What should I do about flies?

[Barnette]

Just tossing in another idea.... Looks like you have the room to Re-arrange roosting and install poop trays for daily cleaning. You can avoid poo on walls and poo altogether with a quick morning clean up. Winds being cheaper to maintain in the long run too.

Great idea!!! I'll look into it this summer!

 

[TLynne1]

Is this stuff safe for other animals too? Does it just kill the bugs in the coop and does not harm the ecosystem? I have always been against pesticides but this does not sound like a pesticide. Thank you for your suggestion!!

After reading this thread, I ordered it. I'm using fly traps and strips. But nothing works when the flies are low (where the poop is). I clean the coop as soon as I get home, then again when I put them up for the night. I was (and still will), using lime which is ok, but it's not enough. Thank you for the tip.

 

[BDutch]

We use PT-Alpine. It is expensive but we spray one dot on each wall, and the flies are dead. It lasts about a month. The dead flies are safe for chickens to eat.

What is your definition of safe? Chickens not dropping dead within a few months?
Poison that kills flies can’t be healthy for chickens because they eat the death flies. And its not healthy for the people who eat the eggs either.

Diapers work best. Second best is clearing all poop at least twice a day.

 

[Barnette]

What is your definition of safe? Chickens not dropping dead within a few months?
Poison that kills flies can’t be healthy for chickens because they eat the death flies. And its not healthy for the people who eat the eggs either.

Diapers work best. Second best is clearing all poop at least twice a day.

Well, clearing the poop even once a day can be difficult or even impossible for many people. I have two coops. And I have a life other than my chickens - I simply don't have time to clean two coops that often. And if I were to go on vacation, I can't expect a house sitter to do that for me. But thanks anyway! Just because it wouldn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for others.

Also good point about the fly stuff!

 

[BDutch]

Well, clearing the poop even once a day can be difficult or even impossible for many people. I have two coops. And I have a life other than my chickens - I simply don't have time to clean two coops that often. And if I were to go on vacation, I can't expect a house sitter to do that for me. But thanks anyway! Just because it wouldn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for others.

Also good point about the fly stuff!

I do understand the cleaning is a nuisance and can take up too much time. Keeping less or smaller chickens in the long term can be helpful too.

Are the flies only a nuisance or is there a chance of fly strike where you live?

Maybe it helps if I tell you about my setup and experiences with chickens and flies? I have a rather natural environment in the chicken run. My run has bushes, a net cover (wet when it rains) and the chickens scratch in the soil for worms and other treats. My chickens don’t poop on the sand floor in the small covered run where the food is. So I only have to clean the poop boards. Fresh droppings in the net covered run wash out or are eaten by flies in the summer. Every autumn I rake the fallen leaves (mainly fruit trees) and add the brown leaves to the run to keep the soil healthy.

When the chickens free range I see flies eating poop in the garden and on the terrace and see flies on flowers. Sometimes they fly into the house if the doors /screens are not closed. But I don’t see many flies at other places and they don’t bother me much.

I truly believe that a more natural and balanced environment without using poisons helps to reduce pests.

Anyway have a nice vacation!

 

[peafowl_Lover]

I use fly paper it works quite well.

 

[TLynne1]

I do understand the cleaning is a nuisance and can take up too much time. Keeping less or smaller chickens in the long term can be helpful too.

Are the flies only a nuisance or is there a chance of fly strike where you live?

Maybe it helps if I tell you about my setup and experiences with chickens and flies? I have a rather natural environment in the chicken run. My run has bushes, a net cover (wet when it rains) and the chickens scratch in the soil for worms and other treats. My chickens don’t poop on the sand floor in the small covered run where the food is. So I only have to clean the poop boards. Fresh droppings in the net covered run wash out or are eaten by flies in the summer. Every autumn I rake the fallen leaves (mainly fruit trees) and add the brown leaves to the run to keep the soil healthy.

When the chickens free range I see flies eating poop in the garden and on the terrace and see flies on flowers. Sometimes they fly into the house if the doors /screens are not closed. But I don’t see many flies at other places and they don’t bother me much.

I truly believe that a more natural and balanced environment without using poisons helps to reduce pests.

Anyway have a nice vacation!

How are you controlling where your chickens poop!!!?

 

[BDutch]

How are you controlling where your chickens poop!!!?

I can’t . They just don’t like to mess up the small run with poop.

My first chickens started keeping the sand-floor clean from poop. And possibly learned the chicks not to poop there either.

Only when they are locked inside for a longer period they poop in the small run. Like when I have a mamma with small chicks or when they got nervous bc the auto-opener broke/ran out of energy.

Even when we had cold and snow for over a week, and the chickens didn’t dare to go outside, they didn’t. They poop outside or roost to poop. The roosts are their bed- and bathroom.

 

[Barnette]

I do understand the cleaning is a nuisance and can take up too much time. Keeping less or smaller chickens in the long term can be helpful too.

Are the flies only a nuisance or is there a chance of fly strike where you live?

Maybe it helps if I tell you about my setup and experiences with chickens and flies? I have a rather natural environment in the chicken run. My run has bushes, a net cover (wet when it rains) and the chickens scratch in the soil for worms and other treats. My chickens don’t poop on the sand floor in the small covered run where the food is. So I only have to clean the poop boards. Fresh droppings in the net covered run wash out or are eaten by flies in the summer. Every autumn I rake the fallen leaves (mainly fruit trees) and add the brown leaves to the run to keep the soil healthy.

When the chickens free range I see flies eating poop in the garden and on the terrace and see flies on flowers. Sometimes they fly into the house if the doors /screens are not closed. But I don’t see many flies at other places and they don’t bother me much.

I truly believe that a more natural and balanced environment without using poisons helps to reduce pests.

Anyway have a nice vacation!

There is a great chance of fly strike, unfortunately. It's happened to us once before. We have two chickens who don't squat when they poop so I have to give them baths when it gets really bad. Anyway, thanks!

 

[Txpollock]

I have flies in the chicken run but none in the coops or in the food buckets. I use vanilla scented car fresheners in the food buckets and I haven had a fly inside those ever since. I didn’t really think it would work but it does! And in my coops I use stall dry (similar to sweet PDZ but not quite as dusty) and I never have flies in my coop. I have a cat littler scoop and I scoop the poop daily. Takes about 30 minutes to feed, water, gather eggs, & scoop poop. I have 11 hens and a roo in a run that’s 32’X16’ and another 1 mana with 2 chickens in a 9’X19’ run.