Fly control method?

[miss_thenorth]

Can someone explain the ziploc baggie thing? where would the best place be to place it? At the entrance to the barn, or what. I'm intrigued.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

I was told the zip lock bag with the penny in it (new shinny one) was a wasp deterrent and you put it anywhere you don't want them, like over your picknic table or deck. Flies were not mentioned. It has to be in good light to work so it must be a refraction thing. I never tired it. The fake wasp nests work great for me.

Poultry is my fly plan, and they take on grasshoppers too. Ducks, chickens and turkeys. However they don't work with Midges so I still have to spray my horses. We have bats and swallows but I want to encourage more.

We get up to 12 feet of snow here and our birds do fine without heat other than their own. They need to be able to get out of wind and damp. They still wander outside even in the worst weather and peck about on the ploughed areas or join the horses when hay is fed, but stay indoors lots.

 

[the funny farm6615]

i put mine @ 2-3 feet inside the door, hung from a rafter just high enuff that it isnt in the way. i was told that you want them close enuff to the door to reflect the light well, and to keeep the flys from comeing in.

forgot to add that my neighbor uses old cds and dvds hung the same way. but the barn swallows wont go in then.

 

[Valley Ranch]

Thanks. Right now we are very active in cleaning up after the horses. We usually shovel out the corral 2-3 times a day. I am astounded by how much waste 5 LITTLE horses create!!
I am going to try the baggies. I'd rather not use sprays because my girls are around there all the time. The traps/strips I've tried and the goats eat them!! And putting them up high seems to not work too well.
I like the idea of chickens. And if they can handle the snow and cold I think we are going to go that route. Especially since I have wanted chicken for ages!!!
Maybe we can get miniature chickens since we have pygmy goats and mini horses it will complete the mini ranch!!!

 

[freemotion]

If you have hawks, you may not be able to free-range bantams. In my neighborhood, the hawks will take a small chicken but leave the full-size ones alone.....mostly. We have a juvenile bald eagle that took a few of my layers, but thankfully, he's moved on.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Thanks. Right now we are very active in cleaning up after the horses. We usually shovel out the corral 2-3 times a day. I am astounded by how much waste 5 LITTLE horses create!!
I am going to try the baggies. I'd rather not use sprays because my girls are around there all the time. The traps/strips I've tried and the goats eat them!! And putting them up high seems to not work too well.
I like the idea of chickens. And if they can handle the snow and cold I think we are going to go that route. Especially since I have wanted chicken for ages!!!
Maybe we can get miniature chickens since we have pygmy goats and mini horses it will complete the mini ranch!!!

They're called bantams A couple of banty cochins or rocks would be awful cute running around with your other minis

 

[dianneS]

I swear by Spalding fly predators and I have a lot of water around me, so the flies were bad, even when I only had two horses. I've got chickens too. They help a lot and they help with ticks as well.