Flies

[pigsinmud]

I have a cube with a walk in run. Woodchips on the floor. I poo pick every day, but obviously you can't get everything. There quite a few flies about now. Is there anything i can put down to deter them? Does Nettex sanitising powder do anything or is that just for worms?
Had my chooks since last September, so this is my first summer. The flies have just appeared in the past week.

[pigsinmud]

Yes Pixel - it happened overnight. Fine yesterday, but today....bleurgh! Dh has bagged it and binned it. I think we're owed too as we don't throw much away!!

[Pixel]

Yes mine only ponged when you got right up close to it, then all of a sudden the stench was everywhere and there were maggots, it seemed to happen overnight. The instructions say you can cut the bottom off and release the contents into your compost heap. Well even dh baulked at that so as our bins were due the next day we wrapped it up really well and threw it away. Probably not ideal but we don't put much food waste in the bin so I reckon we are owed .

We bought another one to have in reserve as we weren't sure how long it would all last and haven't had to use it yet. I think the original one has broken the breeding cycle of the flies or something, or maybe the weather is just cooler.

[pigsinmud]

Put up red top fly trap about 2 weeks ago. Caught loads of flies and a few wasps. Disgusting to look at and a little bit of a pong, but not too bad, until today.....line of maggots and the stench is awful!

Is this normal? How do i get rid of it? I say "I", of course I mean dh Do I just triple bag it and throw it away?

[Pixel]

OMG the fly trap! It's full of flies already, I've put a carrier bag over the bottom part so I don't have to see their hideous death throes and I'm not looking forward to disposing of it. Thanks hazel for recommending, it really does work fabulously, no flies in the chicken run or the compost heap at all now (although it is gruesome and I'm trying to pretend it isn't there).

[Pixel]

Think I might try the fly trap as well. The powder does work well but I'm getting through quite a lot of it.

[Hazelbrowneyes]

I can really recommend the fly trap. We've trapped thousands of flies in 3 days. The coop is now clear of flies, as is the rest of my garden! www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Top-Fly-Trap/dp/B00872VXRW/ref=pd_cp_lp_0?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[pigsinmud]

Thanks for that. I'll give the powder a go.

[Pixel]

I use the sanitising powder and I would say it helps with the flies quite a lot as it gives off a disinfectant type smell (not unpleasant, better than chicken poo anyhow!) and it dries up the wet poo as well.

[mummymeister]

yep chicken poo and flies do go together. we use a fly trap thing that looks like a lantern that has really smelly liquid in them that attracts the flies. its pretty hardcore but the only way of getting rid of them we have found.