If you are wondering how to get rid of flies around your chicken coop, the honest answer is that it comes down to one thing: keeping the coop and run clean and dry. Flies are drawn to droppings, damp bedding, spilled feed and standing water, so the real fix is removing what feeds and breeds them rather than chasing the flies themselves.
Short answer: To stop flies in your chicken run, clean the coop and remove droppings regularly, keep bedding dry, tidy up spilled feed, fix water spills, improve drainage and ventilation, and back it up with natural deterrents and a few well-placed fly traps.
Why do chickens attract flies?
It is completely normal to notice more flies once you keep hens. Chickens create exactly the warm, moist, nutrient-rich conditions flies love to feed and breed in. Understanding what attracts them makes chicken coop fly control far easier, because you can target the cause instead of the symptom.
1. Droppings and manure
Chickens produce a lot of moist droppings, and this manure is rich in nutrients and organic matter, which makes it an ideal breeding ground for flies. Droppings that build up under the perch overnight are the single biggest fly magnet around most coops.
2. Spilled feed
Chickens often spill their feed, and where the feeding of kitchen scraps is allowed they can scatter or trample those too. Spilled feed and decomposing organic matter are especially attractive to flies, so keeping feeding areas tidy is one of the quickest wins. For more on protecting feed (from flies and uninvited visitors alike), see our guide on how to stop wildlife from eating your chickens' feed.
3. Moisture and damp bedding
Chickens need water, and waterers can spill or leak, creating damp patches. Flies thrive in moist environments, so any wet spots around the run, along with damp or soiled bedding inside the coop, will increase fly numbers. Dry bedding is one of your best defences, so it pays to choose the right material and keep it fresh, as we explain in our guide to the best bedding for chicken coops.
4. Decomposing run material
Organic run material such as wood chippings, which chickens love to scratch through, slowly decomposes and accumulates droppings. Over time this gives flies an ideal place to feed and lay eggs.
5. Warmth
The warmth generated by your hens and their bedding can speed up the fly life cycle, helping them reproduce more rapidly, particularly through the British summer.
6. Other pets and livestock
All pets and livestock produce their own waste, and chicken keepers often keep other animals too. When the hens are in a run, they can look like the culprit when really it is the cumulative effect of the whole menagerie.
7. Composters and ponds
Composters create perfect conditions for flies to feed and breed, and while ponds are wonderful havens for wildlife, they also provide a superb habitat for the insects we would rather do without.
None of these factors alone is the reason you have flies around your birds, and while flies are annoying, they pose little risk to your feathered friends. Before you start digging up parts of your garden, there are far easier ways to manage the situation.
How to get rid of flies around your chicken coop
Unlike parasites such as red mite, flies are more of a nuisance to us than to our birds. The good news is that fly control is mostly about hygiene and routine. Here are the most effective ways to stop flies in your chicken run.
1. Clean the coop and remove droppings regularly
This is the most important step by far. Clean the coop at least weekly, remove all soiled bedding, and scrub the perches and ramp, which get grubby quickly. Removing droppings often (ideally every few days) takes away the prime fly breeding site before eggs can hatch. A smooth-surfaced coop makes this far faster, which is exactly why Nestera coops are built from easy-clean recycled plastic that wipes and washes down in minutes and dries quickly in warm weather, or faster still with a towel.
2. Keep feed tidy
Use a feeder that prevents spillage and put feed away at night. Where feeding kitchen scraps is permitted, only put out as much as the flock can eat within a few hours so nothing is left to rot and draw flies.
3. Keep bedding dry
Damp bedding is a fly nursery. Top up or replace bedding before it becomes wet and soiled, and choose an absorbent material that stays drier for longer. Good ventilation inside the coop also helps moisture escape rather than condensing on the walls.
4. Replace old run chippings
If your run has old chippings or material that is breaking down, dig it out, add it to your composter and replace it with fresh material. This gives your birds something to scratch through while removing parasitic worm eggs and other pathogens at the same time.
5. Manage water and drainage
Make sure waterers do not leak, and place them where any spills can drain away quickly or be captured and tipped out. Nipple drinkers minimise spillage and water wastage. Good drainage around the coop and run stops the standing water that flies need to breed.
6. Lid your compost
Use compost bins with lids for chicken manure, garden waste and food scraps so flies cannot reach these materials.
7. Use natural deterrents
Plant fly-repellent herbs such as basil, lavender, mint and marigolds around the coop, as flies tend to avoid them. You can also make a simple essential-oil spray: mix 10 to 15 drops of oil with a cup of water in a spray bottle, shake well before each use, and spray around coops, runs and other fly-prone areas. Flies particularly dislike lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, tea tree, citronella, basil, clove and rosemary oils.
8. Set fly traps
Use shop-bought or homemade fly traps around the coop and run. Sticky traps, baited water, baited cage traps and UV light traps can all be effective. Always place baited traps as far from people and animals as possible, because they do not smell too pleasant.
9. Encourage natural predators
Introduce beneficial insects such as parasitic wasps that prey on fly larvae, and encourage birds, frogs and other natural predators that feed on flies. Letting your hens dust-bathe and forage also helps keep things in balance, and you can read more about why this matters in our piece on the importance of dust baths for happy and healthy hens.
10. Add screens and netting
Fit fine mesh screens or netting over windows, vents and other openings to keep flies out while maintaining the ventilation your hens need.
The real fix: keep it clean and dry
Every method above works best when the basics are right. Flies struggle to take hold around a coop that is cleaned regularly, kept dry and free of spilled feed. That is where the design of your coop makes a genuine difference. Nestera coops are made from smooth, non-porous recycled plastic with large rear hatches, removable roofs and detachable nest boxes, so there are no awkward corners for muck to lodge in and no absorbent timber to soak up moisture and odour. Pair that with droppings trays that slide out for a quick daily empty, and the messiest, most fly-attracting job becomes a two-minute task rather than a chore you put off.
Frequently asked questions
Are flies around my chicken coop harmful to my hens?
Flies are mainly a nuisance to people rather than a serious threat to healthy hens. That said, large numbers can spread bacteria and worm eggs, so it is still worth keeping them under control. If you ever notice signs of illness, wounds or maggots (flystrike) on a bird, contact your vet or a qualified poultry specialist promptly.
What is the fastest way to reduce flies around a chicken run?
Start with droppings. Removing droppings and damp, soiled bedding every few days takes away the main breeding site, and you will usually see numbers fall within a week or two. Add traps and natural deterrents to deal with the flies already present.
Does a plastic chicken coop help with fly control?
Yes. A smooth, non-porous recycled-plastic coop is much quicker to clean and does not soak up moisture or droppings the way timber does, so there is less for flies to feed and breed on. Easy cleaning means you are more likely to keep on top of it, which is the real key to fly control.
Will natural repellents alone get rid of flies?
Repellents, herbs and essential-oil sprays help, but they work best alongside good hygiene. On their own they will not overcome a build-up of droppings or damp bedding, so treat them as a useful extra rather than the main solution.
Keep your coop fly-free the easy way
The simplest route to a fly-free run is a coop that is genuinely quick and pleasant to keep clean. Our easy-clean, recycled-plastic Nestera chicken coops wipe down in minutes, dry fast and leave flies with nowhere to settle, and slide-out droppings trays make the daily clean almost effortless, so hygiene stays on top of the to-do list and the flies stay away.
