The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Fleecewife on May 24, 2012, 05:20:30 pm
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After the late cold spell, it has suddenly turned warm, sultry, thundery - call it what you will, but it means fly strike danger for sheep. If you can't get them shorn now, then it's worth dagging them and giving them a good checkover. The lambs can be treated with Crovect or whatever your preventative of choice is. Today we got in the ewes and lambs, sprayed the lambs with Crovect, wormed four ewes with Panacur as they had slightly mucky backsides and we sprayed Crovect across all their perineums. This will not contaminate the fleece but will protect them from hidden strike in an area which is difficult to check visually on Hebrideans, which have very long woolly black coats. We also did all the ewes feet.
Our 17 year old Heb ewe Jezebel, who wasn't bred this year but had twins last year, still has superb feet, a backside you could eat your dinner off :D and a condition score my OH called 'magnificent' when he lifted her ie one of the heaviest. She doesn't have a single tooth left at the front and we know she will go downhill once her molars start coming out :( The good feet and ease of handling always picks out her offspring, now old ladies themselves.
Even in the morning it was too hot to work comfortably - what an old grouch I am ;D
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Seemed a wee bit premature getting my sheared last week when the opportunity arose - but quite glad now as everyone is clean and I can see what's going on!!
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I really wish I'd got mine done last week, now I can't get hold of the shearer I normally use as I expect everyone is calling him! ::)
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I'm feeling a little tense too! The singing shearer is coming on 1st (next Friday so only a week now) I have a bottle of Clik to do the lambs but no clik gun! C/wide have me one 'on order'.
Just been stood studying my 2 adult ewes, 1 of whom looks quite fed up - I assume just because she's sooo hot rather than anything because anything is happening,
Thank you, Fleecewife for this post - its been really informative and I feel slightly more confident from reading your pointers (eg. worming for mucky bums etc)
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What's a perineum?
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The perineum is a part of the pelvic area usually used to describe the area from the anus to the privates and surrounding area.
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Great post - thank you. ;D
We ordered our Crovect (small container) last week and will treat ASAP.
Our Soay ewes are at different fleece shedding stages. Some have slightly mucky bums, no scouring, guessing due to the very lush grass and hedge growth. Do I need to wash them before I spray? :o
Know where the perineum is in female human but not sure how this translates to sheepie bits (will have a look tomorrow) would it sting/be safe?
Is Crovect safe on lambs from 5 weeks? Hate strong chemicals and worry about using them.
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The bit I mean is found when you sit the sheep on its bottom. Move the back legs apart and you can spray from the inside of one leg, down to the bit between the vulva and udder in a female (whilst avoiding the vulva itself because yes, I imagine that would sting) and the udder and scrotum in a male, then up the inside of the other leg. There is wool here but it is not part of the useable fleece in many breeds, so it doesn't matter if it has Crovect or whatever on prior to shearing. Sheep anatomy is slightly different between the sexes, so in the female I suppose it's not technically the perineum (and comparing it with humans - we don't have or mammary glands way down there :D :D ), whereas in the male, the penile sheath emerges much further along. The very first Shetland ewe we bought had had fly strike in just this area, and although she appeared to have recovered when we bought her, she died a few weeks later and I always wondered if it was related - so I'm a bit obsessed with missing this bit at a fly check.
Inthehills - our lambs are between 5 and 7 weeks old and all seem fine after their treatment. We don't use a large dose, just enough over their backsides, underneath and a dot on their heads. If our lambs are mucky we would dag them before spraying, but only wash them if they had a lot of wet poop around. We were lucky today in that all our lambs are nice and clean - a result of downsizing the flock I think.
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Great thread FW :thumbsup:
The other thing worth mentioning in this weather is that unshorn sheep will get hot, sticky and itchy, so as well as flystrike they need checking at least twice daily for collapse and for being cast. (They may roll trying to scratch, then can't get upright again.) Any fat sheep can die quite quickly in hot weather if they get stuck on their backs.
