Why don't I have flies?

[duckduckturkey]

Okay,

That might be one of those, don't tempt fate questions, but after reading Pudget Sounds fly control thread (which was very interesting and informative - Thanks!) I'm wondering why am I so lucky?

I'm chicky sitting, so while I'm trying to be the prefect sitter, face it, I seriously doubt I'm any more factidous about keeping things clean than all of you, so why am I blessed? Is it temperature? The pen and the run is in a heavily wooded area, so it stays about ten to fifteen degrees cooler than most of the rest of the city. Is it the bark chips? I laid bark chips (don't know what kind, it was just a big pile she had laying around,) all over the run and pen area to combat the mud and the girls love scratching through it. Elevation? We're not that high up, only 500 feet. Moisture? You know Oregon is damp, but so is Pudget Sound. Is it the age of the pen? I don't know how long she's had chickens, but I think less than a year. The size of the run? The 14 girls are in an enclosure that is about 20' x40'. Lack of other livestock? No one else in the neighbor hood has livestock. The native bird population? The woods are full of all kinds of birds. I know we have bats in the area, but they only come out at night and I thought flies were day time pests. Wind factor? It isn't all that windy, but there is usually a pleasant breeze.

After reading that thread, it's like one of those mini miracles that I don't have this problem. I mean, the first week, all I did was clean out all the trash this gal had piled up in the chicken run ("toys" for the chickens, according to her email.) So, with all the garbage (rotting food included) that had been in the run, why aren't I plagued?

What am I doing right? Because whatever it is, I want to keep doing it!

 

[LoreenH]

You are very lucky, I'm in Portland Oregon and have tons of flies....I will send you some if you like

I need to get a couple of fly traps and see if that would help, my chickens try to catch some but just aren't fast enough.

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

Yea you lucky in Louisiana everyone is complaining about flies. I dont have to much of a problem but I havent been feeding many table scraps lately I think it help not to always have food on the ground.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

Quote:
The fly traps didn't work for us at all. It worked in that there were hundreds of flies in the trap within days, but then it stunk so badly you could puke and there were flies coming because of the stench. You'd have to spend $7 every other day on the fly bait refills to keep it clean. So gross. Someone else suggested vanilla car scent things. I'm going to try that next. I figure once the walk in run is complete and we have sand all will be right with the world.

 

[Dirty Farmer]

I don't have any flies here either

(gives a high five, to duckduckturky)

 

[breezy]

You dont have any flies because they are apparently all at my house

 

[BellevueOmlet]

LOL - I thought you were complaining that you did not have flies, I thought maybe you wanted extra protein for your chickens or somethign like that

I have never had flies until the last couple of weeks. They must just lovw this years summer batch of chicken poo.

If you ever do figure it out, let us know. PLEASE

 

[Hunterlauren93]

Quote:
The fly traps didn't work for us at all. It worked in that there were hundreds of flies in the trap within days, but then it stunk so badly you could puke and there were flies coming because of the stench. You'd have to spend $7 every other day on the fly bait refills to keep it clean. So gross. Someone else suggested vanilla car scent things. I'm going to try that next. I figure once the walk in run is complete and we have sand all will be right with the world.

the Vanilla car thingys do not work. I bought 20. Hung them everywhere, it didnt work. i am now using a net, like a butterfly net and kill them

 

[pjknust]

Very Strange I dont have many flies this year, and no mosquitos. Must be the heat and drought. However, a lady in town said they were all at her house. The past 2 summers I had so many flies!! When I would come in the house in the evenings there would be about 30 swarming my kitchen. All outside, fly bags were full and disgusting.
This year, I have hardly any, and havent even put fly bags out. There are a few in my baby chick pen.
I have lots of dogs, a few chickens. I groom and board so lots of dog poop I try to keep picked up.
I have always use DE around and about and in the food at times.
Mind you, Im NOT complaining. I just thought it was very strange.

And the mosquitos. Usually you get bit any time of day or night. Ive had maybe 3 mosquito bites all year. Very Weird. But we've had NO Rain either and its over 100` every day. We are slowly roasting and over cooked!!