Happy July to all of our furry and feathery friends out there! This month is actually Daisy’s birthday, and she will be 12 on July 18!  She will have officially lived at the farm for 11 years. We will, of course, throw her a birthday party with all of her favorite sweet treats to make her feel special.

As the weather gets warmer in summer here, some changes are made around the farm to adjust to our animal’s needs. Due to the long, hotter days, many small irritants, such as flies and mosquitoes, will swarm around our donkey and livestock, as the pests are attracted to substances such as manure and other moist areas around the farm, near where the animals reside.

Daisy the donkey requires a fly mask during these hot weeks, because the horseflies and other tiny pests will surround both of her eye ducts, bothering her endlessly. The fly mask goes up behind her ears, and down the bridge of her nose, around her jaw line, and also covers her eyes.

These masks typically need to be replaced each year, because Bucky the goat will wrap his horns in her mask, ripping it off and damaging it. He enjoys running his horns in between the Velcro because it scratches where he gets itchy.

The flies usually favor congregating around Daisy’s eyes, because they want to drink the fluid that collects there. Every morning, she is sprayed with a natural repellent to deter the flies from biting her. The fluid consists of citronella and other essential oils that actually overwhelm the flies and keep them away from her.

Another deterrent we recently started using to keep pests away from Daisy is a paste that will coat her legs. This keeps the bugs from constantly biting her, which can cause bleeding, so becoming creative has been key.

Daisy also has some of her own routines to keep the pests at bay. One is to roll around in the dirt, so that it coats her fur. Not only does this help deter the bugs, but it also helps to keep her cool when she gets hot and sweaty. She also uses her long tail to swat away pests as best as she can.