More Fly Deterrent Tips

Its no secret, at this point, that our residents love their fly masks and boots in this worse than normal fly season. Short of erecting a glass bubble over the entire farm, there is no way to completely eliminate flies, but here are a few tips to lessen the problem:

• Muck stalls at least once daily. We do ours 2-3 times a day, depending on how much time the horses have been inside.
• In addition to picking up manure, remove all wet bedding, whether the moisture is from urine, water buckets, or rainwater. Pick up old hay not eaten within 24 hours.
• Pick up manure in sheds or in loafing areas at least once daily.
• Pick up all quids (wads of hay spit out by dentally challenged horses) left in stalls and sheds. They attract as many flies as manure does.
• Remove feed buckets from stalls or sheds between feedings. If you serve "mush" or soaked feed, rinse buckets and pans well after each meal.
• If your horse is a sloppy eater, clean food from walls when necessary.
• Use wide, shallow feed pans when possible so your toothless wonder does not smear food up to his eyebrows. If he does manage to plaster his face with food, use a soft wet cloth to clean him up before the food dries. Clean his legs, too, if he tries to clean himself up by wiping his muzzle on his legs.

These tips take just a few extra minutes, if done every day or at each meal and greatly reduce fly-induced discomfort, as demonstrated here by The Belle of Ellwood. Stay tuned as we post more about our little 33 year old Arab mare in the next day or two.