The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: SallyintNorth on July 16, 2015, 10:04:19 am
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I never thought I would consider using something so environmentally harmful as Clik or Clikzin.
However, last night my black Wensleydale Wincey was literally crawling with headflies, making her very miserable.
She was shorn just over three weeks ago and already has a good inch thick curly fleece.
They were crawling in amongst the locks, particularly on one spot on her shoulder, but all over. And, as headflies do, pestering on behind her ears, where they have taken the most outer layer of skin off.
I can and will give her a dose of Crovect, and do the horned sheep in the batch on their heads also, to deter the headflies.
However, thinking about her long long wool, that she's black, and the impending greenbottle season, I feel very dubious that Crovect will give her enough protection against blowfly strike, as it only protects the fleece that has been sprayed.
What do others with longwools do? Is Clikzin my only option?
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Spot on works the best for headflies, although crovect has a much more potent smell,
I tend to use a dab of crovect on the back of the head and 2 mls of spot on on top of the poll, or just 2 mls of spot on on top of the pol, in a line between the ears really
Only downside is the cost :o I have bought crovect this year to put on heads instead just because of the cost of the spot on at mole valley
Click wont affect headflies as it does not stop flies from landing, it just stops the maggots from hatching (I believe) but yes Clikzin or Clik is best to use to prevent blow fly strike, Clik prefered as you wont have to re apply so often
I have sheep that seem to be very prone to headflies and are suffering right now, will be gathering them up to apply crovect this week
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Use Spot-On for head fly - 1 to 2ml on the poll does the trick for about a month. I've not found Crovect very good for head fly and hard to apply without getting it places where you don't want it (like in the eyes!).
As for the longwool and blow-fly, no idea sorry (other than the long term method of culling anything that gets struck).
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As for the longwool and blow-fly, no idea sorry (other than the long term method of culling anything that gets struck).
I bought these two as a trial, to see if we could keep longwools here. They were miserable all winter, despite having been thoroughly crutched before winter, worried me pre-shearing, have been very happy indeed for a couple of weeks post-shearing and are now plagued by flies. :(
So I've accepted that this is not the place for longwools, sadly. I was planning to take a clip before winter, leaving them an inch or so going into winter - but if I have to Clikzin, I might have to rethink that. I could house them over winter, I suppose - I am sure they would be very happy.
I really like these two sheep, and really want to put them to Chad, my Shetland tup, this year. But just at this moment I am thinking I may have to sell them to somewhere that's more suitable for them.
Feeling a bit glum, really.
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Use Spot-On for head fly - 1 to 2ml on the poll does the trick for about a month.
We use Crovect and find it effective.
However, something I could apply more topically and safely is of interest... which of the many Spot-On products do you use? There seem to be a gazillion different Spot-Ons, not all do headflies... my head hurts
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I just ordered three Red Top Fly Traps too.
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Windy field?
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Windy field?
Not a daft suggestion at all.
The Wenseys run with my fleece flock, many of whom are escape artists. BH has allocated me a ridiculous amount of space already, I can't expect him to let me take another pasture off him!
If I have to, I could run the Wenseys with some of his commercials. But in truth, although we're an upland farm, there isn't really anywhere so open and windswept that there isn't a fly problem.
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Cooper's Spot-On but it's changed hands hasn't it several times. I think it's Zoetis/Pfizer now. Norbrook have one too, called Spotinor, its the same chemical (deltamethrin 1%). The label doesn't mention head fly on either of them, but it works. Mine suffer from April through to October from head fly - some more than others though, so alas I think I'm going to have this as another cross on the reasons to cull list :(.
If you have pasture that has no (or few) trees or hedges that should minimise the head flies. (!)
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Thanks. Think I'll stick with Crovect, as it seems to work for the problem here. As far as I know we've never blinded a sheep doing it - BH is very good at it.
Even the pastures we have with few trees or hedges have reshes, I don't think there's anywhere on a wet Cumbrian upland farm that's going to be a solution in its own right. :(
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http://www.medifarm.co.uk/stopmyasis.html (http://www.medifarm.co.uk/stopmyasis.html)
Above is a more 'natural' product but needs applying more often I think, don't know about how effective it is ?
