[Penninehillbilly]

 My poor boy has it again, person who was asking her son in law to shear them kept saying she'd get back to me, so I've just been spraying with citronella,  maybe washed off in rain. He was still acting normal, no smell, i think I got it early, though there were a lot came out. 
Anyway, rear quarter, doused in jeyes, I've taken wool down as best I can with scissors ( big & sharp but not as good as shearing), doused in jeyes again, (after first jeyes treatment, left him a while, when I went back he shook himself, ever had a shower of dead maggots? - yuk)
I think it's getting a bit near winter to shear right back?
Will crovect react with the jeyes, or will it be OK to treat him with that today?
Are some sheep more susceptible to strike than others?
Are black sheep more susceptible than white (black wool warmer than White? )
TIA

[Marches Farmer]

Can't predict the weather but I'd be inclined to get him shorn asap.  That will completely solve the problem as by the time the wool grows back long enough for maggots to cling to the fly season should be finished.  No-one will want to shear him if he's just been Crovected. 

[Penninehillbilly]

  No-one will want to shear him if he's just been Crovected. 

That's why they've just been getting citronella, trouble is I've finished my spay full and can't find the big bottle.

[harmony]

Have you got hand shears? Do him yourself - doesn't matter if he looks like you "should have gone to specsavers"! Then you can really see what is going on and crovect him. Not too late to shear. How many you got to do? Ask a local farmers son. They will be getting caught up on their summer jobs and it will be a bit of cash for him.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Yea I would shear him myself if I were you. The thing with black sheep is I don't think they are more prone I think its just cause it is difficult to see when they have strike. I had a lamb with it yesterday, she is OK now and back with the flock.

[Fleecewife]

I've heard it said that black sheep don't get flystrike and primitives don't get fly strike - that's a load of bunkum.  Your tup is very susceptible to strike whatever his colour as he has a whole load of fleece which is attracting flies.  There's no limit to how many times a sheep can be struck.

How many do you have to shear?  Have you thought of getting yourself a pair of hand shears and having a go at getting that fleece off them all now?  It doesn't really matter if you make a mess of it as it will likely be in poor condition now.  Having done it for one year yourself then you can be more confident and do it yourself again next year.   It can never be good hanging around waiting for someone else to shear for you, especially once it gets into August - and now we're just about into September.

For hand shearing technique, there are plenty of You tube clips to follow, but just to get the stuff off is the important thing.
When you hand shear you are cutting through the rise, which will by now be well above the skin - this means that your sheep will have a fair covering of wool for heading into winter.  In fact it will be better to do it yourself for that reason, as electric shears can only give a close shave...

[kanisha]

Have black sheep and  they are primitive it is extremely rare  for them to get struck and I don't use any form of preventative as a rule. They are in different sites one on a hill the other lowland so i don't think its even where they are; was interested to read that studies have been done into fleece types and some are more prone than others.

[SallyintNorth]

I don't want to tempt fate, but my fleece flock get very little strike, thank goodness.

I do notice that the flies do seem to really love black fleece, though.  I've got 4 black girls, and there are always more flies - not greenbacks, just any old flies - buzzing around them.

[pharnorth]

Interesting about the black sheep thing. The only one of my Coloured Rylands that got caught this year was the only greyish one. I hand sheared immediately used Crovect to kill them first then sprayed with Jeyes later to be even more sure. Yup looked like a Specsavers job, a bit Johnny Rotten for the older members....  I rather liked it.

[Penninehillbilly]

Thanks, he was looking a bit like a lion from the previous trimming, but there doesn't seem to be much 'rise ' in the fleece, he's been struck where it was still shortish from July, I've taken it down as much as I could, knicked the poor fella, not enough to dry blood. Taken his lions mane off as well.
I only have 2 adults, him and his black swaley mum, and 2 white lambs. I have an old pair of shears, can't seem to do anything with them,

[valmet10]

where abouts are you !

[twizzel]

We hand shorn a ewe lamb we are retaining last week. Her fleece was very thick and heavy, she was waiting to get strike. She's much comfier now she's had a haircut. Incidentally one of our new shearling ewes had flystrike in her foot- we managed to catch her today (still not tame) and flushed her foot with crovect. Hopefully we caught it in time but time will tell. She's had antibiotics and painkillers and is in for the week with a friend 

[in the hills]

Had our little Soay flock for about 6 years and frightened to speak too soon but no strike yet.

They are all coloured so don't think that colour could be a key factor. They are treated usually once with Crovect. We roo them where we can but trim any stubborn fleece with dressmaking scissors!

The scissors work quite well but guessing they wouldn't get through a thicker fleece.

Hope your boy is okay.

[Tim W]

It's more to do with humidity of the fleece than colour

You want a fleece that doesn't sweat , is open and can breath . This means that that it isn't attractive to a fly looking for somewhere to lay eggs

Nature knows best of course and most  wild/feral sheep are hair sheep or shed their own wool (they would die otherwise)

[Penninehillbilly]

where abouts are you !

Near Hebden Bridge, W.Yorks, but on the hills above. 1000ft mark. Could really do with putting them in the top field, but it's rented out to an old farmer for cattle, and he won't give it up (does very well out of RPA/rent ratio).
He (tup!) does have a very thick fleece, struggle to get scissors through, i tnink hand shears wouldnt be any easier. Needs electric really.  I'll have to catch his mum as well and give her a short back and sides, but for some reason all along her back is quite short,
Crovect WAS in the field shelter, which we cleared out to get some hay in. Why is life never Simple?
Now he's trimmed I'll get some raddle paste on him, then he's away.