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

[TheCluckyClucker2]

I tried this. It did work really well! I even hung them outside the doors of my house when I saw how well they worked in the coop.

Works great for gnats too.

 

[Birdsonghill]

Good info but… Keep in mind that these natural insecticides are better then the chemical poisons because they break down easily. They are not harmless. And should be avoided too if you don’t need them to keep you’re flock healthy. A bigger run , fewer chickens or free ranging often is a better solution to keep a healthy flock.

The biggest downside to pyrethrum is cost. It and DE are actually harmless to chickens and to people if not inhaled in a dust saturated environ. Any dust may be a problem if inhaled in a very dusty environment. There is no problem with repeated contact or consuming either natural product as a residue on treated surfaces or food products. Some commercial pyrethrin products also contain a synergist (often piperonyl butoxide) in a small amount, that makes it less safe and not Organic approved. It will make you go broke if you use a lot of organic pyrethrum, but not harm you or your chickens used regularly. Free ranging poultry may be the biggest threat to chicken safety and to wildlife, for many Chicken keepers. A clean coop and chicken yard/run with reasonable preventative measures for insect pest and predation from unwanted visitors is likely as good as it gets for the most flocks. I agree that many people need to reduce their flock size or increase their run/yard size as a primary step in controlling possible associated pest problems. "Mechanical" fly traps(sticky tapes, bags with baits and etc.) are also useful tools and I use them all together with sanitation number one on my list! I chose not to free range about 25 or more years ago after several decades of losing chickens to a variety of predators and often unforseeable situations that arose from free ranging birds in a healthy natural predator rich environment. Best wishes for your flocks, however you choose to keep them or treat them or not treat them. I have had decades with no losses from predators or illness or mite infestations/fly problems and healthy birds that often live past 10 to 12 years of age and laying well past the average ages normally posted. That was not always the case free ranging, though I did that successfully as well, according to most peoples standards, seldom losing but a few birds here or there from various causes/predations. It is far more work and expense to "safely" free range rather than to keep birds pest organically and mechanically controlled and the birds safe from accidents/predation in a secure coop and safe run. I don't have to trap. poison or shoot anything but flies and mites and they are well controlled and never a problem using good sanitation, flock management and organic Pyrethrin and DE. I also do not have to roll around heavy portable pastured bird shelters that at my age and health level is very difficult and always time consuming. There is no one right way to keep chickens, but lots of less desirable ways, and I tried most of them once!

 

[Earthdale]

I'm lucky I have banties that devour the flies so there are very few flies in my coop, lowers the feed bill to

 

[mldw]

Wow! Have you tried any other scents?

Apparently it's just the Vanillaroma that works. I've never tried anything else.

 

[Manhen]

I'm lucky I have banties that devour the flies so there are very few flies in my coop, lowers the feed bill to

Do they get along with the larger chickens? Visa versa without saying....

 

[Earthdale]

The roosters will fight sometimes but generally the hens get along well, I did have a particularly nasty standard hen once who started attacking a bantie but my "queen" bantie grabbed onto her comb and scratched her face, that ended all hostilities.

 

[NaperLix]

Completely screened,closed unless going out in.Airconcitioned anyway.