The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: steve_pr on July 13, 2013, 11:17:26 pm
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How are people doing? We have fly strike with a vengeance on our Ryelands and Greyface Dartmoors (maoinly the lambs).
We treated them all with Ectofly (which our local supplier said was as good as Crovect but cheaper!_. Absolute rubbish! Just two weeks later have spent all the evening cruthing and picking out maggots (yuck!). OK, so the weather has been perfect for flys - damp and then really warm but this is getting silly. We are treating now with Crovect to kill the remaining maggots and are going back to Clik as a preventative for the rest of them.
What are other doing, or are we just being unlucky?
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Ectofly is crovect (its the same chemical). Maybe use that to get rid of the flies and then treat with something like clik or vetrazin?
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Steve,
You are making me worried now. I am in Carmarthenshire and have Ryelands.
I clik'd mine last Thur as its a month since they were shorn and I think their fleece is long enough now. Lambs were clik'd a while before that.
Going out to feed them all shortly so will take a good look at them then.
thanks
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The thing with Crovect is that it is essential to apply it correctly for the cover you want. You need to use the right head on the applicator, and, for fly prevention, spray it in such a way that you get a wide band (2" to 4") of pale blue over the areas you want to protect - typically from the shoulders to the tail head and an arc around the buttocks. Up here we get head flies, so we also put a short strip between the ears, especially on lambs with horns or scurs. (Doing that without getting it in their eyes takes some doing.)
I haven't any experience of using Crovect for fly prevention on very woolly sheep - I guess that GFD and Ryeland lambs are already pretty shaggy?
If I were in a flystrike hotspot, I think I would certainly expect to dag / crutch any woolly sheep thoroughly as well as protect with Crovect or Vetrazin.
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You have to understand that Crovect / Ectofly applied with a fan spray only protects the areas sprayed , IT DOES NOT SPREAD :sunshine:
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Crovec is not preventative againt fly strike just treats. Clik is prevention.
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Crovec is not preventative againt fly strike just treats. Clik is prevention.
<< Crovect Pour-On is a versatile, easy to use synthetic pyrethroid pour-on for the treatment and prevention of blowfly strike and for the treatment and control of head flies, and…>>
This from the link above.
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appologies got it wrong way ..... Clik can't be used to treat just prevent
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I treat my lambs with Clik the moment I see the first greenbottle. This year it was 11th May and that should last until Autumn (but who knows what the weather's going to do this year ....?) Numbers of flies have just exploded here over the last few days. Ewes will be Clik'd four weeks after shearing finished, so in three weeks' time, when the fleece is about 1cm long.
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All our flock (170 ewes and lambs) get treated with Crovect every 5 weeks as soon as the flies come out, late May here. Black lambs, in our case pure bred Herdwicks, can be susceptable to flies, dont know why, maybe because if there is a 'strike it's harder to spot.
We get hold of them and check for maggots every two weeks. One tip we have been given is make up a solution of Battles fluid and water and pour a jug full over the backs and back legs of any you think might be itching too much.It kills the maggots and clears your sinuses! and then re-treat with Crovect.
We used Ectofly last year.... never again, we lost 6 lambs :'( despite the above regime. mind you it was fly heaven last year, wet and warm.
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We have found a Romney lamb tonight with fly strike. He looked fine yesterday but looks awful tonight :-( He is scouring as well, so we've hosed him down to clean him up and then dagged where we could, then applied Crovect quite liberally. We've offered food and water up at the house but he wasn't particularly interested. Is there anything else we can do?
We've checked all the others tonight, our Hebs and BWM are almost impossible to check (too flighty to get hold of). Used the bucket and food to check all of the others.
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worm him as well,and then it's just a case of waiting to see if he picks up, if he doesn't, then get him put down... quickly. How bad has he been struck?
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To be honest he's the first one we've had with fly strike so I don't know how to measure whether it's bad or not. We found two 10p piece size patches of maggots on him, plus the underside of his tail had loads on. The Crovect seems to have worked on the maggots we can see and I must admit I applied it quite liberally.
Which wormer would you recommend?
