers. Rubber gloves for making or dumping.

The wasps also for them

 

[Pensmaster]

You reminded me of something I had forgotten about. When I had my dairy, there was a bat that flew around the barn during the evening milking. He was dining on the insects that were attracted to the barn lights. On the floor were dozens of toads busily picking up the bugs that hit the lights and then landed on the floor. I had to watch where I stepped to avoid squishing one.

I used to leave the barn light on for the bats.

 

[BenandHelen]

https://www.horse.com/item/fly-rid-plus-spray/E006407/

I bought this stuff to keep mosquitoes off my goats, after I saw them using it to keep flies off a cow. It can be sprayed on the walls. It also works on lice and mites and labeled for use in chickens with no withdrawal time for eggs... Under $8 lasted me 2 + years with 82+ birds, 2 large goats, and 3 medium dogs. In the equine section at the feed store... active ingredient is permthrin.

Also, you can make homemade traps using a water or soda bottle with it's top inverted like a funnel cone... a little raw meat or oddly enough an apple slice to attract them. Look for some other versions online.

I won't personally use DE... but you might be able to use some PDZ to keep things dried out a little... it might help.

What are DE and PDZ?

 

[BenandHelen]

What kind of bedding in run?
Deep litter will 'eat' up the poops for fewer fly nurseries.

We have a large (20x30 foot) pen. Inside that is Duckingham Palace with its screen porch (about 4x6 feet). The pen is just bare ground with leaf litter (i dump raked leaves in the pen since the chickens love to scratch through it. Keeps them well entertained) and inside the ducks screen porch I have been laying down some straw. i was thinking of increasing the straw, but in about another week the screen porch is going away. They will be big/old enough to mix with the adult chickens. I will keep deeper bedding inside Duckingham Palace though.

Funny story, I left one of the doors on the screen porch open for a couple of hours to see what they would do. The ducks did not even try to come out. the adult chickens however did go in! I looked out at one point and saw the two ducks sitting happily on their straw while 4 adult chickens crowded around the big bowl of “starter” that the ducks are still on. I figured “oh well”. Then when I looked again in a while there were just 2 chickens in with the ducks (the most adventurous chickens). But they were having trouble finding their way back to the door! . The ducks pretty much ignored the chickens until they tried to scratch at the straw where the ducks wanted to sit. Then the ducks got up and “goosed” the chickens and and kind of herded them away from the straw! I was laughing hard at that point!

 

[BenandHelen]

And at $8 that’s disposable.
I make mine this way. The neighbor buys the disposable kind. I use the top of theirs and nut or candy containers. Rubber gloves for making or dumping.
View attachment 1477855
The wasps also for them

I think I may try this! Do you reuse the plastic jar?

 

[WyandotteH]

Fresh mint is an old remedy and I find hanging from the top of the coop is a good deterrent for flies and insects.