Can you post a layout of your plant so that we can understand your situation better and advice you accordingly? I have been conducting research into this area and want to help you, but I'll need this information to give you the best advice I can.

Thanks DVader1000.. I have 4 separate poultry houses located kilometers away from each other.. area of the housing is 20 ft by 40 ft. using bamboo flooring with approximately 1 meter elevation from the ground.. I am experiencing the same problem to all 4 locations..

Have you thought of lining each coop with straw or something similiar, and then sweeping everything into a biogas digester? Also, trying growing mint, catnip or chrysanthemum around the cages. Not only are they are pleasant smelling, mint and catnip are also effective insect repellents, while chrysanthemum contains pyrethrins, natural insecticides that are harmelss to humans or birds but lethal to insects.

The problem may be too frequent cleanout. Put down 6 inches of bedding, straw or hay. This allows the manure to dry out. Fresh manure will dry almost instantly on top of the old 'cake'. Cleanout once or twice a year. Install ventilator fans. And if you have room, give the chickens a well fenced yard, with feed and water outside.

Thanks... Tippycanoe..by the way, do you have any technical information with regards to rearing broilers on the ground? I heard there is a way like that but have no idea how to do it...

Highly Technical Information: Chickens are DUMB! Broiler chickens are dumber than Layers. My friend who raised the critters put up a 1/2" white tape fence about 4" to 10" above the ground (height of chicken neck) on short fiberglass stakes. They wouldn't even try to get over it. Feed and water inside. Lock them up at night. Watch for signs of overfeeding (bright colored legs and puffy butt cheeks).

'Bout it from here. Check your local Ag. college or Co-operative Extension (Cornell in NY) for more info.

Thanks Tippycanoe... but how your friend manage the litters (manure). Anyway, can you help me provide a technical literature on rearing broiler chickens... I believe you have experience and resources with regards to this industry.. I am a greenhorn in this field and still groping in the dark with what is the best way of doing this.. thanks again!

I got information from Googeling; [animal husbandry/broiler chickens], but for some reason could not send a link (Vista sucks).

The litter is traded to gardeners and farmers who know this is some powerful doo doo, and composted makes the best fertilizer. You may even get someone to shovel out to coop, then take it away. Dry, it is easy enough to handle, but respirators must be used, or top of the line filter masks.

Thanks very much Tippycanoe.... your information helps a lot... thanks again.

Guest,

how big is your operation? as far as units (chicks), need to find out waste amounts

This is second hand information from talking to a dairy farmer who's putting up a methane digestor to handle the manure and create power. This may open up discussion about carbon foot prints to other members

He was telling me this would control the phosphous in the manure which causes the odor.

As for the fly problem. I do not kbnnow how this works, and can't remember suppliers, but google it it could help. My brother recieved some literature about a insect lives off the host fly....and killing it. you can buy the eggs and just sprinkle it around the area.........do not know how well this works. This was in the U.S. If you can't find it, I'll see if my brother still has the brochure so I can pass the contact info along.
He had recieved it about 2 months ago......chances are unlikely he still has it.

otherwise good luck,

phoenix911

500 heads per house... all 4 parallel houses in one location with 500 heads per house.

The basic problem is to keep the manure dry. Flies won't lay their eggs in dry manure.

Make sure the area where the poo is has eaves over it so rain can't get in and drains around it to keep run off away. It should then remain dry enough that there will be no fly problem

A farm near here solved the problem by also raising free range eggs. They let the chooks scratch among the droppings from the other shed. The chooks then ate the fly maggots so there were no flies.

It seemed to work quite well, but I think they were risking things like salmonella in their free range chooks.

Thanks sceptic... by the way, do you have any suggestion on what to put on the ground to dry the poo fast?

Straw or sawdust for the initial layer, just to keep it off the ground.

After that it seems to dry well enough on it's own. It takes a while for the flies to start laying in the poo, and by that time it has dried enough for them to lose interest.

We have over 2 metres of rain a year here, and the farm about 500m away doesn't seem to have trouble with it drying enough naturally.

The trouble with his setup is that he had no eaves under the "poo pit" ( not a pit at all, just ground) so when it rained, which is often, the edges got wet and the flies went mad! We were then restricted to indoors. Interesting trying to eat when you have to race the flies to get it! No problem now. Urbanization caught up and he had to close down.

He has built his shed about 2.5 m clear above the ground so he can clean out with a bobcat. That part worked well.

He was raising eggs rather than broilers, but similar principles apply.

If you can get a dryer and dry the poo further, you can bag it and sell it through garden stores.

Alternatively just sell it to passers by.

Thanks very much sceptic... I've got a lot of information from you... thanks again.

hi to every one. you know a problem relating to the hygiene of poultry forums is a very great problem. lets just say that we eat what we don't see. i mean t say that we are the ones who have to eat what comes from those poultry forums.. So we must be sure that the forum vas perfectly clean and hygiene. http://www.poshchicks.co.uk