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          In summer field tests conducted in North Florida, cattle were trained for one day by allowing them to pass through the opening to reach a shaded area with no ropes installed. These cattle had not received any fly treatment for several months. The population of flies on each animal was extremely high. On the morning of day two, ropes were installed and insecticide was poured into the steel channel. A significant reduction in flies was observed later that afternoon. Within 48 hours of the introduction of the insecticide, the number of flies had been easily reduced to an acceptable level.

Flies are an expensive waste of money. The annual loss to the U.S. beef industry is estimated to be more than 800 million dollars per year or a weight and/or feed loss of $25-$40 per head each year. Now is the time to stop the loss. Don't let your profit fly away. Arrest the pests today.

The CowBuddy^® fly control system is the easy and effective way to control flies in your cattle operation and the unit is extremely durable. The frame is made from heavy structural steel, MIG welded, and coated with rust-resistant paint for many years of service.

          For a small investment, you are going to benefit from years of increased profit, increased herd weight, and a decrease in the transfer of many disease organisms. Furthermore, your cattle are going to enjoy a reduction in stress, aggravation, distraction, torment, disruption of grazing pattern, and illness brought upon them by various annoying insects.

          How aggravating are a thousand flies? Imagine what it would be like to be bitten 20,000 to 30,000 times each day. Heart rates, respiratory rates, and urinary output increase when cattle are exposed to only several hundred horn flies.

What about other methods of fly control?

Eartags - Their low concentration level allows flies to soon become resistant to the insecticide.
Cattle Rubs - All cattle do not share the same enthusiasm for using the cattle rub, and like the dust bag, the cattle rub may not adequately address the variation in animal height from calf to bull.
Dust Bags - Moisture may cause the dust to solidify and become ineffective.
Insecticide Mineral Supplements - Flies easily travel several miles from one farm to the next.
Manual Application - While flies are controlled, the labor costs are high and animals are stressed.

Click here for more information about other methods of fly control

 

Click here for more information about the use of insecticide on cattle

The CowBuddy^® was designed on a farm in North Central Florida by a farmer and high school math teacher with three decades of experience in raising cattle. It was created out of a need for an effective passive application system. The CowBuddy^® is simple, effective, and durable. Heavy structural steel channel is used for the main body and reservoir of the unit. A series of holes are linearly aligned in the bottom of the steel channel. The holes are punched with a 40 ton hydraulic press. High quality braided derby ropes are fitted through each hole with each length of rope being looped through each pair of holes. Galvanized metal sleeves are crimped at half the length of each rope to prevent their removal through the holes by the animals.

One pint of liquid insecticide is poured into the steel channel to be absorbed by the ropes, which extend below the steel channel. The liquid is transferred to the coat of livestock as contact is made with the ropes. Four ½" lag bolts are used to secure the device to two corner posts or other suitable locations. Fencing should be configured in a manner such that all cattle are compelled to walk under the unit several times per day to reach water and/or shade. The CowBuddy^® is also available in a hanging version that may be suspended from chains as a single unit or multiple units in tandem to accommodate larger herds.