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Don't forget to check the feet of lambs that are lame and/or strucken. Just had our first maggoty foot tonight :(. He feels better now, poor wee fella.
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There is a case for giving a struck sheep a long acting antibiotic if they are badly affected by the strike. The open sores are a way in for infection, and the maggots excrete a toxin (I read that somewhere on TAS....?) so rest, cool and calm, plus supportive nursing will help the animal recover from the shock.
17andcounting - I would say your strike was a medium attack. I have seen sheep recover from much more severe maggots than that, but equally I have seen them die from less (we had a careless neighbour so there were always struck sheep about :furious: ) I wonder if how deeply they go in has a worse outcome than if they are just on the surface of the skin?
Once the first maggots have hatched they give off a smell which attracts lots of other flies for an egg-laying fest as they do their best to kill the poor sheep. I hate maggots with a vengeance.
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Used the bucket and food to check all of the others.
I find that it's easier to spot problems when you don't have the bucket of food. There is a lot to be said for just standing and watching for 10-15mins. Once your sheep get used to you just "being there", they behave as they would do when you aren't there and it's much easier to spot one that is behaving oddly (and in my experience every sick sheep exhibits some sort of behaviour that is not quite the norm, even if it's subtle). When there is food involved they may well quite forget the fact that they are in pain or being irritated by something and gallop happily over to scoff the food.
I have BWM and I don't think I could spot a strike in the black wool, I find it hard enough to spot a dirty bottom (not that I get many of those).
One thing I would advocate if you have sheep with horns - stockholm tar. I bung a squirt on the heads of all my rams/ram lambs whenever they are gathered. It can last a good couple of weeks and it's dirt cheap. I've even splodged a bit on their rumps too when the flies have been really bad, when I ran out of crovect - okay, so my sheep are black so it doesn't show up, if you had white sheep you might not want to paint them black :). I would even have been tempted to spodge it on myself yesterday as I got about 30 horse fly bites whilst hay making! :(
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We also try to put our sheep and lambs upto the more windy top fields when the flies come around - also making sure that they are not in really long grass that when wet will keep the sheepies damp.
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Just going to check mine but only just sheared my ewes this week - how quickly can I spray crovect / click after shearing? Lambs were done with crovect a few weeks ago..
Last year I sheared my gfd lambs end may with the ewes (although they were born end of Jan) rather than risk it
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Just going to check mine but only just sheared my ewes this week - how quickly can I spray crovect / click after shearing?
You can use Crovect "off shears", i.e. straight away.
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Just going to check mine but only just sheared my ewes this week - how quickly can I spray crovect / click after shearing?
You can use Crovect "off shears", i.e. straight away.
You can, yes, but the general feeling is there isn't enough wool for it to stick to, so most people leave it a couple of weeks.
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Thanks Foobar, we used the bucket/food to get them close enough to have a better look at them, otherwise most of them are so skittish you can't get near them.
Wonky looks better today, he's grazing and baa-ing and showing an interest if you're there (he was bottle fed so he's very friendly). He's still scouring though - but there are no maggots in it. I can't see any live maggots on him, I'll check him again tonight. When would it be safe to wash him (because of the scouring) and re-Crovect him?
I'll look for the tar stuff. We did find it hard to check the BWM and her lamb, and the Hebs too - and Crovecting them was difficult, let's hope I got enough on! All of our land seems quite windy (quite a steep slope) but soon they'll be moving onto much longer grass.
I'd better go and order some more Crovect I think.
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You can, yes, but the general feeling is there isn't enough wool for it to stick to, so most people leave it a couple of weeks.
I didn't know that and it is useful information. We did ours when we sheared and I think we will get out again with the crovec.
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when we gather for shearing we treat the lambs then but leave it a couple of weeks for the ewes, a bit out of cinque i must admit but we gradually get them into it by cutting a couple of days off both ends of the time span.
I agree with Fleecewife a shot of antibiotic is a good idea if badly struck ie if the maggots have started to eat into the poor sheep ...and they do >:(
To keep them lessed stressed if you are gathering them ..feed them at the same place all the time, make a small pen that you leave up and they will get used to it. i just shout 'come on girls ' and they head for the pen! all 60 odd of them (with a bit of good old shepherding, slow and calm, no rushing and be prepared to do it again).