Fly strike and overheating are 2 of the problems that are increased by the production of unnatural amounts of wool
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We tried Wensleydales here last year and never ever again although i did like their temperaments and our daughter used to like sitting on the tup who was pony sized. We found they looked nice but spent all winter looking cold and depressed, they didn't like the rain which in Cumbria is a bit of an issue, spent all summer looking hot, were too heavy to turn and we didn't dare dip them due to their size/weight, ate a ridiculous amount of grass just to maintain weight, would get fly strike on any inch they didn't have crovect on and the lambs we had off them were dopey and while they were big needed too higher input to get to weight.
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Only downside is the cost :o I have bought crovect this year to put on heads instead just because of the cost of the spot on at mole valley
Their MoleEcto product is pretty much the same as Crovect, but £13.44 (about 16%) cheaper:
Crovect 5l £81.24 inc VAT
Butyl Dioxitol <98.%
Cypermethrin High 1.25%
Molecto 5l £67.80 inc VAT
Active substance(s):
Cypermethrin tech. 1.25% w/v
Excipient(s): Lissamine Green B (E142)0.02% w/v
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Sorry yes I still refer to molecto as crovect, as its basically the same thing and an awful lot cheaper :thumbsup:
Specially when buying the 5 litre tubs
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It's odd really, given that Wensleydales originate from...well...Wensleydale. You'd think that would be fairly similar to where you are Sally, but a bit more sheltered.
Hereabouts there are very few Wensleydales, and no-one keeps them for long, because of the muddy draggles they get in winter. Same for other longwools.
It's one of those fleeces that looks so gorgeous, but when I've spun it I've found it not so very wonderful after all. Have you spun any of it yet?
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It's one of those fleeces that looks so gorgeous, but when I've spun it I've found it not so very wonderful after all. Have you spun any of it yet?
I've just been going through my fleeces from this year's shearing and I have been rather disappointed with the fleece from my sole Lincoln Longwool. it is no where near as soft and lovely as my Gotland x Shetland ones.
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would citronella and quassia chip help? they do smell very strong and flies hate the smell. :thinking:
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It's odd really, given that Wensleydales originate from...well...Wensleydale. You'd think that would be fairly similar to where you are Sally, but a bit more sheltered.
That was m'thinking when I bought some to try! But perhaps it's more rocky and windswept where they normally are. We're soft wet ground here, and do have lots of trees.
Mind, a friend had some white ones on a moorland farm, hardly any trees at all and one of the most windy places there is, and that didn't work out either. Again, very wet ground.
Their feet have been good so far, though, so at the moment I am hoping I can at least get some Shetland x lambs off them then may have to find them new homes. It'll be a wrench, especially the steely-blue one, they are so sweet and friendly. :love: :sheep:
Hereabouts there are very few Wensleydales, and no-one keeps them for long, because of the muddy draggles they get in winter. Same for other longwools.
Aye, we crutched them thoroughly in autumn last year and I am thinking about clipping them completely (but leaving about an inch of wool except on the legs) this year.
It's one of those fleeces that looks so gorgeous, but when I've spun it I've found it not so very wonderful after all. Have you spun any of it yet?
I've spun Wensey that I've absolutely loved, and I've abandoned Wensey that was too much hard work to comb. It's like BFL, in that once combed it's a dream, and the lustre is sublime, but some fleeces are too ringletty to be worth the effort of hand-combing.
Last year, m'moorland friend got a fleece drum-carded, which I thought was bonkers, and sure enough the batts were pretty lumpy-bumpy. But then another friend, a much more experienced spinner than me, span a sample of it loose and thick on her Lonsdale, plied and washed it, and it was absolutely gorgeous yarn.
The fleeces off my two are still in the heap of all-my-fleeces, awaiting sorting. Wincey, the really black one, looked like she had just walked out of a shower for weeks after clipping, so the lustre on hers will be fantastic. Quincy is a beautiful steely-bluey-grey colour. I won't be surprised it there's some felting in the fleeces, we've had some of the Mules quite felty, but hopefully there'll be at least some of each I can use. I don't think they should be too ringletty to be useful, or at least, they certainly won't be too ringletty all over.
I really do want to get some Shetland x Wenseys...