Flies Aghhh!!!

[mandyballantyne]

Hi,

Can anyone suggest anything??

Had my chickens for nearly 4 weeks now and they are doing great.

I clean the coop thoroughly every morning and scoop poop from the run/garden and everywhere else each afternoon. But there are Flies swarming EVERYWHERE

I know we have had some really wet weather and that some of the poop is being washed away slightly so I might be scraping as well as lifting.

What else can I do? It is mainly in the garden and run and not in the coop at all.

I will try just about anything but the girls now have the run of the place so nothing that could harm them.

Thanks, Mandy

[Hilary B]

All that cleaning might actually be part of the problem. Disturbing stuff increases the smell, (not necessarily in a way you would notice) and that is what attracts the flies. Where are you clearing TO? They might be 'setting out' from the muck heap. Absorbent material (hemcore is new since I last kept chooks, but it sounds good by all the recommendations on here) and cleaning at longer intervals might help (although at this time of year, there are bound to be SOME flies)

[4chickens]

Know the feeling - am having the same problem although I only clear them out once a week and don't have problems in the coop - just by the gate, where the chooks keep watch for me and leave me lovely presents. Have been driven to use fly spray in desperation - once a week for two weeks only so far - kept the hens in their little run while I did it (and after) and checked for bodies after. Have tried to clear up the droppings but it's so muddy that it's pretty ineffective. They didn't show this on the Darling Buds of May!

[Akela Ben]

There isn't much you can do, flies will always be attracted to poo. It doesn't help that the weather has been so changable lately. Just keep a clean house as the flies won't really bother the chickens.

[armadillo]

Hmm, I wonder if the 'woody pet' bedding possibly similar to Hemcore) is the answer- I sit next to their run every day & it doesn't smell at all- and no flies either apart from the odd midgey thing that they pluck out of the air- tasty! I pick up the poo from their house daily, but have only cleaned out the run after a week, and plan on doing that weekly. I also used a disinfectant spray called 'barrier v1' , although today is the first time I've used it, having only had the chooks for a week.
The run is also mostly under overhanging greenery, and a put a board over most of the rest of it when it rains, so perhaps it helps to keep the run as dry as possible?

[mandyballantyne]

Hi,

Thanks for all the replies.

The house and run are fine, no smell or flies. It is just outside in the garden where they roam and poop, maybe i should only pick up there weekly??

Hempcore sounds good and I will try next time for the run.

Thanks, Mandy

[4chickens]

Just seen something in a magazine about a redtop fly trap that attracts the female flies. No sprays. No website, company called interhatch. Various places stock them so maybe try googling it. Might work, worth a try. Ordering one tomorrow.

[frias]

I have just bought 2 of these from Scats. (BOGOF) Unfortunately they can take up to 3 weeks before they become active and really work. I bought something similar in Spain and that really worked well out there, filling a whole bottle of black flies in no time. The flies we are getting here are green and a real nuisance as I am worried the neighbours will start to complain. The girls try catching them but I haven't seen them be successful yet.