All Agri Answers: What is the most effective fly control for poultry farms?

Name: Fly.

As in Marty Mc? No.

Age: 15-30 days.

Appearance: Small in size, big in problem.

How big are we talking? Flies pose a health risk to humans and poultry. They can carry all sorts of bacteria such as Salmonella, Pasturella, Campylobacter and E.Coli.

Cor! That sounds heavy. Huh? The bacteria isn’t a physical weight, but it can have serious effects on animals.

Such as? Well, they may experience stress, weight loss, decreased food efficiency and worryingly could spread disease across the farm. All of which can lead to a low egg yield and poor meat quality

Not another thing for 2020 to throw at us! Precisely. It’s even more of a problem this year and will continue to be as our weather patterns shift due to climate change. In the UK, heavy rain and hotter summers are exacerbating humidity and fly reproduction levels depend on environmental conditions such as warmth, moisture and food sources. Typically, we see 5-6 generations breed across one summer.

So it’s basically like one big hot tub party for flies? That’s a weird way to put it but I suppose so?

I don’t want to be a party pooper but sounds like we should do something about it then? Yes that’s the point of this blog. There are many types of fly control out there, but essentially farmers need to ensure moisture is controlled within the shed and fly breeding sites are removed. By taking a clean, control and trap approach, they should be able to get them to bug off effectively.

Any particular product recommendations? You can prevent the lavae from turning into maggots with things like Neporex – this is an insecticide for professional use against nuisance flies and biting flies. Essentially it disrupts the molting process by interfering with the chitin metabolism of fly larvae at all three stages, stopping larvae from developing, and preventing the proliferation of the fly population.

Or if you’re into painting, you can use Lodi Twenty One which can be applied to boards or flat surfaces throughout the poultry house. Flies will rest on it as they’re attracted to the pheromones and attractants in the paint, and it can work for up to 10 weeks!

Other immediate adhesives also exist and should only be used in amenity buildings rather than production houses. For example, this Sticky Fly Roll is non-toxic, environmentally friendly and uses a pattern designed to specially attract flies.

Wait, flies are into fashion? Yes, in fact there have been many studies on the matter. Researchers at the University of Bristol found that zebras naturally deter flies with their complex stripes.

I’ve had an idea, hold on, I’ll grab my marker pen. No it doesn’t quite work like that, you should definitely stick to the professional stuff.

And how can we trust your judgment? There’s lot of options which is why the All Agri team has spent ages sourcing the best products on the market. Everything found in this section of the All Agri website is highly recommended by farmers themselves but also the top selling products sold by All Agri’s sister companies.

Say yes to: All Agri Insect Control

Say no to: Stripey chickens