We just moved Indie to another barn and the owners use Sweetlix to keep the flies down. Its a block the horses eat and it really does work. There is not a fly in the barn. I was shocked. Why did I not think of something like this. Flies are awful! My poor 4 year old son makes me cover his face as we enter the barn to keep them away from him.
I honestly didn't know a lot about the product so I did a little research for everyone. Here's a link to everything you need to know about it.
http://www.sweetlix.com/media/documents/articles/Cattle_FlyControlStrategiesforCattleHorseOwners.pdf
What are your thoughts. Do you use Sweetlix? If so how do you feel about it? What is the down side to using it?
Here's another link to the companies website
http://www.sweetlix.com/default.aspx
**I do not endorse products nor am I selling anything.**
I used to get Rabon straight from my feed store and added to my horses feed daily. It helped some but not with the outside flies, just from more breeding. I feed Solitude now as I feel somewhat safer...
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check that out!
DeleteInteresting. I have not heard of this product before, but my barn uses Solitude IGR and it keeps the flies down really well.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading the Sweetlix fact sheet, the main difference is that Sweetlix uses Rabon, which kills fly larvae on physical contact, and Solitude uses Cyromazine, which stops larvae from developing into adult flies. One potential problem with the block is that it's a molasses block, and horses would chow down on it and possibly ruin their appetite for other nutrients they need; this is in contrast to Solitude, which is a feed supplement that you can much more easily control/measure. Additionally, Rabon is a chlolinesterase inhibitor, which could negatively interact with other supplements/treatments that affect horses' nervous systems (http://www.wiwfarm.com/farnam.html).