Fly numbers are climbing after a wet winter and spring. Here’s how cattle producers can break the chain before pinkeye takes hold.
Why pinkeye flares in summer
Pinkeye outbreaks tend to flare up over the warmer months, as grass seeds, weeds, dust and flies all play their part in irritating eyes and spreading the disease.
Pinkeye is a bacterial infection caused by Moraxella bovis. Once it is established in one animal, flies feeding on infected eye secretions can rapidly carry the bacteria to others, causing an outbreak across the herd.
A big fly year ahead
Fly numbers are on the rise after a wet winter and spring in the south, and cattle producers may need to pull out every trick in the bag to manage flies this summer.
When flies bother cattle, the animals can be seen herding in groups and showing signs of irritation. This behaviour reduces their eagerness to graze and can impact production.
Prevention pays
Prevention is usually the most effective and economical way to manage disease, and that is especially true of pinkeye. It spreads rapidly, can cause significant value loss in livestock, and treatment is expensive and time-consuming.
More than five years of research and trials led to the creation of FlyBye, a specially formulated combination of organic and inorganic ingredients that, when eaten, has been shown to reduce fly pressure on cattle.
In an independent study of garlic, one of FlyBye’s individual components, pest-fly coverage on beef cattle fell by 47% and defensive behaviours by 41% (Durunna and Lardner, 2021).
From the feedlot to the paddock
FlyBye Premix has been reducing fly pressure in dairy and beef feedlot rations for the past six years. The development of the BoviMins range of cattle supplements now gives extensive cattle producers the same option during the warmer months.
Pinkeye is tough to manage in heavy fly years. A supplement that reduces fly pressure while supporting immunity and health can be a valuable part of an integrated control program.
ANP’s BoviMins-FlyBye range includes:
- BoviFlyBye for cattle grazing green feed
- BoviPro-FlyBye, a protein supplement for cattle grazing dry feed
Both products are weatherproof and palatable, and their tear-and-tip, free-access format makes them extremely easy to use.
If you’re expecting a big fly year, get in front of flies by adding BoviFlyBye or BoviPro-FlyBye to your grazing program.
Coming soon for sheep?
Blowflies are a different fly, but they are a major concern for sheep producers. ANP is conducting co-operative research to develop a similar product for sheep. If it proves successful in reducing blowfly pressure, FlyBye for sheep could become another valuable tool in the box.
We’ll keep you posted on developments.
