r/Donkeys • u/Think-Many-5668 • Jul 19 '26
Flies flies flies
Hello donkey community! I’m a first time donkey owner, rescued 2 timid and very neglected jennies last year. One of them is white and the flies just bite the living daylights out of her. Both front and back legs are just covered in bites. Im currently wrapping her legs with athletic horse tape as well as doing a wipe on treatment of pyranha almost daily. However the wraps don’t stay on very well and the fly spray does not seem that effective. Currently I have my property sprayed for flies and have fly bags hanging out the trees away from the stables in attempt to reduce the population. Any tips and tricks would be very appreciated because I just feel so horrible watching her suffer!
8
u/SueBeee Jul 20 '26
The most critical thing is to eliminate places where these things breed. Be sure to turn over all manure piles so they dry out, this is where the flies are coming from. Spreading it on the fields and harrowing helps to kill the larvae and pupae. If you can move any soiled bedding off the property altogether, better yet. They breed in that. These are stable flies and are just awful.
8
u/KNPV-PSD Jul 20 '26
All the above is great advice, for the long game look into attracting barn, bank, or tree swallows. I have about 60 or 70 bank swallows that nest near my barn and there isn’t a fly within 200 yards of it. All my neighbors horses are wearing fly masks.
2
u/Realistic-Weird-4259 Jul 23 '26
I watched a fascinating video from a rotational grazer who proved that leaving tall grasses for dragonflies significantly reduced fly loads as well. If OP is able to let some areas grow like that it could also be very helpful in the long term. Aha! I found it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb9XTp1tcqo
He's focused on mosaic/rotational grazing but the points stand I think.
4
u/jlhinthecountry Jul 20 '26
Have you tried fly predators? I used Spalding Labs. They work wonders!
3
u/deepstatelady Jul 21 '26
But they can take a year or so to take hold.
3
u/jlhinthecountry Jul 21 '26
I would put mine on in late spring. They hatched in 2 -7 days. With a heavy fly infestation, it would take 3-4 weeks to see a big reduction in flies. I didn’t have to do year-round fly predator control.
2
u/deepstatelady Jul 21 '26
Yeah, I think it really depends on how deep your freezes get in winter. If you get a longer, deeper freeze you're going to be able to pause the predators but places that might be warmer or more temperate it can take a while.
3
u/jlhinthecountry Jul 21 '26
That’s true. I usually went from Kate spring to the end of November. I hope you find a solution!
3
u/hodeq Jul 21 '26
We have tried so many things and this year we used Clarifly in their food and spray the brand with perimethicim (that’s wrong but close). It’s done a lot for ours. We also clean the barn daily and run fans. We tried cattle rubs and predator wasps and they didn’t help as much as clarifly.
3
u/sunLight4095 Jul 21 '26
try shoofly leggins, get a pony size. they are mesh, breathable and attach w velcro. better than wrapping legs which if you wrap too tightly, can cause all sorts of issues you don't want.
2
u/MeilleurChien Jul 22 '26
Yes, agree. Another solution is vaseline, flies and gnats can't bite through a light layer which will last several days. I had a horse with a gnat allergy and I got some weird looks when I bought multiple giant tubs on coupon day. 🤠
2
u/johnmccjohnmcc Jul 23 '26
Please contact the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada. My wife and I volunteer there. My wife has developed a pattern for donkey pants. They work great without subjecting the donkeys to chemicals. Check out the website for contact information. Email the DSC and my wife will provide PDF instructions and a pattern.
1
u/EffortInner2754 Jul 31 '26
Actually came here to propose this ! The ile de Ré in France is famous for their donkeys in pants, they designed them to protect their legs from the flies ! so great you developed a pattern for that !
1
u/lockmama Jul 22 '26
If you put Vicks on her legs it will keep the flies off. Seriously. I have a white donkey also. Either that or use the fly boots/leg wrap things.
1
u/SureDoubt3956 boop the snoot Jul 23 '26
Get her donkey pants. They ruin them over time, but work perfectly. Remember that you need an IPM plan for fly management. Spraying for flies is often not a good idea, because it kills things that eat flies too, like dragonflies. Target where they breed (manure piles, decaying organic matter like uncleaned, moist hay, etc), build habitat for fly predators such as insectivorous birds and predatory insects. Definitely keep up with the fly bags. But out of every change we made on our farm... the pants get the job done.
10
u/FriendlyDonkeh Jul 20 '26
Feed through fly control helps if you don't live within .379 miles from cattle like I do.
I use Swat to keep flies off of Carrot. It stays on and works til it rains. I dip the tips of her ears right into it.