Do you know what’s been an immense pain in the behind this year? Flies.
I know, I know…we have a bunch of farm animals and they poop…a lot. And they attract flies like nobody’s business. Flies are to be expected. But, this year seems to be worse than most. I even received a message from my neighbor asking if we have found any solutions to the issue at hand. And while I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I hope to share in a video soon, one of our best investments has been adding this fan to our little barn.
We actually have two fans. One in the stall where Maggie and Dot sleep and one in the breezeway where Margarita and Hank like to hang out (the pigs often lounge in there during the day too). Our little barn has low ceilings and can trap heat so adding the fans was one way to increase the airflow to cool the critters off. But an added benefit is that the air circulation helps keep the flies and mosquitoes at bay.
We had been functioning with just one fan (in the stall) for a while but felt we really needed to add a second one to help the donkeys as well as to move more fresh air into the stall. If you’ve searched for industrial-type fans before you probably noticed that they aren’t cheap. That’s why a lot of people buy those cheaply made box fans that you see at grocery stores for $20 (more like $30 these days!!). Well, those fans are not designed to work in the dusty, dirty conditions found in barns, chicken coops, and garages.
Now, I’m not here to scold anyone for using a cheap box fan. We’ve gone through a few ourselves. But that’s the point…the motors burn out quickly and, if they don’t, they become fire hazards. If you’re like us you’re often busy and don’t always notice how dirty these fans get. I mean, how many times have you taken them down and cleaned them out? I’ll admit to saying I did it maybe once a year (when we put them away for winter).
While sheep sitting (say that fast 3 times) for a neighbor I learned about enclosed motors for the first time. She has two large fans hanging in the area her sheep eat and sleep. They are powerful and very study…and they have enclosed motors which means they aren’t sucking in dust and dirt and hay and straw all day long. I was hooked and set out to find similar fans for our barn and this is what I got…
It turns out that right now the price has dropped by over 20%. At $66.99 this is a great deal. Especially considering when I was at the grocery store two days ago I saw those cheap plastic box fans for $25 on sale…which might last one season. In a world of disposable everything, it might be time to invest in a few things that are built to last years. In the long run, you’ll be saving money.
Hello Mutineers! If you’ve followed us here on the website or on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, you know that I like to share the things we actually use around Mutiny Ranch. Since our interests are diverse these items range from animal care to gardening implements but also footwear and kitchen gadgets. No matter what the item is though if we recommend it here then we personally own and use it or have researched it enough to have it on our “wishlist”.
As always, we sincerely appreciate it when you use our links to make purchases through Amazon. As Amazon Affiliates, we may earn a small commission from your purchase at no cost to you. This money goes toward our rescue animals’ upkeep as well as to help assist the rescues of other animals.
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