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Is there anything we can do for the unshorn sheep while we wait for our shearer (only 1 week now and counting!!) ?
I am checking 2 or 3 times a day, looking out for nasty flies (none so far, thank goodness) and making sure they have loads of fresh, clean water. They've found several very sheltered, shady areas in the orchard but is there anything else that can keep them cool/deter flies ? I saw some fly sprays in the sheep section in countrywide next to the battles maggot oil.
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Thanks FW. Only one or two ewes that seem a touch mucky, lambs are all clean.
Checking the girls 3 times a day as well Plums - cant stand the thought of Fly Strike. Did see some fly repellant in spray cans at our agri store .... cant remember what it was called. It did say for sheep .... not sure how effective it would be. ???
How soon after treatment with Crovect is it safe to handle sheep? We are trying to halter train/handle a couple of our ewes most evenings to get them ready for possibly showing them.
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My woolsheep are coming in on sunday for clickzin as they dont get shorn till the end of June. They seem to cope OK with the hot weather though, but there is lots of shade where I graze them.
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Thanks FW. Only one or two ewes that seem a touch mucky, lambs are all clean.
Checking the girls 3 times a day as well Plums - cant stand the thought of Fly Strike. Did see some fly repellant in spray cans at our agri store .... cant remember what it was called. It did say for sheep .... not sure how effective it would be. ???
I picked some up in the end - its Nettex fly spray and says on the tin that it can be used to 'deter flies' - not sure how much use it is either and would surely be no replacement for shearing/clik/crovect but until our 2 adults are sheared at least I feel I've been able to do something to try and keep the flies off. Its psychological for me ;D
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Thanks FW. Only one or two ewes that seem a touch mucky, lambs are all clean.
Checking the girls 3 times a day as well Plums - cant stand the thought of Fly Strike. Did see some fly repellant in spray cans at our agri store .... cant remember what it was called. It did say for sheep .... not sure how effective it would be. ???
How soon after treatment with Crovect is it safe to handle sheep? We are trying to halter train/handle a couple of our ewes most evenings to get them ready for possibly showing them.
I think that once it's dry it would be ok but remember to wash your hands thoroughly after handling the treated sheep, and don't put your fingers in your mouth, eat etc until you have washed. Some people seem to be more sensitive to these products than others. Good luck with getting them halter trained :thumbsup:
For fly sprays and repellants, we have not found one which is effective. We tried some a few years back but they tended to stain the fleece. It's worth checking the ingredients to make sure they are not as bad as the Crovect etc :o Keeping the sheep clean ie dagged and dry, and making sure that where they hang out (such as under a tree, in a shelter) is clean not covered in droppings, will help keep the flies away until you can get them shorn. :sheep: :)
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We had Flystrike back in April ??? gets earlier and earlier down here but we got all the shearlings in off the marsh last night and crutched out and yep found two more with maggots.
Got shearer coming next week so can't fly spray them yet but as soon as they're done watch out flies your days are numbered! >:(
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All ours (34) shorn yesterday - hooray :thumbsup: - shearer is a hero working in that heat :trophy: . One had a small patch of fly strike near her tail - red and sore but no maggots yet - and she was the only one with a dirty bum. We try to keep them tidy and dry but in future we will be doing a lot more dagging and crutching out even if they look rather strange ??? . Last year we put garlic flavoured mineral licks in the field in the summer - they were not as popular as the usual licks as they do whiff. Enough to keep anything away ::)
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I'm desperate to get mine shorn, I've had two with flystrike and will try and get them all in tomorrow when I've got help so I can at least give them all a good check over and dag them. Trouble is some of mine have such thick fleeces it's easy to miss a patch - I've done that before! I got our ram in and clipped him on his neck where he was struck, looked all over and couldn't find anything else. Then noticed a few days later he was looking uncomfortable again - and he was struck on the shoulders ::) .
