In free stall housing, there are ample opportunities for fly breeding habitats to develop in accumulated manure and spilled feed and water in the feeding areas.
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| Manure accumulation around watererer in dairy lot. |
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| Accumulated manure in corner of dairy lot. |
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Tractor-mounted scrapers are usually used to clean paved areas, but accumulations of manure in corners and under fences, bunkers and partitions provide many opportunities for fly breeding.
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| Edge of concrete apron with wet manure and runoff where flies may breed. |
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| Accumulated manure along fence line. |
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Curbs should be provided under fences and railings to prevent accumulation of manure.
In stall areas, automatic chain-pulled scrapers and gutters may be installed, but these systems often leave some manure residues to support fly breeding.
Stanchion housing is difficult to clean completely, and some fly breeding medium is often left around the stanchion supports and under the feed bunkers and waterers.
Whatever the manure-removal system in dairy operations, there is a problem of manure disposal.
Ultimately it is spread on cropland and pastures, but intermediate storage is often necessary.
Piling of the manure will produce more flies unless the manure is carefully compacted and covered with plastic sheeting to render conditions unfavorable for fly development.
Equipment is available for extracting most of the water from manure and this is sometimes used in conjunction with automatic scraper systems.
After water removal, the manure residue is easily stored or spread without significant fly breeding problems.
Another method of manure handling is to flush the manure into a deep anaerobic lagoon. If properly designed and maintained, lagoons are effective in preventing fly breeding.
However, if the lagoon is overloaded with manure and mats of solid materials float on the surface, these may support fly breeding.
Manure mixed with bedding from maternity stalls and calf pens cannot be placed in a lagoon and disposal has to be by piling and spreading.
