Sophie Bennett
Flies are an inevitable nuisance when keeping chickens, and they pose health risks to your flock. The key to eliminating flies is to maintain a dry, clean coop. Flies thrive in damp, dirty environments, so it's essential to keep the coop dry and free of droppings, spoiled food, and other attractants. Various methods can be employed to keep flies at bay, including using fly predators, herbs, fans, and traps. Maintaining good hygiene practices and taking a multi-pronged approach are crucial for effective fly control in chicken coops.
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What You'll Learn
- Clean the chicken coop regularly, removing droppings and wet feed
- Use fly predators (tiny wasps) and herbs to repel flies
- Keep compost piles away from the chicken coop and increase the temperature
- Install fans to promote airflow and hang plastic over water
- Use diatomaceous earth (DE) on the coop floor to kill flies and their eggs
Clean the chicken coop regularly, removing droppings and wet feed
Keeping the chicken coop clean is the first step to keeping flies out. Flies are attracted to chicken droppings, food scraps, and damp areas. Regularly cleaning the coop with natural antimicrobial products like apple cider vinegar or eucalyptus oil sprays can help keep it fresh and less inviting to flies. It is also important to prevent droppings from accumulating by using dropping trays, changing bedding regularly, and keeping the coop dry and well-ventilated.
Removing chicken poop is essential but can be a never-ending task as flies are attracted to manure. A droppings board can be installed under the roost to scrape the poop off each morning and dispose of it in a compost pile. This helps maintain a dry, fly-free coop by absorbing any residual moisture on the droppings boards. Regularly raking out the soiled litter and keeping the coop dry is crucial, as flies need water to reproduce.
It is also important to manage food waste and spilled feed to avoid attracting flies. Only provide enough food that your chickens can consume in 20 minutes, and promptly clean up any remnants, especially fruit treats. Covering the feeders with enamelware roasting pans or using a thin layer of hay or straw to cover the ground can help keep flies away. Keeping drinkers and feeders out of the coop can also help eliminate moisture.
In addition to cleaning, natural deterrents like herbs and plants can be used. Planting aromatic herbs like lavender, mint, basil, thyme, and rosemary around the coop or using dried herbs in the nesting boxes can help repel flies. Bats can also be helpful in controlling the fly population, so consider building a bat house in your garden.
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Use fly predators (tiny wasps) and herbs to repel flies
Flies are an expected nuisance when keeping chickens, and they carry numerous diseases, so it is important to protect your chickens from them. Flies thrive in warm, wet, and fragrant environments, and are attracted to feed, especially when it gets wet, and food scraps.
Fly predators, or parasitic wasps, are tiny, non-stinging wasps that eat fly larvae, so the flies have no chance of hatching and becoming adult pests. They are natural enemies of flies and lay their eggs in fly pupae, thereby eliminating flies before they hatch. They are completely safe and non-toxic and do not bother people or animals. The adult predators feast on the pupa of the annoying flies, and you get fly relief without needing to use pesticides. The challenge with fly predators is that chickens like to eat them, so they must be placed strategically in areas where chickens do not have easy access.
Herbs can also be used to repel flies. The smell of many herbs will help keep flies and other insects away. You can plant herbs around the chicken coop, or use dried herbs in nesting boxes. You can also blend herbs, strain them, and put the mixture in a spray bottle. This can then be sprayed in the coop to help freshen it and repel flies. Some herbs that do not repel flies include lavender, mint, and rosemary.
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Keep compost piles away from the chicken coop and increase the temperature
Keeping flies away from your chicken coop can be a challenge, especially during hot and humid summer weather. Flies are attracted to chicken coops because they provide a warm, wet, and fragrant environment, with an abundance of food sources such as feed, food scraps, and chicken droppings. Here are some tips to keep compost piles away from the chicken coop and reduce the fly population:
Maintain a Clean and Dry Environment: The key to keeping flies at bay is to maintain a clean and dry chicken coop. Regularly clean up any food scraps or leftovers, and keep drinkers and feeders outside the coop to reduce moisture levels. Use droppings boards to keep the coop poop-free, and absorb residual moisture with products like Sweet Coop®. Additionally, cover feed containers with lids or use enamelware roasting pans to prevent flies from accessing the food.
