The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Bionic on June 14, 2014, 11:19:21 am
-
Quite a few have already had fly strike this year and I thought it would be interesting to see if it was more prone in one location than another.
-
I have had a constant battle this year. Hoggs before they were shorn and lambs every week ATM. One bad one last night. Can't wait till Monday, we'll crovect the lot! Some are near the Somerset levels . is this low ground a factor?
-
In mid-Wales at about 700ft above sea level. No problems so far butt we have been rigorous about trimming tails and bottoms since April.
-
Nothing here - touch wood!
-
Up here in Fife no strike this year so far. :fc:
-
Caught it early enough as I got the shearer in first week of May! I am on the levels in Somerset
-
None here but shearer came 23rd May and I have been very vigilant with watching the lambs for any signs. Luckily all of them have very clean back ends and as their 2nd vaccination is due this weekend they will be sprayed with Crovect at the same time. There are quite a few large flock farmers around this area that have had it on both ewes and lambs though and some had it from mid May onwards.
-
Ask me again once the whole lot are shorn :thumbsup:
-
Sally, I'm not sure what the poll tells me - is everyone putting their location in whether or not they've had strike, or only clicking on their location if they have had strike?
-
we're Herefordshire but on welsh border, 1 lamb with early fly strike.
-
none so far :fc: ; sheared the shetland today as it's turned properly warm; the other ewes and the lambs are easycare and one or two are still bald enough for me to be worrying about sunburn more than strike - though one ewe has a persistently mucky bum. 700' up in sw wales. I'm assuming you only put your location in if positive for strike?
-
Whoops .... glass of red in hand .... I've clicked 'Wales' but now thinking that I shouldn't have clicked unless I'd had strike. SORRY.
Went to get more Crovect from local agri store this afternoon .... before the glass of red .... . Was told that a bad year is predicted due to mild winter and now warm and wet conditions. Much better for the flies than the last 3 years. :o
-
I've only got 13 (including lambs) all Wilts Horns which "dont get flystrike" but I have had two cases. i'm a novice so might have been slow to recognise the first case. Looks like we are going to lose her. She was badly struck on her back (no fleece but looks like she had scraped her back and broken the skin. Managed to clean out the very deep maggots and used Crovect. She seemed fine but two days later went down. Her back legs seem to be paralysed. No infection that I can see and she is eating but no improvement in a week :(
Second case was around the horn. That's cleared up nicely although the horn got knocked off when she panicked as I brought her in. I've had a rubbish novice year, hope it improves next year!
-
Hands up to it here in Gloucester. Had 1 case a couple of weeks ago in my Shropshires so sheared the one and crovected the rest. Another 1 case in my other mixed flock so again treated all and sheared the one. This morning I have sheared the mixed flock, those that arent Wilts Horns that is!!! Remembered why I bought the Wilts Horns whilst having a coffee break. Off to get the Shropshires in next for there wolly hair cut!!!
-
This is only my first summer with my small Soay flock and I already had 3 animals struck in the last 2 weeks (2 very young lambs and a just lambed ewe). I think I caught them all soon enough, they have all been cleaned up and seem to be recovering well, but I know the summer has only just started...
They all seem to be shedding to a different schedule, the males lost all their fleece weeks ago, the two shearling ewes are getting there, while the 3 older ones have quite started yet...
-
1 wether struck in April. We are midlands but more towards west so I've clicked the west on the poll ;) Shearer hopefully coming on Monday.
-
Sorry I ticked poll wales, but havnt had so far..... I have one tonight with a lot of flies on her, but no smell or other evidence... They must be laying though so will shear her and crovect ( again ) in the morning :-(
-
Strike that, pardon the pun....as soon as I typed it, went to shear her and sure enough maggots all down tail :-(. Sorted, but really mad that I still can't spot it/smell it . Just about to reach into skin so just in time. Liberal crovect. One half sheared sheep (back wouldn't finish the job tonight... But pretty confident it is just tail
-
4 had it this year so far but lambed late n dnt like to crovect until lamb's a week old but won't lamb this late again!
