Flies in the Chicken Scratch

Teeny, tiny flies...tons of them...in our chicken scratch.

We've been keeping chickens for a few years now and I have never seen this before!  I first saw them on Saturday when I went out to feed the Ladies.  I opened up the Scratch Bin and noticed a few tiny flies, but didn't think anything of it.  Then, as I scooped out some scratch, I must have disturbed them because all of a sudden there we hundreds (maybe thousands) of them all flying around in circles inside the bin!

Flies and scratch.
Can you see them on the sides of the bin?

I finished throwing down some scratch and left the lid off of the bin thinking they'd find their way out as I fed and watered the Ladies. No such luck!  They all just flew around in circles and stayed in the bin.  Fearing we might get some rain (wishful thinking, not a drop has fallen), I closed it back up and left it alone.

Flies in the scratch bin...tiny, but still there.

So what now? They're definitely better than they were a few days ago...not as many in the bin...but the ones that are left are bigger, even though it's hard to see in the photos above.  They're weird, too...long and skinny, not like your "typical" fly.  My best guess is that the majority did find their way out through some small crevice. Or they died and are adding protein to the scratch.  Who knows.

A Buff Orpington and her feed.
She was trying to get to it form the top end...
it didn't work out well for her ;-)

Chickens love scratch.  It's like Chicken Crack.  For real.

What might they be from?  Something in the Scratch that hatched? Something that found it's way into the closed bin and had a mating party?  Whatever they are, it's gross.  And strange to me that it's never happened before now.  Ideas, thoughts, experiences?  I'd love to hear about anything similar that has happened to you!

xoxo,
M

Enjoy this space?  Please vote for me daily by simply clicking here. Thank you!