The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Will.i.lamb on April 24, 2012, 09:58:35 pm
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Hi
I'm new to the sheep game and was looking for a bit of advice on what is recommended as a preventative treatment for ticks, lice, blow fly etc.
There seems to be a bewildering range of treatments out there so i was hoping someone would be able to point me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance.
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Love the name! Someone will tell us! I have some Crovect on standby, but it's nasty stuff and dissapointingly you have to apply it in different ways for different outcomes - I was hoping to protect from blowfly and ticks and lice - but I think you have to choose! Otherwise you'd overdose???? (one is a applied in a line on the skin down its spine, one is sprayed on wool at flystrike areas) I am sure one of the wise ones will be along in a bit to help!
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We give the ewes a dose of Coopers Spot on after lambing, that does lice, keds and something else but doesn't prevent blowfly strike although it can be used to treat strike.
We apply Crovect after shearing so that the shearer, wool handlers or crafters (dependin on wherethe fleece goes) aren't exposes to handling treated wool.
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We use Crovect... it is nasty stuff :( but it works for our flock. we use it after lambing for lice as FiB says, down the spine and then we use it as a spray as the bloody flies come out around May in a T shape (shoulders, spine to the bottom and then again at shearing (bit less this time) i have had sheep with fly strike and it won't happen again to my girls. only thing is.... when will it stop being effective?
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Thanks for your reply, which seems to agree with what i was thinking, which was that i will need a combination of products as there is no 'one size fits all' product out there.
Looks like it will be Crovect as an initial treatment, which was the one i was thinking about. I'll give this a go and see how i get on.
Ta
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Aawww wish I'd thought of that name! Love it ;D
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Im going to differ a bit. I heard that Clik is the best for prevention and treatment, whereas Crovect is mainly a treatment.
So while I will use either, I prefer to use Clik.
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Clik lasts longer on the sheep - 16-24 weeks, but the withdrawal period is much longer than Crovect - 40 days.
Crovect lasts 6-8 weeks, withdrawal 8 days.
I use Crovect as I've had to deal with several cases of strike and it is hugely effective as a treatment. However I may also invest in Clik this year as a preventative and see how it goes.
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I'm glad you asked this question Will.i.lamb as I was wondering what to use this year. I have had Crovect and Clik recommended, but can't remember the details - I thought one was just for prevention and the other was for prevention and treatment? I have some very woolly sheep and want to prevent blowfly, ticks and lice. Do these treatments have to get onto the skin or is it just on the wool? If they are sprayed in the next few weeks (if we ever get any nice weather) would I then spray them again after shearing? I've also heard of Vetrazin?
Thanks
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Does anyone know if clickzin is essentially the same as vetrazin? That has been my treatment of choice until it has stopped being made.
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I use crovect because it treats and prevents fly, while the clik just prevents and has a longer withdrawl :wave:
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Clik and Crovect work in different ways, but both are pretty vicious chemicals - which is why they are effective. You can download the labels from the web very easily - note the safety stuff cos they really mean it and e meat withhold period cos it matters. You must not shear within two months of applying Clik, for example.
Clik is a fire-and-forget treatment which interferes with the breeding cycle of the pest, is long lasting and protest the whole sheep. Crovect will kill an infestation instantly but is effective only on the areas where it has been sprayed and will have to be repeated cos later in the season. Novartis make both: they are complementary treatments in some ways. At least if you use Clik you need some crovect in stock in case.
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Be aware that Crovect will not protect against ticks. If you want a product to do ticks, lice and flies, you need to use Dysect.
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Clikzin has replaced Vetrazin and has a shorter withdrawal period than clik, it protects against flystrike for 8 weeks and has a 7 day meat withhold period. Clik protects for 16 weeks and has a 40 day meat withhold period. Crovect is recommended for treating ticks, lice, headfly or established flystrike, it is not recommended for preventing strike. As others have said, it is best to treat after shearing to avoid chemicals contaminating the wool clip. Keeping bums clean until shearing is the best defence!
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Do most people treat after shearing? We stopped treating ewes and rams after shearing 4 years ago and have never had suffered any fly strike in them since. We have to treat lambs with fleece to prevent flystrike though.
However have been told if we do treat the ewes it will also help prevent them developing mastititis from flies so am wondering if we should start treating them again for this reason and would be interested in hearing others thoughts on this
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The fact is that there is a bewildering array of choices out there and even the very experienced amongst us get it wrong when we try to do it from memory.
Look the products up in a compendium like NOAH - here's the Crovect page, showing how to use it as a preventative for Lice, Ticks, Headflies and Blowflies, and as a treatment for Blowflies. http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Novartis_Animal_Health_UK_Ltd/Crovect_1_25_ACU-_w_v_Pour-on_Solution_for_Sheep/-27942.html (http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Novartis_Animal_Health_UK_Ltd/Crovect_1_25_ACU-_w_v_Pour-on_Solution_for_Sheep/-27942.html) Check the 'Uses' page, where it tells you how long it is effective against the various beasties, and which specific beasties it covers (eg., Crovect does biting lice not sucking lice.) Most products are listed in NOAH's pages; I find it invaluable.
For lice, ticks, etc, you can also look at injectables like Dectomax, Closamectin.
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For lice, ticks, etc, you can also look at injectables like Dectomax, Closamectin.
Both of these have a very long withdraw period (about 12 weeks if my memory serves me correctly), so OK for ewes and breeding animals, but not really ideal for lambs destined for killing
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For lice, ticks, etc, you can also look at injectables like Dectomax, Closamectin.
Both of these have a very long withdraw period (about 12 weeks if my memory serves me correctly), so OK for ewes and breeding animals, but not really ideal for lambs destined for killing
Dectomax is 9 weeks for sheep, Closamectin 4 weeks.
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I used dysect last year and it smells strong and is quite oily, just seemed a better product than vetrazine we used previously, and for the first time we had no fly strike, we had it every year prior to last, same 2 ewes affected and a lamb each year, its reasonably priced from mole valley farmers online, in fact most of their stuff is, I buy almost everything from them.
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For lice, ticks, etc, you can also look at injectables like Dectomax, Closamectin.
Both of these have a very long withdraw period (about 12 weeks if my memory serves me correctly), so OK for ewes and breeding animals, but not really ideal for lambs destined for killing
Dectomax is 9 weeks for sheep, Closamectin 4 weeks.
Yes, I think it must be cydectin injection that I am thinking of.
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Having chatted with the staff at the local co op I am now totally confused. They tell me that Vetrazin is still available but that the withdrawal periods on nearly all the pour ons including Vetrazin will be significantly increased this year.
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Just get whichever one you fancy, prices vary, as do withdrawal periods, we got vetrazine to start with, have tried clik but prefer dysect.
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If it wasnt so bloody confusing there'd be no need for TAS