Guest Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 our run is next to the conservatory door and I was wondering if chickens attract a lot of flies in the warmer months and if so, what (if anything) can we do about it? I've read something about sprinkling citronella and eucolyptus oil in the aubiose in the run and we've invested in a flitrap, will this be enough to keep them at bay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Yes...and boy do flytraps work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 we put citronella on kitchen roll and put in the poo tray of the eglu and under the shade on the run - this worked very well - so you could do something similar in your house Poet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Unless you have a stash of Citronella you are going to have problems finding it - it is no longer for sale in the UK Something to do with the EU I think. Fly traps are great but they STINK ,& I do not say that lightly. We had one in the kitchen last summer & we seriously thought the cat had dropped the body of a little creature & it was rotting somewhere. They do work,but you really,really do not want it in your house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 They do stink...I can confirm that. It is a smell quite unlike any other. Hang it downwind of the house. Or do I mean Upwind? So that the smell can't waft in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 downwind you can still get citronella on ebay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 downwind Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Yes you can still buy citronella, but it is not allowed to be marketed as an insect repellent (because we have known that it repels insects for many years, so it hasn't been subjected to the modern tests required by Brussels ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 we've had a flitrap since we got the girls, it hangs on the shed. The instructions say it covers 50m2 so we thought it would be okay on the shed which is about 12 foot away from the girls, this photo shows the distance, the fli trap is hidden behind the washing you can see how close the girls are to the back door which is why i was concerned about flies, not to mention the potential helth risk to the girls. When we got them, in October, there weren't any flies around to worry about. I think you can still buy citronella oil for lamps, do you think that would be any good or is that specifically for burning? do you think flies will be a major problem for us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I must admit I have some citronella oil for burning and I have been known to sprinkle some in the hemcore in the droppings tray. I just hope it doesn't get too hot in there It does work though and that combined with the barrier red mite powder keeps them sweet in summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairy&cake Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 we got these long sticky things from the garden centre. They seem to work xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Poet, I can't believe how nice your lawn looks ours used to look like that BC. That does not look like a lawn which has freeranging chickens on it, what is your secret? Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Tessa, that was shortly after we got them, they hadn't free ranged at that point! since then, the run has grown (upwards) and the garden has been revamped by DH (I posted some pics a while ago) and he did more damage to the lawn than the chooks while he was doing his adjustments. It's like a bog at the moment with all the rain do you think we'll be okay flywise, with the run being so close to the back door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SallyG Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Tessa - I thought exactly the same thing. My girls have ravaged my lawn!! However, its a small price to pay for the joy they give me. Doris and Duchess were killed last year by a fox and it took me a while (and alot of friends going on at me) to get more so I saved some from a battery farm. The poor ladies looked dreadful when they arrived and they are still shy but the change in them is remarkable! Their feathers are nearly back, they are getting far more confident (if I am in the garden the follow me around and then when I notice they are not there, I find them perching on the stools in the kitchen! Getting the eglu is the best birthday present I have ever bought myself! But, back to the point - how do you keep your garden so lovely!? Sally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Poet, I can't believe how nice your lawn looks Tessa I was just about to post the same thing actually! I wasnt really looking at the chooks I was transfixed by that lovely green stuff called grass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 focus girls if it makes you feel better, it doesn't look like that now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I use hemcore that is treated with citronella - it's pretty good. In the summer I mixed up a squirty bottle with water, a few drops of citronella and a few drops of tea tree oil. I figures the insect repelling citronella and the antiseptic tea tree work well together. I just used to squirt it around the edges of the run on hot days, especially if there were lazy blue bottles trying to rest under the shade for the girls - it worked pretty well (then again it wasn't much of a summer was it!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 focus girls Sorry Poet, it's just that a beautifully manicured lawn does something to me Anyway, flies....sorry I haven't a clue I didn't get my chickens until August last year so haven't really had the experience of a long hot summer with chickens, hoping I do this year I don't think I would get a Flitrap though, somebody posted a description of cleaning one out which put me right off Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 ...Anyway, flies....sorry I haven't a clue I didn't get my chickens until August last year so haven't really had the experience of a long hot summerwith chickens, hoping I do this year I don't think I would get a Flitrap though, somebody posted a description of cleaning one out which put me right off Tessa okay, thanks anyway- My dear hubbie is on fli trap duty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I use hemcore that is treated with citronella - it's pretty good. In the summer I mixed up a squirty bottle with water, a few drops of citronella and a few drops of tea tree oil. I figures the insect repelling citronella and the antiseptic tea tree work well together. I just used to squirt it around the edges of the run on hot days, especially if there were lazy blue bottles trying to rest under the shade for the girls - it worked pretty well (then again it wasn't much of a summer was it!) i wonder if our aubiose is treated, i'll have to check the packaging and get myself a squirter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I use hemcore that is treated with citronella Hemcore is no longer treated with Citronella - I asked the other day............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol U Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Citronella oil is brilliant in Summer and really does work Poet. You can still buy it really cheaply online and it is well worth it. I put it on kitchen paper and wipe it everywhere near the chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...