Get rid of horse flies with garlic??

[DonnaBelle]

I met a fellow at the feed store today who swore that feeding a pelleted garlic to horses this time of year (fly time) will keep the flies away.

Anyone had experience with this remedy??

DonnaBelle

 

[patandchickens]

My experience fwiw is that if it makes any difference it doesn't make MUCH difference. And the main problem is that if you have a long fly-ey summer, the dose to make ANY sort of difference can start to equal the dose at which toxic symptoms start to occur. A friend in Florida ran into this problem some years ago with her eventer, who developed anemia that was eventually traced to feeding so much garlic supplements.

They do make a garlic spray you can use on the horse -- evidently it works on some mosquitos in some regions, and not on others elsewhere -- for which toxicity is not a concern. Although of course like any flyspray it has to be reapplied regularly.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[DonnaBelle]

Thanks Pat, I was wondering if it would really work.

I went on a site called Herb4horses and they had a pelleted supplement that had other things in it also.

I guess I'll just keep on buying fly spray. Trouble is, as soon as I spray down the horses, it rains.

DonnaBelle

 

[ducks4you]

I like the idea of a spray. Can you make a "garlic tea" to use?

 

[Hollywood Goats]

This thing really works, I bought one on Thursday and already most of the flies are gone.

It is quite gross to walk out and see 1000 dead flies

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F6BYWM/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

 

[ducks4you]

D-Day for flies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :bun

 

[LauraM]

The best thing we've found to be effective is a flock of free-range chickens.

 

[goodhors]

There is a lot of evidence about the garlic causing mineral problems in horses. Garlic leaches out minerals from the body when fed regularly, causing anemia and other problems. This is any and all forms of garlic.

Know this as you decide to feed garlic, perhaps supplement with other feed products.

I know of no SCIENTIFIC testing to prove garlic helps, it is always someone who says "Feeding garlic really works for me, no flies on the horses". There are the same number of folks who say garlic does nothing for flies on horses in their horse barn.

 

[dianneS]

What about apple cider vinegar? I've heard that feeding acv to horses will keep flies away, but I've never tried it. I've sprayed acv on my horses on days when there were little flies and it seemed to keep some away. On heavy fly days, acv spray is not enough, break out the Pyrannha!

I've used those nasty fly bags too, and they do work, but the lure is so gross. I have one up now and its only got a few flies in it since I use fly preditors. I have a problem with those green headed horse flies, and they don't seem to be attracted to the fly bags. I have no face flies or any other type of flies at all, just those nasty green headed, biting horse flies!

 

[Hollywood Goats]

The best thing we've found to be effective is a flock of free-range chickens.

They help, but right now I have 12 free ranging and they flies were horrible until I got that trap.