The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Azzdodd on August 07, 2013, 08:02:17 pm

Title: Lamb with fly strike in his horns?
Post by: Azzdodd on August 07, 2013, 08:02:17 pm

I've got a ram lamb with maggots in the roots of his horns? How weird they have all had crovat :-/ he was due to slaughter a week today as well I have sprayed with fly and maggot killer? And all hair away

Title: Re: Lamb with fly strike in his horns?
Post by: JulieWall on August 07, 2013, 08:25:41 pm

Sounds like head-fly, it can be a problem with horned sheep especially when the horns are large and close to the head.

Title: Re: Lamb with fly strike in his horns?
Post by: Azzdodd on August 07, 2013, 08:32:13 pm

How do I treat this?

Title: Re: Lamb with fly strike in his horns?
Post by: Fishyhaddock on August 07, 2013, 08:38:44 pm

Hi, we have horned sheep and when they have sores on the head covered in flies we just spray the sore with Alamycin Spray and then cover in a antiseptic black tar type substance meant for chickens. Works a treat and keeps the flies away.   
Fishy
 
 

Title: Re: Lamb with fly strike in his horns?
Post by: Foobar on August 07, 2013, 08:55:08 pm

Yeah as the horns grow you do sometimes get bits of blood or raw skin at the base, and the flies are attracted to it, and the sheep gets struck.  Also they will use their foot to scratch off flies, thus making the skin raw.
Crovect only works on the area that it applied, so you wont have applied it to the head I suspect.  Also it doesn't always work above 25 degrees C.
Remove all the maggots and eggs and clean it up, then cover in Stockholm tar.
If i see any blood on any of my lambs horns I get hem in and bung a blob of stockholm tar on it, it seals the wound and the smell keeps the flies off for a few days.

Title: Re: Lamb with fly strike in his horns?
Post by: jaykay on August 07, 2013, 10:59:29 pm

Battles maggot oil is good round the base of the horns - wear gloves, apply it with your hands and rub it in around the horn bases.

But yes, try to at least get the Crovect up the back of the head to the horns, avoiding spraying the eyes.

Title: Re: Lamb with fly strike in his horns?
Post by: Dougal on August 20, 2013, 10:12:55 am

If he is going fat then use some battles maggot oil. If a while from being fat a squirt of crovect is the easiest and most effective option. I avoid using tar on the heads, great for cuts at shearing but next to useless around the horns.

Title: Re: Lamb with fly strike in his horns?
Post by: SteveHants on August 20, 2013, 07:44:32 pm

Sheep have glands in the base of their horns - it is the only place I have known Wilts Horns to be struck. I normally squirt a bit of crovect at them when I have them in for something else.