There are many challenges when raising cows organically, but flies represent one of the most annoying problems. Left untreated, flies multiply and gather until, on a bad day, a cow might have thousands of them. Flies bite and draw blood, causing the cow to swish, thrash, stomp and crash through brush in an effort to get rid of them. Throughout our first months of raising Dexter cattle, we watched helplessly as flies tortured our herd, forcing us to seek a solution that would bring peace and tranquility to their days.  Despite undertaking extensive research into existing organic fly control methods, we were unable to find any that were realistic or truly effective.

There are many different types of flies, but those that bother cows are different from those that bother humans. Most “Filth Flies”, including house flies, are attracted to food, garbage and decay, and can be trapped through various means using a variety of attractants. However, cow flies are instead attracted by their desire for fresh blood, and therefore attractant-based fly traps don’t work on them.  Our local agricultural store probably makes a significant profit every year as many people, including ourselves, purchase every fly trap they offer in a futile and wasted attempt to eliminate cow flies.

Our cows are primarily bothered by Horn Flies, Stable Flies, Horse Flies, and an occasional dreaded giant Black Horse Fly. Horn Flies are the most numerous, gathering primarily on the back, sides and belly of the cow. Stable Flies are the most annoying and are also quite numerous, gathering on the legs of the cow and causing them to frequently stomp their feet and thrash. Flies clearly cause pain when they bite, leaving behind welts and scabs, and eventually result in severe itching and skin damage.

Fly populations vary according to the seasons, with spring and fall being the worst for us. As well, in our area the flies are most numerous on days when humid breezes from the southeast bring flies in great numbers. Fly populations also vary throughout the day, with new flies typically arriving early each morning.  Any efforts we make to fight flies is of temporary value, as flies from neighboring ranches in every direction eventually find our herd once again. Only during our coldest winter days do the fly populations significantly diminish.

Throughout our first months with Dexters, we considered a large number of potential ideas for organically eliminating their flies. While most were unrealistic, a few were attempted -- including the humorous notion of vacuuming the flies off the cow -- but nothing was truly effective. However, by observing the flies, we importantly learned that cow flies primarily stay on the cow. If they leave the cow, they only do so by a few inches and immediately return to a different location on the cow. If you attempt to chase the flies from the cow’s back, they simply move to the belly. If you chase them from the belly and the back, they’ll move to the neck and face, and after that to a different location as you fruitlessly continue the effort.

After much thought and discussion of dozens of ideas, we considered the notion of trying to encourage the cow to enter a tent, chase the flies off the cow, and then have the cow exit the tent while leaving the flies behind. While unrealistic, this inspired the idea of covering the cow with some sort of sticky fly paper that could then be removed – taking the flies with it. While this again was unrealistic, we eventually had the idea of using some sort of netting, such as Mosquito Netting, to trap the flies on the cow in a removable, reusable fashion. If the flies won't leave the cow, why not take advantage of their stubbornness and capture them in-place?  This seemed promising! We investigated available netting types and found that “Illusion”, a type of “Tulle” sometimes used to make bridal veils, has just the right feel and perfect-sized holes for trapping the flies. "Illusion" can be purchased by searching the Internet for "108 inch wide Tulle".  A bolt of Illusion is quite affordable, and the material, which we cut into 7.5 feet lengths, is durable enough to be reused many times before tearing.  We finally had an idea with potential.

We are kind to our cows, and they trust us as a result. However, the first time we attempted to place the sheet of Illusion over our cow Honey, she immediately stepped away. We tried again and again, and eventually Honey realized that we weren’t doing anything harmful and she allowed the blanket to settle. We quickly wiped the blanket across her back and were rewarded by capturing hundreds of flies. It didn’t take Honey long to realize exactly what we were doing, and within just a few days she welcomed our efforts. We experimented with methods of killing the flies once we had captured them, and learned through experience that drowning or squashing were unrealistic and unnecessary. If we simply leave them out in the sun for a day, they die without any effort. The rest of our herd watched Honey getting her flies removed for several days and then all, including our calves and our bull, quickly accepted the treatment as well. This was followed by teaching our cows that whoever would lie down would get the treatment first, which trained them to lie down and wait whenever they want their flies removed. This is the most effective position for applying the netting, as it prevents the flies from retreating to the cow’s belly or legs to escape removal.  After much practice we have perfected our technique and can usually remove almost every fly from a cow in less than a minute or two, regardless of how many flies they have.

This is how the “Walnut Springs Organic Fly Wrap” was invented! We carry a pillow case containing dozens of sheets of Illusion with us whenever we visit our herd.  Our cows lie down, eagerly await the Organic Fly Wrap, and then peacefully enjoy a nap without the annoyance of nasty, biting flies. We hope that you find our video to be both informative and entertaining, and that it inspires you to consider how delighted your cows would be if they didn't have flies!