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Break The Horn Fly Life Cycle This Spring To Avoid Being Robbed Of Profits

Mar 16, 2016
By Alec Gerry 
 
Can you imagine being bit 120,000 times per day? It might be hard to imagine what this feels like, however during peak timeframes, as many as 4,000 horn flies can call a cow’s hide home. At 30 blood meals per day, that adds up to 120,000 bites per cow. Not only are these bites irritating your cows, but with production losses for the U.S. cattle industry are estimated at up to $1 billion annually, they’re also biting away at your profits.
 
“High horn fly populations can cause blood loss and increased cattle stress or annoyance,” says Ted Perry, cattle nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition. “Annoyance can cause cattle to use their energy to combat flies, change their grazing patterns and cause cattle grouping. Ultimately, it can lead to decreases in milk production, causing a reduction in calf weaning weights.”
 
From ear tags and pour-ons to mineral or feed supplements with fly control, there are a lot of different ways to manage flies. And each solution has a place in the industry, adds Perry.
 
With so many fly control options available, what’s the best way to break the horn fly cycle?
“The best place to start is by breaking the life cycle in the manure,” says Perry.