Articles from AHD sponsor Addison Biological Laboratories provide information about how we should now manage pinkeye. Starting with a historical perspective helps. This is what we know: Pinkeye is a painful cattle disease that can reduce weaning weights as much as 17 lbs. to 65 lbs. per animal. Pinkeye is a multifactor disease. Once it begins to spread through a … [Read more...]
Search Results for: flies
Clean up to reduce stable fly population
The manure and waste hay from a single feeding site can produce more than 1 million stable flies. On a smaller scale, the same thing happens on acreages or in backyards where manure and feces have piled up over the winter. Stable flies are also known as biting house flies and are slightly smaller than house flies. Source: Beef, March 8, 2018. Data from the “Managing Stable … [Read more...]
Improve horse health with good fly control
House flies and stable flies have three prerequisites for successful completion of their life cycles: appropriate breeding materials, moisture and warmth, according to the Horse Industry Handbook. Eliminating any of these factors will minimize fly breeding. Source: AQHA Journal, July 13, 2018. Follow these simple tips for improving fly control Practice good … [Read more...]
Got horse, got manure
Retailers and veterinary teams alike get questions from horse owners about manure issues. Beyond the flies and obvious olfactory complaints from neighbors, what do you do with the manure? Natalie Voss addresses how to deal with the manure challenge. Source: Acreage Life, July 2017, page 23. A single horse can produce as much as nine tons of manure each year. All of it has … [Read more...]
Don’t take parasites to pasture
Flies and worms lower cattle health. This can lead to major economic damage, so controlling parasites with insecticides and other management protocols is important. Producers prepare pastures by fertilizing, spraying, burning and inter-seeding. The same logic applies to preparing cattle for spring by controlling parasites early. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, April 14, … [Read more...]
Bugs chickens love and hate
Insects are everywhere! Learn which flyers and creepers keep chickens happy, and which to watch out for. The information provided will help backyard chicken raisers better understand what to do and not to do when it comes to bugs. Source: Hobby Farms, March 15, 2017. When it comes to chickens, flies are a double-edged sword. On the positive side, chickens love to eat flies … [Read more...]
Fly season is here already
Spring brings pretty flowers and flies. Nasty flies. Proactive management helps lower their negative effects. Source: Progressive Cattleman, March 14, 2017. Horn flies are most always associated with cattle on pasture. House flies and stable flies are most often found around confined cattle and their premises. Once producers know what flies are an issue, they can better … [Read more...]
There are surprising benefits when keeping hens with horses
Casie Bazay shares her experiences with free-range chickens and horses. She describes a symbiotic existence that reduces flies, feed waste and breaks down manure so that it dries faster. Source: Horse Network, February 21, 2017. In addition to the bug-eating behaviors, Bazay shares these benefits: Chickens will eat the tiniest piece of grain or other feed dropped on … [Read more...]
Editorial – They say we don’t care
Critics and non-agricultural lobbyists often criticize animal health pros for not caring about the environment, odors or greenhouse gases. This article flies in the faces of such critics. Source: WATTAgNet, January 20, 2017. Perdue Farms has expanded its $68 million investment in nutrient recycling on the Delmarva Peninsula with the addition of a $12 million capital … [Read more...]
Elephant footprints create microhabitats
Just for fun! A recent study of footprint impressions of the African elephant revealed the water-filled imprints can host mayflies, leeches, tadpoles and more. Source: Scientific American, November 2016. Researchers at Germany's University of Koblenz-Landau and other institutions analyzed the contents of 30 footprint pools in Uganda. They found that at least 61 different … [Read more...]
Fly control essential to pinkeye prevention
Fall’s short days and cool nights combined with the grouping of cattle, increases the risk of pinkeye. Fly control is essential to reduce the risk of pinkeye, says A.J. Tarpoff, Kansas State University beef veterinarian. Effective fly control plans may include insecticide sprays, special ear tags or cattle rubs. “Flies work to cause pinkeye in two different ways,” he said. … [Read more...]
Screwworms in Florida after 30-year absence
Some of us have vivid memories of screwworm larvae burrowed into the flesh of livestock. A full-grown screwworm looks like any other fly. It is an insect small in size, dark, six-legged and compound-eyed. Its life cycle is quite different than other flies, however. A pregnant screwworm seeks out the bodies of much larger animals. Upon finding an open wound or other fleshy … [Read more...]
New AAEP external parasite and vector control guidelines
Developed by an AAEP task force chaired by Dr. Dennis French, new guidelines provide current information about the control of ticks, flies, lice, mites and mosquitoes. Source: Healthy Horses Newsletter, July 21, 2016. Download as a PDF; these guidelines will soon be available on www.aaep.org within the Guidelines section. INSIGHTS: This is a comprehensive set of guidelines … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Fly Control Center
Whether you live in the country or not, flies can be a problem. In town, the large dogs next door, garbage receptacles with soda or beer cans and even the barbecue grill can be attractors. In the country or in a stable flies reduce animal performance and comfort. Animal health professionals will find the information at the Fly Control Center worthwhile. Source: Farm Journal, … [Read more...]
Fly sex and a golden goose
The title of this article is enough to pique curiosity. Science from the 1950’s recently earned the Golden Goose Award. The research laid the groundwork for modern day approaches to insect pest controls. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, June 23, 2016. Through their work on the basic biology of adult flies, the late Edward F. Knipling and Raymond C. Bushland developed a way to … [Read more...]
Equine nutrition FAQs addressed
Whether it’s a large show barn, or single horse owner, feeding and nutrition questions seem to be the same. This article addresses common questions about how to properly feed our four-legged friends. From how to care for the senior horse, to if an easy keeper needs concentrate, you can find out how to provide proper nutrition and feeding for your horses. Source: Horse … [Read more...]
Fly resistant cattle make for good discussions
Fly resistance is a heritable trait, say researchers. It’s often overlooked. Researchers continue to identify specific genes, but in the meantime selecting for bulls and cows that carry fewer flies can work. Source: Beef Magazine, February 25, 2016. Today, cattle breeding and selection focuses on many things, but heritability of fly resistance is often overlooked. “All the … [Read more...]
Fluid dynamics on four legs: The brilliance of how dogs drink
In the, “Did you every wonder about?” category, this article helps those who wonder how dogs get enough to drink with their head down and all the splashing that takes place from those tongues. Dogs are drinking machines. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences confirms it. Source: Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2015. A dog laps by … [Read more...]