Flying Away

Making livestock flies flee using only natural techniques and products

The late Jerry Brunetti summed it up well when he said that flies are a farm problem —not a livestock problem. He meant that we should look at every aspect of our management and our facilities — not merely try to find something to “throw at the problem” (as the pharmaceutical industry has taught us). Treating flies via synthetic chemicals is a temporary solution that often only makes the problem worse. 

Flies are not only a nuisance — they cost money! A typical case of 200-500 horn flies per animal will steal a half pint of blood a day from an animal; this will cost at least a half pound of daily gain or a half gallon of milk. Flies also transmit over 30 infectious diseases.

Remember, too, that flies are just one of the most visible parasites. Animals with fly problems typically have other parasites as well. Natural solutions to flies also help get rid of other parasites, both internal and external. 

Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, said that all disease begins in the gut. This means that there isn’t a disease that doesn’t go back to nutritional deficiencies. A holistic plan, therefore, begins by making sure all of an animal’s nutritional needs are met. 

In addition to good forages, one should always supply high-quality, free-choice minerals. Repel all insects and worms by making sure the critical trace minerals copper, sulfur and iodine are adequately supplied. For cattle and goats, I recommend 5,000 ppm of copper, 5 percent sulfur and 800 ppm of iodine. The same is true for sheep, except way less copper; I use a mix with 1,300 ppm. These are the levels found in Crafts-Min (for cattle) and Sheep Guardian (for sheep). Having tools like this eliminates the need for any toxic chemicals. 

It’s a well-documented fact that animals that have free-choice access to raw apple cider vinegar (ACV) are extremely resistant to flies and worms. New animals, weak animals or stressed animals should be allowed to drink all they want every day. When the flies have been knocked down, it’s safe to drop to the standard dosage of 1 ounce per 200 pounds of body weight per day. ACV makes money for producers.

During times of heavy fly pressure, to our free-choice salt we add a product like Salt-Buddy, which is 60 percent pure yellow sulfur with over 9,000 ppm iodine. The livestock like it, but parasites can’t stand to bite animals that emit sulfurous fumes through their skin. Mix 10 pounds into every 100 pounds of salt and keep giving it until the fly season is gone. It also works well to prevent winter lice, mange mites or even ringworm. 

For over 30 years I recommenced a product that was taken off the market a couple of years ago. It was made from essential oils and worked well, except for the fact that the repellency only lasted a few days. There’s a new product called Neemesis that is many times stronger. This potent mix is 1/3 essential oils, 1/3 pure garlic oil (900 times stronger than pure garlic) and 1/3 sap from neem and karanja trees. A gallon of this concentrate makes 10 gallons total (or more) when mixed with mineral or vegetable oil. Spray it on heavily — especially the face, feet, shoulders and belly. A backpack sprayer usually works best. Then get some good oilers and put them near the mineral boxes (or the water source).

This is the basic protocol we use for natural control, prevention and eradication of all fly problems. Since, as I mentioned, we are still dealing with a “farm problem,” I encourage you to approach it with a holistic attitude — that is, by looking at every reason flies are bugging you. This includes encouraging insect-eating wild birds like swallows, martins and bluebirds to come back to your farm (and also larvae-eating domestic birds like pastured chickens, ducks, geese or guineas). Introduce “fly-predator” control insects. 

It’s also critical to manage manure aggressively (this is where most flies breed). Use fly traps if possible, and keep the dung beetle population alive and active (don’t use the chemical wormers that kill them). Note, too, that livestock genetics play a huge role in parasite problems; parasite resistance should be one of your primary culling and selecting characteristics.

Will Winter, DVM, is the author of The Holistic Veterinary Handbook. He is the herd consultant for the Thousand Hills Cattle Company and raises hogs, sheep and goats at Lucky Pig Farms in Minnesota.