The run is loaded with flies

[Ccort]

I'd probably do just the pine needles in that case. Any other organic material you can source from your property may help too.

My concern with mulch is that a lot of the commercial mulches tend to have a lot of chemicals added to them for coloring/preservation/whatever reason. You will really want natural wood products for the health of your birds.

Something else that might be worth your time to check out - many local parks will set up a free woodchip area that they grind up their felled trees and just let the local population take the woodchips. This would also be a good source of healthy wood for your birds.

Thanks. I'll check that out too. I'm on the "free wood chips" list so in a few months I will have those and leaves...which will be plenty!

Yesterday I weeded my yard and am adding those in as well as pine needles I have already. I actually managed to end up with a light layer in the run with all that. I'm adding more today.

I also purchased pine straw online...just a box full but hoping that in combination with regularly adding my own yard stuff will be enough. Then, come fall...am abundance of stuff!

 

[Ccort]

Then you probably don't have space to store a big pile of tree trimming chips,
you don't want to pile up a bunch of them right off the chipper.


Vertical or horizontal?

I have a big yard for being in the suburbs..it's the reason I bought the place...and I hope over the top with doing my own landscaping. It's a hobby. So I can definitely spread those chips over existing mulch as well. I'm expecting to save a small fortune on mulch for the yard itself!

 

[dianefbarfield]

How bad are we talking with the flies? I mean, my run has flies too, they are attracted to the poop that the chickens are constantly dropping.

Might be worth a shot to add more material that will absorb the poop. One popular route for this is to get woodchips to throw in there. I've heard really good things about a site called chipdrop for getting free woodchips from local woodcutters.

I add more material, straw, wood mulch, and rake it in. I also got a bug zapper which takes care of mosquitos and other bugs. Unfortunately it captures many moths but every morning the chicks get a fun feast, chasing and eating the bigs when I empty the zapper.

 

[Dragonlady1956]

If you have some empty 2 litter bottles around, you can quickly put out several fly traps around the area to quickly knock down their numbers. Just cut the top third off the bottle, flip that upside down so it fits snuggly in the remainder of the bottle with the small opening facing down. Put about an inch of water in it with your choice of stinky bait (shrimp or lunch meat are good choices). The flies go in but can’t fly back out the small opening and drown. It starts off slow but builds momentum quickly.

Picture please

 

[Seed223]

We recently had some flies around our run and it started to smell REALLY bad. I put a bunch of hay down as a temporary measure - the problem was we had a drainage issue so the poo wasn’t drying out at all. Much to my surprise the hay completely solved the problem (this was a month ago now). I am heading out today to get some more!! We have not had a fly problem since

 

[Acre4Me]

To address flies quickly, you can buy permethrin concentrate and a small (1-2gallon) sprayer. Read directions, make up solution, spray the run and spray the coop if needed. Permethrin is safe and very common for use with livestock. When we have had lice on the chickens, we use permethrin in the coop and directly ON the chickens- it is safe. Permethrin is the lab version (synthetic) of the natural Pyrethrin which comes from Marigolds….and marigolds are edible flowers.

Another option you can consider is fly predators. These are sold by biological companies and are tiny wasps that do not sting or bother humans, but affect the maggots. Bc they work against maggots, people often start in the spring/early summer and get 3-5 shipments over the season. Several competitors, so just Google “fly predators”.

 

[kodster]

I could kick myself for not saving leaves. I'll have plenty in late fall!

Thoughts on using straw or cut grass? I'm thinking cut grass won't help but if you have experience, would like to hear it.

We had a tree cut down on the property, and the tree cutter chipped it up for us, after taking what he wanted from it. Left us a pile big enough to do our chicken run, plus our duck enclosure. Now, we are cutting grass frequently... whatever the geese don't eat up, the rest gets dried waiting to be used, and I throw that into the run on top of the woodchips. The chickens LOVE scratching through it, so that's why I just pile it up inside the run. Gives them something to dig and scratch through, spreading it for me. So that helps with keeping it dry enough for their poop. The few flies that do come, become snacks for the girls.

A couple of years ago we had flies so bad inside the coop itself that I hung a large bottle fly trap in it. That trap caught thousands of them, and then I gave them to the chickens as extra protein. Think of it along the lines of the 'Grubbies' black fly larvae you actually buy as a treat, and is now incorporated into Purina's Free Range layer feed. I bought the trap at TSC but I see they don't carry it anymore. They have similar ones though, so you might want to check your local ones. These are safe enough to hang in the run and in the coop, high enough the birds don't get to them.

 

[Chris027]

Adding a thin layer of Stall Dry has worked for me many times.

 

[carollmcarlson]

Get a RedTop Fly Trap. They work very well indeed. They trap the flies

I agree. Fly traps work so well people think they're attracting flies. I disagree, and if it's true, I don't care. The bait is not poisonous but it is stinky, so put the trap(s) as far from your house and yard as possible, close to your run/coop, and keep an eye on them. They fill up pretty fast.

 

[Priscila Leone]

I noticed a hefty amount yesterday but today it's really bad. They're all over. Does hosing down the run help?
I'll check that site. Anything else in the meantime to

No old wives remedy but this Envirosafe Fly Trap works well. Here in Australia you can buy it at Bunnings. Your local
produce store or hardware store should have it or a similar product. (https://www.bunnings.com.au/envirosafe-fly-trap). It's a fly attractant liquid that lures the flies to it, they get trapped inside the bottle and end up drowning. It helps reduce fly numbers, but it stinks really bad.