-
Nothing last year but this year very muggy every day so far 2ewes small foot strike 2 ewes small tail strike (late may lambers ) 2 very young lambs small strike yellow poo bum 1 strong lamb small strike on stomach side all ok PLEASE remember guys that crovect is a nerve toxin and liberally applying it to stike on a small lamb can actually make it very sick or kill it
-
Nothing last year but this year very muggy every day so far 2ewes small foot strike 2 ewes small tail strike (late may lambers ) 2 very young lambs small strike yellow poo bum 1 strong lamb small strike on stomach side all ok PLEASE remember guys that crovect is a nerve toxin and liberally applying it to stike on a small lamb can actually make it very sick or kill it
Just for future reference (tonight's was a massive ewe, so hopefully ok there)... Is there an alternative for small lambs? Can you tell more about foot strike... I've got a couple of limpers but can't see anything... Wonder if I'm looking hard enough - is it usually right deep in the cleft or more obvious? Cheers
-
You can use a glove to move and rub a small amount of crovect over a large area . foot strike is easy to spot maggots in between the cleets and in any rotten bits
-
Sorry- I ticked North England before realising that I shouldn't have if we haven't had flystrike!
Anyway, no flystrike so far. I have a vey small, very friendly flock so have been spraying weekly with Barrier Blowfly Repel. Shearing this week :-)
-
Yes a little. We ve found that the no tail ones have been the ones with a problem, ewes that were here when we got here, they ve been docked too shot so no real control of they're stump.
To be honest I've been doing a lot of reading as to crovect v click and were going down the clic avenue. Longer coverage, mutation to mouth parts of the maggots, and still have crovect here in case we find strike.
-
All the strike cases that I've heard of this year have been on clean sheep, like on the top of the back or shoulders ... bad humidity this year, sudden rain then warmth.
-
Touch wood none yet with my tame lamb flock but pretty vigilent for it and crovect religiously until end of summer.
-
I've dealt with several cases of strike this year, some very early (West Wales area) must be a month ago, all were struck on or under the tail.
Of my own all were long tailed Beulahs, for other people: one very short docked Ryeland ewe and a long tailed Ryeland lamb, one long docked Lleyn ewe, one normal length docked and dagged Pedigree Beltex. The funny tail lengths seem seriously over represented compared to the standard docked numbers among them which were not struck.
-
All the strike cases that I've heard of this year have been on clean sheep, like on the top of the back or shoulders ... bad humidity this year, sudden rain then warmth.
Yep, mine was between shoulders
had them sheared today, not one maggot under those long fleeces :relief:
-
bugger! just found a ewe with it on her back, she had a touch last year too so wonder if she is particular prone? anyway that's them all crovect and she has had a good strim, Dettol and crovect she looks relieved tonight to be rid of her visitors!
-
Yea I lost a ewe to flystrike the other day, I was so busy with gardening and other animals I must have missed her, so..... very sad. I had a few more have flystrike and yesterday we sheared them all, so they'll be good now. :relief:
-
Yes its a bad year up in Yorkshire, and can't get a dry enough spell to get clipped. Its also been a bad year for mastitis too, possibly for the same reason - what Mum would have termed "fellen" weather.
-
I have had 2 ewes with it on their backs in the last few days. Shearer wasn't due to come for a few weeks as he was all booked up, but after a pleading phone call managed to fit them in today so hopefully won't have any more!
-
I have had 2 ewes with it on their backs in the last few days. Shearer wasn't due to come for a few weeks as he was all booked up, but after a pleading phone call managed to fit them in today so hopefully won't have any more!
Well done. When the shearers turned up it was all four of them and my mum and I had to pack the wool, we were both thinking this is a bit unfair, Anyway yesterday I checked the ewe who had flystrike and she had more, so i got them off and put more oil on her, I hope she makes it. :relief:
-
Hi All,
Sorry, I have not posted very often on the forum - still relatively new to sheep only three years into the adventure, so mostly find answers to queries/ problems from previous posts.
We are in North Cornwall and this year has been much worse for fly strike so far. The sheep are only a mile from the coast and fairly high up, but the Atlantic breeze hasn't kept the flies away!
