How to Get Rid of Flies in the Chicken Coop

It’s never a good morning when you arise to gather eggs and discover that you must first navigate your way through a swarm of houseflies. These flies can take over your coop, grossly outnumbering your chickens. When this happens, both you and your poultry pals can become grossly uncomfortable. That’s why, in this article, we’ll go through five of the best ways to get rid of flies in the chicken coop. We’ll let you know what to do, what to avoid, and how this problem likely arose in the first place.

What Causes Flies in the Chicken Coop

Before you start to worry, remember that it’s perfectly normal for there to be a few flies in the coop. This environment, unfortunate as it may be, is ideal for fly populations in a number of ways. In fact, the only thing in your chicken coop that the flies might not be attracted to is the chickens themselves!

If there’s something that flies love above all else, it’s filth. Nasty environments are perfect for the housefly, and a dense area teeming with feces sounds like a trip to paradise for these insects. Chickens poop constantly, to a degree that is incredibly difficult to keep up with, cleaning it up on a daily basis. Flies know this, and they are fully willing to take advantage. Manure happens to be their favorite treat, and your chickens provide these flies with an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Not only is it the perfect place for them to chow down, but it’s also a great spot for them to settle and multiply. Flies often opt to breed in moist areas, and within your coop are plenty of spots to do so. Whether it’s in the chicken bedding or even inside wet droppings, flies can lay their eggs and develop into larvae before you even notice there’s an issue! And since female flies can have up to 150 eggs in a batch and can produce multiple batches a week, the numbers are likely to go from zero to overwhelming quite fast.

Why Flies Are Bad For Chickens

At this point, you might begin to wonder why having flies in the chicken coop is so bad. After all, there are a number of bugs around your chickens, so what makes houseflies such bad news? Well, there are a few reasons. The first and most obvious is that dealing with a fly infestation is annoying and time-consuming. Not only do your chickens not enjoy having these pesky insects around, but it’s likely that once there are enough for you to take notice, you’ll quickly grow tired of encountering them too. Flies aren’t just a nuisance to your chickens, though- they’re also dangerous to have around.

You see, chickens have very little consciousness when it comes to deciding their meals. They will eat practically anything that comes in their path, and houseflies are no exception to this rule. Unfortunately, eating these flies can have a very bad impact on their digestive system. When ingesting too many flies, your chickens run the risk of developing a tapeworm known as Choanotaenia infundibulum. This tapeworm could greatly harm your chicken by stealing all of the nutrients from the food it consumes. Eventually, this kind of infection can lead to death.

There are, of course, different kinds of flies that have other effects. While soldier flies might be beneficial to have in the area because they are non-toxic and help with composting, green bottleflies can cause botulism. Because of the very precarious nature of differentiating fly types, it’s better to have a hard and fast rule of allowing no flies in the chicken coop. But once they’re there, how can you get rid of them? Let’s delve into some of the best and most common solutions.

Solution #1: Invest In Some Diatomaceous Earth

The first solution on the docket is to introduce Diatomaceous Earth (DE) into the soil. You should only use it sporadically, as too much might bother the chickens. However, in subtle increments, it is often a miracle tool. The reason why DE is so helpful in the soil is because it dehydrates it. When flies come into contact with the soil, they themselves become greatly dehydrated. It is a natural solution that can have a variety of applications, so it can be helpful to have it around regardless!

Solution #2: Make Sure There’s Optimal Drainage

Another solution could be looking into the drainage that occurs around the coop. If you live in an area that rains often, you might notice that there are lingering puddles. These puddles, as it happens, are perfect breeding grounds for flies. The drier the environment, the less likely it is that they’ll breed in such mass amounts. Try to optimize the drainage in your yard and implement safeguards for when water accumulates.

Solution #3: Start Playing Exterminator

When in doubt, try to take matters into your own hands. Once you eliminate the factors that allow flies to breed easily, you can start to rid the coop of pre-existing flies. Some traditional methods can be harmful, which we will go over later, but there are some that work incredibly well. For instance, you can get an electric fly swatter and have at it! You can have a fun workout alongside your pest extermination. It’s a two-for-one deal!

Solution #4: Start An Herb Garden Next Door

There is a way to simultaneously start a new hobby and get rid of lingering flies: Starting an herb garden! As it turns out, there are a large number of herbs and essential oils that flies hate being around. If you plant these herbs near your coop, it is a good way to deter them from the general area. There are even a few specific herbs that are just as beneficial for your chickens as they are dangerous for bugs! Here are a few examples of such plants:

• Rosemary
• Lavender
• Mint

Solution #5: Try To Keep Things Squeaky Clean

This solution is one of the best available because it’s easy and free. The only thing that it will cost you, in the end, is your time. It can be quite time-consuming to clean your chicken coop regularly, but it is one of the best ways to ensure that no flies breed in the bedding. Check your coop for areas that you might not think to clean as regularly as you do, like underneath and behind things. Generally speaking, wet manure is the favorite for flies. So long as you spot clean troublesome areas on a daily basis, you should notice some worthwhile improvements.

Tips That You Should Skip Out On

As you delve deeper into your fly-catching adventure, you’ll notice that there are actually dozens of possible solutions to this problem. It’s advisable to look very closely into these solutions and rationalize them thoroughly, though. Not all of the best-sounding ideas work quite as well in practice. Here are a few examples of things that might get rid of flies in the chicken coop but may also have negative effects:

Fly Ribbons

You’ve probably seen these someplace before, the classic hanging strips of super-sticky material that work to capture surrounding flies. These ribbons are popular for good reason because they work quite well. That being said, they might be a bit too sticky for a space that contains a bunch of feathered friends. If one of the ribbons touches your chickens, getting it off of their delicate feathers is an ordeal that is worth avoiding.

Introducing Predators

Fighting bugs with more bugs in a chicken coop is kind of like fighting fire with fire. This idea works well in garden environments, but when chickens are introduced to the situation, things get murky. You see, the reason why flies are so dangerous around chickens is because they have negative effects when eaten. Your introduced predators won’t be able to eliminate any flies if your chickens eliminate them first!

Chemical Pesticides

These might seem appealing but try to avoid chemical solutions as much as possible. Only to be used as a last resort, these products will harm fly predators (and possibly even your chickens) more than the targeted bugs. That’s because products like these have been around for quite some time, and flies have grown resistant to their effects.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Nadanka/iStock via Getty Images