dragging pastures.

[Boyd R]

Now that Carlos is gone. everyone is pooping wherever instead of in piles. So how often schould I drag the pastures to kill as many fly larvae as possible. In other words from the time they poop how long do you have until the fly is no longer killed by exsessive heat.

[motorgypsy]

Put up fly traps - the bag ones. They do smell bad but they really work. Lowe's carries them. I have a vague memory that it is two days but could be way off base. We used to go out and kick piles every day and it worked pretty well. The wasps work but not if there are horse or cow places next door.

[CarolU]

Boyd, I can't answer that because ours dry out and desentigrate within a week...but just an idea, you might feed everyone except Pluma some whole grain with their feed. The reason is that most of it goes straight through and remains whole. The reason this is 'cool' is because the birds will then tear your poops to pieces and do your spreading for you.

[LynnG]

From my past research, it is best not to put fresh manure spread onto pastures for 6 months in the southeast...you will be spreading all the worm eggs onto your pasture if you do so. Only in the dead heat and drought of summer will the eggs die faster in the manure.

2 years ago I started doing microscopic fecal samples on my horses ... that cured me of spreading manure on my pastures. If you can drag/scrape itt up with a scrape blade with a tractor and pile it, then cover the pile with black plastic. The built up heat in the manure pile fermenting under the plastic will kill off the worm eggs faster, where you can put that compost to a good use.

OOPS .....Piling and covering the manure will also keep the fly larvae down!

[Linda Y]

I agree with Carol. I feed some sweet feed so the birds will spread out the poop piles.

[Abejita]

but Lynn isnt the idea of dragging the pasture to break up the manure so there is not as much for the larve to live in?and it helps to break it down quicker. I know you will never break up every little ball and if they are already scattered around like Boyd says I cant imagine tring to pick up every pile ( I have no idea how big Boyds pastures are.
I always tried to drag the fields once a month but that doesnt always happen..and if its to wet you can do more harm than good (to the actual pasture)

[pnalley]

Get chickens! They will clean the poopout as well as scatter it. Plus you get eggs, and chickens are just plain funny!

[CarolU]

I'm telling you, a handful of grain will do the trick...and the birds DO get to every road apple and every pile in the pasture. And they'll eat larve they find in the poop.

Do yourself an experiement, just feed one (say Pluma) sweet feed and watch. With a few days you'll be able to SEE which ones were her's...they'll be shredded.

[Abejita]

We used to feed sweet feed and we still had to drag pastures..but then we also had 60 plus horses here...It also depends on climate ..and PA birds must be lazy ...they only go after grain in manure when the cattle farmers spread .Dragging pastures is also an easy way to fetilize

[Boyd R]

I only have 4 acres in pasture and so far have had to mow weekly anyway. Mowing may not be necesary this year with more horses, dragging is still a good option. I am thinking of getting some chickens. But the main question here is how long from the time the poop hits the ground till that egg becomes a fly?

[pnalley]

I used to clean my stalls in the AM, now with the chickens I clean in the PM. I truly believe they get all the fly eggs & other goodies before I scrape up whats left of the poop. At the moment I have several Jr roosters your welcom to :lol:

[Abejita]

Hmm Boyd Not sure but I think its pretty quick like a few days so dragging wont get them all..I think people drag more to knock down worm larve (and they all have different life cycles) than fly..

[CarolU]

You know, Bugs Alive, has a parasitic wasp that eats fly larve in manure. I forget the name (and am too lazy right now to look it up), but they work GREAT!!! You order, they ship according to your area problem times. You spread some out every now and then, and they really work great! (not so good if anyone sprays for insects though)

Joni used them on her place in Georgia and raved about them.