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I think it must be easy to miss patches of strike in a dense-wooled sheep, until it's got so bad that it shows wet. I wonder how early on they start giving off the characteristic smell...I know it might look a bit odd (but who cares ;D ) but perhaps sniffing over you sheep would help find any early strike? :sheep: What does everyone think?
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I do sniff my sheep ;D seriously. Three times a day at the moment! I'm lucky I've only got 5! I think the neighbours must think I'm a bit loopy as I'm bending over peering under the sheep's bellies, round their bums and generally acting deranged. Better to be safe though!
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:D
Just had mine in and did the ewes and lambs with Crovect amongst other things, ewes as Fleecewife describes. Need to do the hoggs and tups tomorrow, then all safe for a while hopefully.
If flystrike smells, presumably dogs could be trained to pick it up, as they do drugs and some illnesses.
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Hi, what a day, we have been trying to get our sheep shorn for about 3 weeks but have not managed, so because the weather in Lincoln has been so hot we have started to do the job ourselves, first time sheep owners and panicing about fly strike. Last night we managed to get them into a small holding area and today we started, we only have 5 to do but we have only had them a few weeks and they have obviously not been done for some time!
We have one with fly strike, gutted, but after my husband had shorn her we were able to see for the first time how short her tail is, discussingly so that her vulver is totally uncovered and she has no protection from the flys at all. I am going to make her a fringe type thing similar to what horses wear over their faces and attaching so that when she flicks her tiny tail sump it will swipe the flys, sounds crazy I know but I don,t know what else to do for her.
Ann
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Well I've just spent an hour shearing my Zwartbles ram, I knew he was struck because he started rubbing his backside and trying to bite it, and there were loads of flies around his rear end. He has an unbelievably thick fleece, there were no wet patches but when I started shearing he was struck all around his rump and hind legs, poor boy. He was amazingly good, just stood tied up quietly and then didn't put up a struggle when we sat him down to do his belly and private parts! He's also so easy to handle because he walks on a halter. My Ryeland ram would not have been so amenable!
I decided to clip all of him not just dag, because I couldn't tell where there might be more maggots and didn't want to risk missing any.
Hats off to these Aussie shearers who can do a sheep in 2 mins!! :sheep:
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Trying, that sounds like a solution.
It makes me very angry people who dock sheep so short - there's no b#%^$€* reason for it and as you have found, it causes problems >:(
Well done for shearing him Remy, at least you've caught it now.
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If your sheep have been struck you may want to use Coopers Spot On to be sure all the maggots evacuate. I've found it very effective but just remember the withdrawal period is very long.
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Or treat the area with Crovect - also good :)
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Two of ours were flystruck when they were shorn yesterday. Caught just in time by the look of it and a good spray of maggot killer got rid of them. Will be shearing in April next year and providing a warm stable if the weather turns. Don't want to risk them getting struck again.
We were thinking about doing a late shear at the end of summer, instead of just dagging (on our GFD's). We got caught out with flystrike at end of October last year, even though they were dagged as the flies laid their eggs in between their shoulders instead. Has anyone done an Autumn shear on sheep if they have shelter but aren't kept inside?
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Reading all your posts intently :D We are crutching today, taking 5 mins whilst B goes n checks the new waterers hes put in....we ve not found strike yet, but yes have some mucky ones and some very clean ones but all having a (rather unflattering) haircut all the same. Fleece wife as always you provide such useful great information, we have used the perineum only crovect for mucky ones only, our shearer wont touch a crovected sheep for at least 6-8 weeks after treatment, and we cant go that long this year...but saying that the sap hasnt risen in many of them...so he may still add weeks on for that...glad we going for the scalped bums even if it does take the next few days, plus theres the bonus that they not dropping off nasties on theyre next pasture.
It may sound odd but i think strike smells like my late grampas old potting shed, the smell of gardening pellets and what not....yes.. i did say odd ::)
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Went down to apply the Clik today to the flock and found our best gimmer down and nearly out. Struck on her side and buried under the wool of course.
