Will DE control flies?

[Wyo Chick]

Lots of flies in the coop. Will DE help control this? Or is there something else I can use?

 

[CMV]

No. But those nasty, stinky little vanilla tree-shaped car fresheners work to drive out flies. They also make the coop smell "nice" if you like that kind of stuff.

Good luck.

 

[Wyo Chick]

I will try that!

 

[al6517]

I have found that DE does help with the fly population, and the smell is cut down to nothing. WTS I do use homemade fly traps and have a few set all over then pen, when fly season is in full swing, if you can break the egg laying cycle you will have less flies.

 

[dawg53]

I hauled in 1.5 cubic yard of sand and put it in the pen...no more flies, easier to scoop poop as well. No more gullies from downpours neither.

 

[GiddyMoon]

I have found it helps with flies too becuase if you sprinkle it everywhere, especially where they poo, they lay eggs and the eggs dry out and don't develop....add sand and you really have a dry combo that makes it hard for flies to breed in..

 

[ninabeast]

Hey dawg...what are the dimensions of your coop? I'm trying to calculate how much sand I'd need for the 8' x 9.5' coop we're building, and it would help as a basis for comparison.

Even though I'm up North, I'm gonna go sand, I think. If necessary, I'll add a few inches of shavings for the winter, but would I need it if we keep the coop between 35-45 degrees, as is our plan?

(Plan. HA!)

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Anything that absorbs moisture will help with flies.

There's no real need to spend a lot of money on DE when cheaper products will have the same result.

Ag lime (pelletized) works great and is less than $5 for 40 lbs

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I agree that drying the poop is what will best control flies--they lay eggs in moist poop--if it is dry, they are less attracted. I do believe that fly larvae that encounter DE will probably not survive. And as Bear Foot says, there are many products that help with drying.

First, you need to consider the environment of the coop and run--uphill or down? Uphill, water drains away; downhill, everything drains into the coop. Flooring/bedding: it is absorbant, a water collector, a water sieve? Shavings could be considered absorbant--they absorb and hold water. Clay soil collects water into a muddy pool. Sandy soil lets water drain through. A balance of absorbant and sieve works best for me.

Also for the environment--how much sun does the coop/run get to help dry things out? Ditto for wind? Flies don't really hang out in windy areas.

 

[kingsfarm]

flies are under my brooder - wire floor - was closed off with wire so hens couldn't get under there - well now opened the wire the hens are scrataching like crazy and less flies....what can I do to help get rid of flies without huring hens now? will spraying with water stop all this? Sand /// DE ... what do I do... lime? Help