Fly Control for Your Show Barn 

Regardless of whether you show cattle, sheep, goats or pigs, or a combination of these animals, one thing is certain. You will eventually have flies in your show barn. These tiny little pests can often be the biggest nuisance. Yes, those pesky flies like to invade our barns, bite at our animals and can carry diseases. With proper fly control for your show barn, you can decrease the fly invasion before it gets out of hand. 

Here are some tips for keeping your show barn fly-free, and your cattle performing their best. 

1. Start from the Inside Out 

Did you know that you can help control flies while you are feeding your animals? You can!  BioZyme® makes a supplement to help your show animals and control flies. 

Sure Champ® Extreme with ClariFly® is a pelleted, daily supplement for show livestock with Clarifly® designed to support hoof health, hair coat and performance when temperatures are above 70 degrees. By feeding Extreme, you should see fewer flies landing on and biting your animals, all while keeping their digestive system healthy. Sure Champ Extreme can be fed to cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. 

Sure Champ Extreme with ClariFly contains AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, a prebiotic research-proven to enhance digestibility. It also includes MOS (mannan oligosaccharide) to help normalize gut microflora and support the immune system. Finally, the HEAT® technology, a combination of essential oils and garlic, as well as ClariFly® support animals when heat and insects are a challenge. 

With both the ClariFly and garlic in the HEAT technology, your cattle, sheep, goats and pigs will experience two separate modes of action. First, the ClariFly works as a larvicide, so it kills flies in their larval stages. The scent of the garlic will detract flies. So, they might hover around your animals, but they should not land due to the aroma coming from the animal’s breath or skin. 

2. Cleanliness Matters 

Fly control for your show barn starts with a clean facility. Flies breed and thrive in manure and waste, so keeping your barns or outside pens as clean as possible is a crucial step. If you tie your cattle in, make sure you clean their stalls regularly.

For smaller species like pigs, sheep and goats, be sure to pick the pens throughout the day. This will help keep fresh waste away from the animals.

The closer the animal feces and urine are to the animals, the closer the flies will be. Haul the waste, including any wet bedding out of the barn so flies don’t have a breeding ground in the same area your animals are housed in. 

3. Spray those Flies Away 

If the fly pressure is very bad, for instance in a wet year, don’t be afraid to spray your premises with an insecticide. Depending on your location and the humidity in the air, you might want to spray an insecticide around your premises to keep flies and other insects from making themselves at home.  

If you have the means, and flies are a big problem, consider investing in a fly control system that mists insecticide throughout the barn on a timed system. These will eliminate flies and are common in pig and horse barns. 

Use livestock spray. There are a variety of livestock sprays available on the market that are safe and effective to use with a variety of animals. With all livestock sprays and insecticides, be sure to read and follow the label directions and use them accordingly. 

If you have livestock, you’re going to have flies. And unfortunately, there is no one way to eliminate every one of them. But using some precautionary measures mentioned above will help control the flies around your barn and on your animals, keeping your animals healthier and happier. 

4. Get your Sure Champ Extreme Today 

Do you want the best fly control for your show barn? It is never too early to start feeding Sure Champ Extreme with ClariFly. Flies don’t need a reason to start breeding, and when two or more are gathered with manure or waste, soon there will be more. Also, show barns are typically at a warmer temperature, so start your show livestock today on this great product for heat and fly control. 

You can find Sure Champ Extreme, available in both 40- and 25-pound bags from your local BioZyme dealer. Locate your nearest dealer, today. 

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