She is very very ill and may not make it. We've
- washed the damage in Hibiscrub
- Treated her with Crovect
- sprayed the wound with oxy-tetracycline: then took her to the vet who
- gave her IM antibiotic
- and a SC anti-inflammatory
- and a pro-rumen drench
Fingers crossed for Stacey.
None of the others were touched. All have been Clik'd
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SF, so sorry to hear that Stacey got caught before you'd Clik'd the flock :'( :bouquet: Wishing her well - we have seen some apparently miraculous recoveries, so :fc: she'll pull though.
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Went down to apply the Clik today to the flock and found our best gimmer down and nearly out. Struck on her side and buried under the wool of course.
She is very very ill and may not make it. We've
- washed the damage in Hibiscrub
- Treated her with Crovect
- sprayed the wound with oxy-tetracycline: then took her to the vet who
- gave her IM antibiotic
- and a SC anti-inflammatory
- and a pro-rumen drench
Fingers crossed for Stacey.
None of the others were touched. All have been Clik'd
Poor Stacey but also poor you SF! :-((((!
I would be hopeful tho, our old ram got really really bad flystrike - nothing in the morning and almost at deaths door when we checked again in the evening! He had it over more of his body than your ewe in terms of broken skin, was anaemic as they had sucked so much blood and couldnt really rise to his feet. Vet wasnt sure at all he would make it and it took about a fortnights nursing care indoors to get him right (plus anitbiotics etc) but it was amazing how completely and quickly he recovered. He lived on to father several more generations of lambs!
We think he got it from the geese pecking his wool out and making a number of small wounds all over the place. A couple of the wethers when we checked had small wounds which were on the verge of strike.
You will know Stacey is feeling better when she stops being easier to get hold of to treat.
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Poor me but only because I had to carry her back to the yard and I stink. It's my fault for not seeing the signs - they must have been visible yesterday but it's been bum area before.
Never seen such a mess on a sheep before. I'm so sorry.
Tea over, back to work.
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:bouquet: hope she recovers quickly.
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Oh SF its rotten for you and for her.
We failed to spot the signs last year on one of the co-op sheep/lambs, it was only when he was down that I realised he'd separated himself from the flock and was looking miserable. The things had got him just where they've got Stacey.
We crovect'd him and we hoped and hoped and sure enough he made a full and very good recovery - so it can happen!! I was literally having to be his back legs at one point as he would'nt/couldn't stand and I all but wrote him off.
The sheep co-op took him away for the freezer last Winter but bless him, he actually became even tamer due to all the intervention.
Keeping it all crossed for you and Stacey :fc:
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Any one use BARRIER BLOWFLY REPEL to stop or treat strike,how effective?? or BLOWFLY TRAPS either home made or commercial again how effective ?? just wondered
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Not prepared to faff around with anything vaguely ineffective - give me Crovect or Clik, given how dreadful it is when it happens.
I do use Redtop fly traps but only to reduce the nuisance around the buildings, not to reduce flystrike - for that I Crovect, regularly.
The chemicals might be nasty but flystrike is worse!
Crossing everything for your gimmer SF :-*
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Same as Jaykay - we have a Redtop fly trap over the rabbit hutch but on the sheep its Clik (lambs done already, sheep just been sheared so will be Clik'd this week)
I think once you've had an animal experience Flystrike you will do everything you can to never have to see it again.
Friend of mine had a cat with it once following an RTA :( [size=78%] [/size]
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Definitely agree with that, we try to minimise chemicals and routine treatments but the two things we do routinely are Heptavac P+ as it covers so many things and the lambs benefit through the mums for the critical first week or two, and any hint of fly strike and the chemical warfare is straight in there with Crovect or Clik, there just are a couple of things where I feel I do have to 'fight fire with fire' from a welfare perspective.
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Pardon my ignorance on this. But do Organic farmers use Crovect /Clik? If not, how do they cope with keeping flystrike at bay?
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Yes!! You just have to have a longer withdrawall period if you are organic.
