Fly control that pays YOU

[GrassFarmerGalloway]

I really does depend upon the chickens. We raised them indoors and put 'em out late. :/

 

[1sherman]

Hello. I have quinea hens instead of chickens. They freerange with the cows, sheep and donkeys and fly away if they even get a hint of a coyote.....They are great fly control and LOUD watch dogs.

Just a thought....:1sherman

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Hello. I have quinea hens instead of chickens. They freerange with the cows, sheep and donkeys and fly away if they even get a hint of a coyote.....They are great fly control and LOUD watch dogs.

Just a thought....:1sherman

to the herd!

I have a neighbor who has guinea and you're right they are LOUD watch dogs. She lives alone and between the guinea and the dogs no one is going to sneak into there.

 

[wynedot55]

i love guienies .they do love to make lots of noise.

 

[FarmerRob]

Try Muscovy Ducks. If you have too many flies--what you really have is shortage of Muscovies. They are also great fliers and large enough that they are less inviting to some of the flying predators. And they are the most tasty of ducks. Silky breast meat that is sometimes compared to veal.

I have read that keeping goats in with the chickens will help keep the flying predators away. If you are using portable electric fencing and free ranging this (and a couple of good roosters) would probably help. Be sure it is several goats (absolute minimum is two.) Two or more are better behaved--One bored goat alone is trouble waiting to happen.

 

[wynedot55]

ive heard thatmuscovie ducks will keep flies an skeeters in check as well.muscovies are hard to find thats for sure.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

to the herd.

 

[Thewife]

Welcome to the herd FarmerRob!

Muscovys are pretty cool!
I had a bunch of them yeas ago! One would hang out in the garden with me and eat slugs while I worked!
Could use her right now!
She would also come looking for me when ever I was late to feed. Since she was a good flier, she could find me anywhere on the farm!

 

[GrassFarmerGalloway]

Muscovies... Never thought of them. Thanks for mentioning!

 

[dianneS]

Oh, yeah. I love my free range chickens. We've noticed a huge decrease in ticks, which were a terrible problem for some time. They also eat the weed seeds in my flower beds in the spring and cuts down on the weed germination. They also took care of all the grubs in the spring, so we never had any Japanese beetles eating our plants. They also kill snakes too! They even catch carpenter bees right out of the air, and now I don't have them boring holes in my barn!

I do love the fact that they break up the large piles of horse poop, spread it around so that it dries up and kills the parasites. There is no need to harrow the pastures anymore and it fertilizes the grass nicely rather than burning it.