Chicken poop and flies

[Jennifer27fl]

Need advice. My chickens free roam my yard in the day. My yard is all dirt. I love my babies but the poop smell and flies are aweful. Does anyone know of a fairly inexpensive product i can use. My yard is pretty big. I often clean up after them but still having this issue.

 

[nuthatched]

Fly bags. Fake hornet nests.

 

[Penpal]

Yes on the fly bags and hornet nests. I would also divide the yard in half and let the birds in one half while the other half regenerates. Then switch. I would also have roosting bars of some sort to get them off the grass.

 

[ChaosMom]

Do flies actually avoid fake hornet nests? I never knew!

How about old-fashioned fly strips, hung high around the outside of the run?

 

[Penpal]

The flies will get stuck on the fly strips, but so will other insects, like butterflies. If you take a two liter bottle and put an inch of sweet water (pop, sugar and water) you will create a lure. With the cap off, lay the bottle on its side. The flies will fly into the bottle at the opening, but can't figure out how to get out. Soon, you will have a mass of dead rotting flies in the bottle. Put the cap on and throw away (or, you could pour it all into your compost. Repeat.

 

[ChaosMom]

The flies will get stuck on the fly strips, but so will other insects, like butterflies. If you take a two liter bottle and put an inch of sweet water (pop, sugar and water) you will create a lure. With the cap off, lay the bottle on its side. The flies will fly into the bottle at the opening, but can't figure out how to get out. Soon, you will have a mass of dead rotting flies in the bottle. Put the cap on and throw away (or, you could pour it all into your compost. Repeat.

Great idea! After building so many pollinator beds, I’d feel like a complete chump trapping butterflies. Thanks!

 

[Bawkbok]

We used the fly traps last summer. I believe we collected all flies within a 5 mile radius as it seemed to attract more and made the problem worse. Additionally, the fly traps, while they work phenomenally, smell like death. You won't want to hang it anywhere near the coop or run.
Although we have deep litter, there are still flies. I pick up the poop laying on top every time I go out - numerous times a day and this obviously helps. With deep litter, there really is no bad smell but there is no way to totally eliminate the flies. We also have numerous fans running all day and this helps as well. Where there are animals, there are flies. Too bad chickens don't eat them, they'd have a smorgasbord.

 

[ChaosMom]

We used the fly traps last summer. I believe we collected all flies within a 5 mile radius as it seemed to attract more and made the problem worse. Additionally, the fly traps, while they work phenomenally, smell like death. You won't want to hang it anywhere near the coop or run.
Although we have deep litter, there are still flies. I pick up the poop laying on top every time I go out - numerous times a day and this obviously helps. With deep litter, there really is no bad smell but there is no way to totally eliminate the flies. We also have numerous fans running all day and this helps as well. Where there are animals, there are flies. Too bad chickens don't eat them, they'd have a smorgasbord.

I didn’t realize that chickens don’t eat flies! They certainly watch them fly overhead with a “come closer, little buzzer” expression.

 

[Bawkbok]

Ours have never eaten flies, they also don't eat worms of any kind and only certain bugs - based on what I have found for them, offered or watched them eat or pass up. For some reason they are very particular. I thought chickens ate all bugs, but no. Learning new things all the time about these critters.