Official BYC Poll: How Do You Keep Flies Out Of Your Coop?

[BYC Project Manager]

With the warmer weather, flies are an expected annoyance since they thrive and breed in warm, moist, and foul-smelling environments. But the biggest problem with flies around your chickens is flystrike. This condition occurs when flies lay eggs on chickens, most often around their vents, and resulting maggots live in and feed on the tissue, which results in an infection and if untreated, death of the affected bird.

So: How Do You Keep Flies Out Of Your Coop?

Please place your vote above, and please elaborate in a reply below if you chose "Other".

Further Reading:

• Harmful Bugs & Pests To Your Chooks and How To Prevent Them
• Thoughts On General Coop Hygiene
• A Checklist To Avoiding Casualties In The Flock

Here Are Some Interesting Discussions Around The Topic As Well:

• Best House Fly Attractant For Catching And Trapping Flies
• Flies In The Run And Coop
• Topic Of The Week: Flystrike

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

 

[Brooks_]

I've only got two chickens. That might explain...

Two as in literal, or chicken math two?

 

[neo71665]

Good ventilation with deep liter method and never had a fly issue.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I plant basil, lavender, and rosemary in pots that are around my coop/run.

 

[Folly's place]

The fly predators from Spalding are very helpful!
Also dusting the nest boxes and floor under the bedding with permethrin helps. And things need to be dry, not wet, as much as possible.
Actually the chickens do eat fly larva, and help keep fly numbers down in the barn.
Mary

 

[Kiki]

The only time flies come around is when my coop gets a little wet from sideways rain.
When that happens
I spray..

Two on the right:

 

[cmom]

I use permethrin spray. It works for me. I also use poultry dust.

 

[3KillerBs]

I use Deep Bedding in the coop to keep things absolutely dry. Deep Litter in the run keeps poop from building up to attract them.

I will see flies attracted to a fresh dropping in the run, but I don't see any more flies in the coop or run than are generally attracted to anything a fly might like in a random place on the rest of the property. The garbage cans are the problem, not the chickens.

My miniature run-maintenance helpers might be a factor:

I honestly have no idea how a dung beetle gets in and out of a chicken run without being eaten, but I'm happy to see them hard at work.

Good ventilation with deep liter method and never had a fly issue.

Yes. This.

 

[Chicken Unboxing]

Two as in literal, or chicken math two?

Literal two. I might say one since they're bantams, but the force of chicken math is undeniable...

 

[SueT]

We don’t have flies in our coop. I have no idea why. Maybe the chickens eat them.