Pets & Livestock

In 2017, researchers in Saskatchewan
actually measured positive effects of feeding garlic powder in a
salt-trace-mineral mixture upon fly numbers on cattle. They incorporated garlic powder at 2.1% of the weight of the salt-trace-mineral blend and found a reasonable level of fly control.

The Canadian researchers used three cow-calf herds, each in a different pasture about 3 kilometers apart, from May 25 to Sept. 13. Two herds got only the salt-mineral mix and the other got the garlic in that mix. The researchers said the group eating the garlic blend consistently had the lowest fly count and exhibited the least fly-avoidance behavior throughout the trial period. Fly counts done with pictures and a program that counted flies showed a season-long average was 75 flies per cow for those in the garlic herd. The cows in the two control groups thatreceived salt-mineral mix only had average fly counts of 156 and 171.

Daily consumption of the garlic blend was 0.12 pounds of the mix each, including cows, calves and bulls. Salt-mineral consumption was 0.18 pounds and per head per day for control group No. 1 and 0.15 pounds for control group No. 2. Equally important, the cost looked advantageous. Garlic for the grazing season cost $1.46 per head, while two recommended doses of a chemical control would have cost $2.12 per head. The garlic research at Lakeland College in Saskatchewan is ongoing. In addition to potential fly control benefits, garlic is  claimed to aid digestion, improve gut health and offer anti-microbial properties. Similar claims are made for cinnamon and cayenne pepper, so these things are also being fed to cattle and included in mineral mixes and other supplemental products.

Here are the benefits: 

Garlic works as a “repellent” and will NOT kill insects.  Flies
that land on the head, neck, backline, and tail head are the ones where you will observe the most impact. Repellency will be influenced by level of consumption, weather and environmental conditions.  Garlic is a natural not a chemical element. Insects cannot develop an immunity to dried, powdered whole garlic.Supplementing the livestock with garlic won’t harm beneficial insects such as dung beetles.It may minimize the occurrence of pinkeye, since Garlic can support the reduction of facial flies.Garlic can support the reduction of flies off the backline,  decreasing animal stress.Garlic can help keep ticks off cattle which can help minimize disease vectors.

References:

https://academic.oup.com/jas/article-abstract/97/Supplement_3/383/5665440?redirectedFrom=fulltext

https://www.farmprogress.com/animal-health/garlic-can-help-fly-control.