We have a mixed flock of Grey Face Dartmoor and Suffolk mules. We lamb early, mostly in February and indoors.
Last year we only had two with fly strike, both GFDs and fairly small patches. We didn't put any fly preventative on last year before shearing and it was much hotter than it has been so far this year.
This year we have had strike in both the GFDs and the Suffoks - 3 lambs with small patches, 2 GFD ewes, 2 Suffolk ewes. Mostly near the tail, majority (but not all) slightly mucky bums, although today was a new one as found first maggots in a sore foot.
Also we dagged all sheep and applied Crovect as a preventative back in April this year but it is right at the end of its active period now. Our first case of fly strike this year was in March when there was a hot couple of weeks - again a slightly mucky bottom. This alerted us to the potential problem and meant we applied the crovect.
So far I have been lucky and managed to spot them all when only just hatched so they haven't really broken the skin.
I have been surprized by the numbers with fly strike this year, although talking to sheep farming neighbours they have also had a lot of problems this year - so it would seem that the warm winter has helped the fly populations.
Roll on Monday - it is shearing day!!! :excited:
Julie
-
I've had two struck last week - neither had dirty wool - both struck on the shoulder on one side - both caught early. I don't put any chemicals on them as I like to handle them (they like backrubs!!), but they are checked at least once a day and when I see minor changes in behaviour I have a closer look and clip the area and put Spot On on the affected area. All sheared now though :relief:
They are all happy bunnies contentedly sunbathing :excited:
-
its been awful, had quite a few, all lambs have been done with vetrizan and ewes golded and crovected if they still look a bit poopy, if the arent getting maggoted then the ewes are gettin black bag or mastitus.
At least its good grass growin weather!
-
Take a look see :)
http://www.eblex.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/evaluatingblowflytraps_201010_final_report.pdf (http://www.eblex.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/evaluatingblowflytraps_201010_final_report.pdf)
I'm gonna get some of the two best rated ones on this peice, pretty cheap they are too :) x
Thinking though how many and where, we got use of some land next door and the internal fencing in there is so bad they ll be range style in there, I suppose they could be tested in different areas, watch for areas of greatest foot fall etc I suppose lol.
Got half flock of very clean lambs right by the house in a field that acts like a wind tunnel lol, to spray in the next day or so, the early lambs up top have been clic ed , stupid me went and did them without protective clothing, and knocked myself sideways for a few days, don't do it, even if it s just for one...
I hate them, no good to man no beast,treating it brings us to the point of tears if it happens, I get stuck right in baz holds I clear, I wear latex gloves, but am otherwise very un squeamish about it, get those little bastards off, then a good do with antibiotic spray, a track of crovect using the rake close to the sheep, just beyond where they've struck to stop any others dead n they're tracks, gentle spray of crovect then over struck area not much it must be a shock to the system. Within a day or two they are are getting back to normal. We don't get it much at all, as I've said in other posts it's been over docked ewes that we ve found it on and then just a hand ful x
Shearing in the next week or so x
-
Noticed a few mucky lamb bums this week so thought it was time for a clean up and check them all - thank god - 3 of the 27 lambs had maggots.
Oh dear - never had it before - usually so windy here but not this year and one of the lambs was clean but when I felt his rear end I could feel damp so inspected - horrid, horrid, horrid. Luckily crovet on hand and was pleased to see the maggots suffer. A lot of careful clipping and removing and I'm pretty sure they are all gone. On 2 the skin was unbroken and the 3rd had 2 50 pence size wounds.
Poor wee lads but seem happier now that they are all cleaned up - thank goodness I did it today.
-
We are in Cornwall and have been clear for the last couple of years but this year one of our lambs has had it badly on his shoulder blades on the week he was due for crovect again. Our neighbour also had a very bad case of it in one of her shetlands :( I blame the hot weather followed by severe muggy humid thunderstorms we've had this year :-\
-
Last week we had our second lot of it. The sheep had been crovected about 3 weeks before as well.
I believe the ewe had suffered a dog attack (she was bleeding) but she had a huge patch across shoulders and down both front legs. All treated and 100% better again now.
Also blaming the weather its so muggy and horrible.