• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Killin' Flies

Heel Fly

Well-known member
Just wondered if anyone out there had any input into fly control. What you use, in what kind of country and on what kind of cows. I got some info on the Lewis Oiler, does anyone use those??
 

George

Well-known member
I use a face mop on all of my mineral feeders ( plastic 55 gal buckets with a hole in the downward side) and I started using mineral with IGR last week but then it turned cold again. It will be in the cows when the flys come and I will fill the tanks on the face mop as soon as I start seeing face flys.

My 30 year old vigortone mineral feeder finnaly bit the dust last year and we don't have a dealer locally so I made 4 mineral feeders out of plastic barrels - - - they will hold about 100# each.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
We use the Lewis Cattle Oiler and we sell mineral with IGR. We have lots of satisfied customers that use and swear by the IGR. Here on this place we can't get cattle to eat enough mineral in the summertime. So we did buy a Lewis cattle oiler and I guess we aren't totally sold on it.

With the IGR the cattle only need consume 2 oz. for the IGR to do its work. We have a pasture across the road and the cattle do eat it there. Once I came home from town and the neighbors cattle were all bunched in a fence corner (no fly control) and ours were 5 miles down the road in thier pasture and were all out grazing. That's how you tell if the IGR works. Cattle quit bunching up and continue to graze. You will never get rid of ALL flies so don't expect that. What you will see with IGR is less of a fly load, so the cattle are able to keep eating, which means they keep gaining weight. You need to get it out early enough in the spring and keep it out late enough in the fall.

The cons of the Lewis Cattle Oilers are if you have cattle in more than one pasture you need more oilers, meaning one for each pasture. Ours plugged or something so the oil didn't get on some of the rubs. In the winter you have to move the oiler to the cattle and everyone I know that has one, the oiler is still in the last pasture and wasn't with the cattle in the winter. Guess it is management just like anything else.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
I have had mixed results with IGR's. Yes, they knock the population down if everyone in my area is using them but our biggest problem is most of the people don't use them. Not to mention the massive amount of pig manure that the neighbors have and it is just real tough to control the flies. We still use the IGR because it helps a little... In our denser animal population areas I don't think their is one solution.. Going to try some oilers this year too, so much will depend on the weather too.. Don't know why but when it is real dry the flies get worse much earlier.. In a good moist year we don't seem to have the problems until July... Last year with how dry our sping was my mid may the flies were something fierce...

Of course, some cows are just never bothered no matter how bad the flies get and some are persecuted if it is a mild fly year...
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Having a good immune system really helps with flies. Ever notice that the poorer haired or thinner animals have more flies? Take a look, its a fact.

Remember IGR only controls horn flies. Horn flies are the ones that cause economic damage by causing cattle to bunch up to fight them. Horn flies are the flies that point downward on the cattle. You've seen them on the cattles backs, the ones that all point down. Horn flys will fly 1/2 mile to the host animal. So if you have neighbors cattle that close that aren't using IGR or some form of treatment, you will have flies from their cattle.
IGR will take a fly load from 500 down to 100-200. Studies have shown the difference in cattle performance with the horn fly load down to 1-200 per cow. It makes quite a big difference in urine loss and blood loss all which affects cattles performance.

In bad fly infestations more than one method is recommended to fight flies.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Yep, anytime before the flies show up. That way you will interfere with the fly cycle right away. Keep it out until the first freeze in the fall. That way the eggs that are carried over the winter will have their cycle interrupted right off the bat. In other words, the IGR will work on the first eggs that hatch.
 

Heel Fly

Well-known member
FH I have seen the studies done for cattle in small pastures however our smallest summer pasture is 5 sec. with several water holes does this work as well when cattle get that kind of a spread on them??
 

George

Well-known member
It should work better in an area like that as you should not get recontamination fron the neighbors.

The key is to get from 2 to 4 oz in the cow per day. Locate mineral at each major water access. I keep the mineral available and get reasonable results. I also rotate pastures and when I do I skip a pasture and take them at least one away ( I only have 6 to rotate thru - - thinking about more hot wire to cut each in half )

I have neighbors on two sides of me with cattle and they are the worst scrubs around ( I am talking about the cows). The better of the two had 3 calves last year out of 13 cows and decided to not get a bull last year to let them rest - - - intends to breed them this July. The other neighbor just lets the cattle run on 80 acres ( about 15 cows ) and they just inter breed at will.

Neither of them sees the need for mineral, worming, shots, tagging or anything else that might require them to exert effort. As a result I can decrease the number of horn flies and face flies but not to the extent I would like.
 

rjk

Well-known member
We've had good luck in S. Tx, even when not all around are using Altosid. I'm told the horn flies don't like to leave the host animal and don't like to fly. I've seen this.....disturb flies on a cow by running your hand down her back. They fly up to avoid your hand and then set right back down. I would think there is some cross-contamination from untreated cows, but only if they are really close to each other.
I believe in IGR, not as an absolute fix, but a very cost-effective fly reducer.
 
Top