Has anyone ever used a rub to deal with flies on pasture animals? I was thinking about getting one, the flies have been just awful and fly spray isn't helping much because it doesn't last long and they don't like getting sprayed and move so they don't get sprayed well enough. I have a good place to put it where they will probably walk under it often enough. Can they get sick from sniffing/licking the rub?
Fly Rub?
- Thread starter LoveMoo11
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
farmwriter
Well-known member
We use them. Nothing bad to report and it seems to help some. We put their mineral inside a pen of portable panels with a rub at each end.
MO_cows
Well-known member
We use one with face flips and it does help noticeably but not totally solve the problem. Some flies will just migrate to the legs and belly. Ours had never seen one before, and wouldn't come thru it even for sweet feed. So we took it down, gave them the feed, then put it back up so they had to go thru it to get OUT instead of in the pen where the feeder is. After one time of that, they learned and now when they take their mid-day "lay down and chew cud" break, one or more will often be laying right under the rub. I worried about them ingesting the insecticide at first; our bunch is all "lovey dovey" and lick on each other, also lick their calves a lot, but no ill effects have been seen from that.
I luv herfrds
Well-known member
We have a couple. They work very well for us, only problem we have is the cows rubbing on the post holding it up and knocking it down.
I have a pasture that is 200 ac that we bought 2 years ago that has more flys than I have ever seen !! it has sence we have owned it but this year I put out a meal that is for fly controll and was suprised at the results will use it next year again
jkwilson
Well-known member
Mine have to walk under a rub to get water. When I first installed it, I put it up high enough that they didn't touch it going under. Some were still hesitant to go under, but they got used to it. I lowered it about 6 inches at a time, feeding them by the water tank every time to make sure they'd all go under it. Now it drapes over the cows backs, and some of them will stop and rub around under it.
This year I was having pretty bad fly problems in June. I ran all the cows through the chute and used Saber Pour-On. Worked so well that I ran them through again on the 4th of July and gave them another dose. It is supposed to be effective for 2 weeks. Really seems to hammer the horn flies and all the big flies that bite them on the back. Face flies are still there, but total fly load is still way down a month later.
I've tried the IGR minerals and fly predators without much luck. I have a neighbor about a quarter mile from me who doesn't use any fly control or medication at all on his cattle, so insecticides on the cattle is probably my best option. I keep the rub up and charged year round.
This year I was having pretty bad fly problems in June. I ran all the cows through the chute and used Saber Pour-On. Worked so well that I ran them through again on the 4th of July and gave them another dose. It is supposed to be effective for 2 weeks. Really seems to hammer the horn flies and all the big flies that bite them on the back. Face flies are still there, but total fly load is still way down a month later.
I've tried the IGR minerals and fly predators without much luck. I have a neighbor about a quarter mile from me who doesn't use any fly control or medication at all on his cattle, so insecticides on the cattle is probably my best option. I keep the rub up and charged year round.