Use Natural Repellents and Predators: Herbs such as mint, basil, and thyme can be planted outside the chicken run to repel flies with their fragrance. Vanilla-scented car air fresheners placed around the coop can also help reduce fly numbers. You can also try using fly predators, which are beneficial insects or organisms that feed on fly larvae. These can be purchased from companies like Kunafin and Spalding. Bats are another natural predator of flies, so consider building a bat house near your chicken coop.
Trapping and Other Methods: Fly traps can be hung out of the chickens' reach to capture and reduce the fly population. Some people also recommend using non-toxic diatomaceous earth (DE), which can be sprinkled on the coop floor and in nesting boxes to kill flies and their eggs without harming chickens or humans.
Maintain Good Ventilation and Temperature Control: Flies thrive in warm and humid environments, so improving ventilation in the chicken coop can help deter them. Additionally, maintaining a slightly cooler temperature may make the environment less inviting for flies without compromising the comfort of your chickens.
By implementing these measures, you can effectively reduce the fly population in and around your chicken coop, creating a healthier environment for your chickens and making coop maintenance more manageable.
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Install fans to promote airflow and hang plastic over water
Flies are an inevitable nuisance when keeping chickens, and they pose health risks to chickens, humans, and other animals. Flies thrive in warm, wet, and fragrant environments, and they are attracted to feed, especially when it is wet. They also need water to reproduce. Therefore, keeping the chicken coop clean and dry is essential for preventing flies.
One way to keep the chicken coop dry is to install fans to promote airflow. Good airflow will help dry things out faster and make the coop smell better. Flies don't like wind as it interferes with their flight, so keeping fans blowing is an effective way to deter them. A tilted fan with a pan of water under it can be used to push flies into the water, causing them to drown.
To further reduce the risk of water-breeding flies, it is recommended to keep chicken drinkers and feeders out of the coop. This eliminates the most obvious source of moisture. Instead, keep the water in a covered run during the chickens' waking hours, as they do not drink while sleeping. Additionally, ensure that the coop is built in a high place where water drains away from it, preventing puddles from forming nearby.
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Use diatomaceous earth (DE) on the coop floor to kill flies and their eggs
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a great way to keep flies and their eggs out of your chicken coop. It is a natural, safe, and effective solution that can be used to fight mites, lice, fleas, and other pests in the coop without heavy chemicals. DE is 100% food-grade and safe, meaning it won't have any negative effects on egg production or the health of your chickens. It is also added to human cereal and other foods for its anti-caking properties.
To use DE in your chicken coop, simply sprinkle a small amount on the floor of the coop, particularly in corners and along walls where pests might hide. You can also add it to the nests and bedding by lightly sprinkling it in nesting boxes and on top of the bedding to discourage parasites in areas where your chickens spend a lot of time. Be sure to wear gloves and a dust mask to avoid inhaling the fine particles, which can be drying to the skin. Inhaling the DE dust might irritate the lungs.
DE works by piercing the hard shells of fly eggs with its microscopic sharp edges, killing the flies and their eggs. It also helps to reduce moisture and prevent pest issues by absorbing moisture, reducing humidity, and keeping bedding dry. This, in turn, helps to maintain a cleaner, odour-free environment, as flies need water to reproduce.
In addition to using DE, there are other things you can do to keep flies out of your chicken coop. These include keeping the coop clean and dry, removing manure and food scraps regularly, using fans to promote airflow, and landscaping with herbs that naturally repel flies.
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Frequently asked questions
Flies are attracted to water, food scraps, and manure, so it's important to keep the chicken house dry, clean, and free of leftover food.
Keep drinkers and feeders outside of the chicken house to eliminate moisture.
Use a droppings board to make it easier to remove chicken poop from the chicken house. Clean up after snack time, and avoid keeping straw in the chicken house, as it can get wet and start to decompose.
Install fans to promote airflow, as flies don't like wind. You can also landscape with herbs like basil, bay, bee balm, chamomile, lavender, lemongrass, mint, rosemary, and thyme, as flies are deterred by their smell.
