Fly Ear Tags

[AF Ranch]

Thinking about using repellent ear tags for fly control? I would appreciate everyone's PROS & CONS. Thanks.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Waste of good money put out rabon blocks and break the cycle.

 

[Hawk]

This is a subject that has been discussed here a few times before. One group of members swears that they work like a charm and the other group swears that they aren't worth a hoot. Take your choice. I have been using them for the last three or four years and I think that they do a pretty good job. I put them in all of the cattle in the spring and remove in the fall. There are still some flies, especially late in the summer, but not near as many as without them. Plus, I don't have to pen them up to spray every few weeks. Good luck to you.

 

[bigbull338]

Thinking about using repellent ear tags for fly control? I would appreciate everyone's PROS & CONS. Thanks.

go with the rabon fly blocks.those taggs are only good for 60 to 90 days.an they really dont work that good.you can get the rabon blocks for $10 to $12 a peice.an no intensive labor involved with them.just put them out an go.

 

[Dusty Britches]

Get out the popcorn and coke - here we go again.

 

[Stepper]

I used the fly ear tags last summer on my heifers and could not tell they were doing a whole lot repelling flys.

 

[dun]

Fly control isn;t as simple as a one step process. The rabon or IGR helps a lot, but there seem to alwasy be a few flys anyway. We use back wiper mops in the entrance to fixed water points and IGR. The wild turkeys breaking up the pats also seem to contribute to the overall control.

dun

 

[hillsdown]

I have a really stupid question as I was thinking of doing the tag thing this year had a problem with pink eye last year and even had to have my vet ingect meds right into a p.b. heifers eye and her third lid sewn shut.Yes I do have oilers and such all over the pasture for them it was just a bad fly year.Anyhow if you tag them each year do you make lots of different holes or use the same ones all the time and what about the ears ripping if the tag catches?The other thing is my cows have two tags already in one ear and a tattoo in the other which you cannot tag because the tattoo has to be readable at all times let alone the ones I have purchased from other producers some have 3-5 tags.How many tags is just way to many?How does this block work I have never heard of it.

 

[Dusty Britches]

I use the same holes year after year. One tag goes in the front of the ear and a second tag goes on the back of the other ear, so the numbered tag won't interfer with it.

I rotate tags between pyrethroids and organophates.

I also de-worm the cows.

we unroll hay and drag the pastures in the winter to prevent fly breeding areas.

It is a year round management practice and like Dun said, a multiphase treatment.

We have had a lot of success with the program.

Hillsdown - try putting the fly tags in the back of the ear, facing rearward to the cow.

 

[hillsdown]

I use the same holes year after year. One tag goes in the front of the ear and a second tag goes on the back of the other ear, so the numbered tag won't interfer with it.

I rotate tags between pyrethroids and organophates.

I also de-worm the cows.

we unroll hay and drag the pastures in the winter to prevent fly breeding areas.

It is a year round management practice and like Dun said, a multiphase treatment.

We have had a lot of success with the program.

Hillsdown - try putting the fly tags in the back of the ear, facing rearward to the cow.

Thanx reversing the tags would make sense and not interfere with the other tags.Now what are pyrethroids and organophates?

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

Don't know so much about the flies, but seems to help with the ticks. I use both the rabon (have to start early) and the ear tags.

 

[Stepper]

dun

What does IGR stand for ?

 

[backhoeboogie]

I tag my cattle just because. And since I am tagging them, I use medicated tags. The numbers work on those tags just about as well as they work on plain tags. The medication doesn't seem to do much.

My pastures are surrounded by other pastures, which are also surrounded. Flies are a real problem. IGR helps a lot. I have rubs too. A like some have already posted, my cows get injections for parasite control twice a year.

Even with all of this, black cows were covered in flies many times last year. I ran them through the pen periodically and sprayed them with a pump up sprayer. That would keep the flies off of them for a couple of weeks.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Your Fly control problem is only as good as your Neighbors. We dont have any neighbors that have Cattle, so we use IGR Minerals, Rubs with the face flyps on em', and spray if necessary.

 

[cattleluvr18]

i dont remember what i used but they sure didnt seem to make a difference to me.

 

[Dusty Britches]

Thanx reversing the tags would make sense and not interfere with the other tags.Now what are pyrethroids and organophates?

They are the basic chemical compounds of different fly tags. Horn flies in particular develop a resistent to pyrethroids within 1 year. Flies adapt quickly, so by rotating between the different types of chemcila compounds you keep them from developing resistence. Make sure you remove the tags at the end of their expected life effectiveness. Ie, if the manufacturer says this tag lasts up to 5 months, remove it at 5 months. The trace amounts of the chemical are so low they won't bother the flies, but the flies will build up their resistence to that chemical.

When you go to buy the tags, read the active ingredient. It will state either pyrethroid or organophospate. The organophospates can be used for 2-3 years, but we just rotate every year.

Here's a publication from Texas Cooperative Extension that does a way better job explaining it than me. You can download it for free. Managing External Parasites of Texas Livestock and Poultry

http://tcebookstore.org/pubinfo.cfm?pubid=35

 

[Cow_Town]

I used every kind they put out over the years in a rotation program along with the rubs and I had moderate control, never 100% though. Now it is just too costly to apply tags to any decent sized herd, so the rubs and blocks are what I use now.