# maggots on barn floor



## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

The barn is is in a low lying part in the yard. Second day of finding goat food dish flipped over. Took my boot and kicked the earth under it and found maggots. How can I get rid of them? gross!


I could remove straw and dirt. 
I could put down lime.
I could put down borax or bleach????

I don't want to do anything that will make the goats sick or harm them.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

I just scoop up the area when something like that happens.Put fresh lime or DE, then fresh bedding/sand or whatever you use. Then I build a better feeder. LOL I have a gravity feeder for alf pellets and they get a small enough amount of grain that they finish it off right then with nothing sitting around left over. 

But you can get maggots in any organic material.


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## Dee Kennerly (Apr 7, 2010)

*barn floor*

Just be sure that the lime you use is agricultural lime, so it won't burn the goats. It is good for drying out the floor.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

doublebowgoats said:


> Then I build a better feeder. LOL I have a gravity feeder for alf pellets and they get a small enough amount of grain that they finish it off right then with nothing sitting around left over. .


what type of gravity feeder? This is a black rubber bowl we purchased from TS. I think they were dumping it out because the maggots were getting in the feed.


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## mammabooh (Sep 15, 2011)

Sounds like you need chickens to perform clean-up duties.

I have my feeders hanging on the wall so they can't dump them and the feed stays nice and dry.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

No, maggots won't get in the feed unless it's wet. Moisture+organic material+hot weather=maggots.


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## EmyAcres (Jul 3, 2013)

We had this problem earlier this year and I completely freaked out cause in my mind maggots=filth but this wasn't the case AT ALL it was in the hay that was under the hay rack and it had rained ALOT so it had got wet and anyways the chickens did a really good job of cleaning it up I didn't have to do anything!!


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

I caused this problem. It is a low spot at the barn, and I put hay on the floor thinking it would be nicer. We have had a tremendous amount of rain. But underneath the wet hay were the maggots. Tonight I raked all the hay out into the yard, and hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow AM and dry them up. I can put it in the compost when the maggots stop wiggling. I have reached my limit on grossness for today.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Maggots are baby flies. I've yet to visit a farm with livestock in the summer that didn't have flies, so suffice it to say - we ALL have maggots. You were just unlucky enough to get a look at them. Fly predators take care of flies at the maggot stage. I released them twice this year and I thought they did help, but we still have some flies. Chickens help too, but they also leave messes, so take your pick there.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Yeah, chickens do such a great job of keeping the bedding fluffed and dry and they eat so many bugs but they leave poop everywhere they go.
Our flies got really bad after the rain the last couple of weeks so there are tiny white wrigglers somewhere.  and we have no more chickens.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Ah, you'll see worse things that that before it's over


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

We have been having downpours daily for most of the summer. No matter what I do, I am overpowered in flies. AGH!


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