Also while we are on this subject, check your feet. We have had ewes with maggots in their feet in the past. Keep on top of your foot trimming in this warmer weather.
Small farmer, I am sure your Stacey will be fine. We have had them as bad, fortunately you get better at reading the signs with experience as prevention is better than having to deal with the creepers and a poorly sheep. As long as she keeps eating, that is the main worry. Fingers crossed for her.
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I think flystrike is part of the course of owning sheep.
As far as I know if you already have maggots - use Crovect as it kills them - Clik will only prevent more from hatching.
Crovect kills on contact - clik and Vetrazin only prevent hatching.
I love Crovect- but read the application on the rear of the bottle and times by 5 for what you need to apply.
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While the choice of blowfly protection product is personal there will be many sheep keepers who for health reasons cannot use chemicals and they need to know about alternatives and their effectivness .
I love Crovect- but read the application on the rear of the bottle and times by 5 for what you need to apply.
When treating young or small lambs for strike, excessive amounts of crovect can actually kill them .
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We decided on shearing early this year against the advice of pretty much everybody we knew. I should probably point out that we have a mixed flock of texels, leicester longwools (including coloured) and also ryelands.
We had fly strike last year in one of the coloured ryelands which thankfully was caught in time.
Anyway as I say we sheared early this year and im thankful we did. Both of the coloured ryelands had maggots (one just within her fleece and the other had them so what worse compared)
:fc: Im pleased to say they are doing much better now and the worse of the two is healing up quite well :fc:
We seem to have a bad run with the "coloured" breeds which is a bit strange but just thankful we sheared early as I say.
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I don't think the colour of the wool makes much difference, although I have heard people say it does. What we have found does make detection of strike difficult is very dense fleece, such as Ryelands have. The worst ever strike we have had - the only bad strike in fact - was on a black Jacob cross lamb from a Polwarth/Dorset/Ryeland ewe. The lamb had extremely fine fleece, very densely and tightly packed (bred for fleece to sell to the top end of the handspinners market). As soon as I saw there was a problem, when she was doing the running away from an invisible something, then lying flat, then skittering off again, but without any of the other signs of strike, I brought her in. The back half of her body was covered in tiny maggots, with one patch of slightly bigger ones. We very nearly lost the lamb, but spotting the strike was impossible without going through her fleece, opening it down to the skin, all over. So I fully understand how strike can be missed - and it's why here ever since that happened we use Crovect, whereas we don't use any other chemicals for anything else :sheep:
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Dont worry Shep, he wouldnt do that. well we had three, 2 with strike on tail, and one toothless old girl with it, she is mending beautifully, she s hanging out with the molly lambs at the mo and puts her self to bed of an evening with her companion, another old biddy awww :) dagged, wormed, multi vit drench, vacc ed, did feet, sent up after holding over night then up up and away to where they belong up top where the wind dont do flies :D . now to get the shearer up asap !!
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Well, you were all right. The first night Stacey moved very little and seemed to be in shock. Sunday was dry and sunny so we put her on our nursery paddock by the house and she started eating. We kept her in overnight and all day because the weather is vile and she has lost a lot of wool and has a lot of skin damage. And she's scouring so had another dose of pro rumen to keep her fluids up.
Interestingly her mother doesn't seem distressed though her twin (Gavin, obviously) is sticking very close to her. We haven't had a single bleat from Stacey yet and she is being very co-operative.
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I'm glad she seems to be doing ok - and she's getting good care from you by the sound of it. Poor love, but i think you've caught it in time. B-&#%€¥ flies and maggots >:(
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We're all rooting for Stacey - please keep us informed of her progress.
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She started calling this morning - she's away from the flock but hasn't spoken since Saturday. So she's had another squirt of Savlon rubbed in to her damaged skin and Gavin has joined her in the paddock next to the house where the best grass is. They didn't move more than an inch away from each other for the next hour.
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Awwww :thumbsup:
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As Jakyay said Awww, Gavin and Stacey together again ;D
Sally