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I spend a lot of time with my sheep as they are quite friendly - they come for a stroke or to be brushed. I wondered if I can use Clik and still handle/stroke my sheep? I wondered about doing them before I went away for a few days. But would want to be able to handle them when I got back. Thank you
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I spend a lot of time with my sheep as they are quite friendly - they come for a stroke or to be brushed. I wondered if I can use Clik and still handle/stroke my sheep? I wondered about doing them before I went away for a few days. But would want to be able to handle them when I got back. Thank you
Noah says:
"Do not shear sheep in the 3 months after treatment.
Handle sheep as little as possible after treatment as residues remain on the fleece for some weeks.
If you need to handle sheep after treatment, wear coveralls and Wellington boots. If sheep are wet also wear waterproof trousers and coat."
So I think that's a no-no, unless you can restrict yourself to a tickle under the chin :).
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Keep an eye on the lamb as I thought I had dealt with my fly strike by getting the sheep on the ground and carefully going over all the area around his bottom and then sprayed with crovect. Luckily the maggots appeared to all be on the surface. A week later I noticed another spot of strike where I had sprayed and the maggots were within the skin by then. Another good clean up and more crovect applied directly has sorted the problem but I had been lulled into a false sense of security after the first crovect application.
Mine also had been scouring and egg counts showed that it was Nematodirus and as I only have 4 lambs for home consumption the vet suggested I use Panacur 10% for dogs rather than by a litre of the stuff.
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just dealt with my first maggot attack this afternoon. really horrid,poor little lamb.I have clipped off a lot of fleece, covered him with crovect and given him a shot of amoxypen la and metacam. When can I use clic on him now.I,ve got him in for the night with a mate so I can watch him.
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<<Crovect prevents blowfly strike for between 6 and 8 weeks. Kills maggots. Treatment of tick infestation with a persistent efficacy of 10 weeks. Kills biting lice. Protects against head fly.>>
(from the Novartis website)
We assume Crovect is effective for 6 weeks, and we repeat spray them that amount apart, so if you want to change to Clik then apply it 6 weeks from now.
Maggots will make off into the fleece at quite some speed as soon as you disturb them, so you need to search the little B*****$ out and get them with the Crovect. Open the fleece right down to the roots, especially with a fine fleeced and very woolly animal.
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thanks. I cut off a lot of fleece so hopefully,got the horrid b...ers.the lamb seems quite ok, he,s eating and walking about Not something I want to repeat.
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To give you hope, my old ram got struck in a single day absolutely terribly, his skin and gums were white they had sucked so much out of him and I could lead him along which normally would be totally impossible. It did require vet and antibiotics as well as Crovect and whatever else we could throw at it, he had large gaping wounds, but the old boy healed up completely and lived to live his ladies again, so I think it is however awful looking, very rarely hopeless with fly strike and as soon as the maggots are out (even if you are digging them out of open flesh) and treated the sheep tend to (very Un sheep like) rally very quickly.
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Don't forget to check the feet of lambs that are lame and/or strucken. Just had our first maggoty foot tonight :( . He feels better now, poor wee fella.
yea we found one tonight, must have caught his foot somewhere, he was off and eating within minutes of OH treating him. we look for flies hanging round...is a sure sign.
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:wave:
Just found one of my lambs had gone down with fly strike, hidden in the long grass. I'm not sure if he had been injured first as there was a lot of flesh missing from his left back leg. Not good. Hubby had fed the sheep this morning and we had been busy getting the trailer back yesterday evening, so didn't go round them all last night.
Hubby has said it is my fault, which is normal... but really annoyed with myself for not spotting it. All the other sheep seem fine, no odd behaviour and no fly's hanging around. We treated the sheep not long after shearing (around early june) but obviously, we needed to get it done again. Think that will be tomorrow nights job.
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:wave:
Just found one of my lambs had gone down with fly strike, hidden in the long grass. I'm not sure if he had been injured first as there was a lot of flesh missing from his left back leg. Not good. Hubby had fed the sheep this morning and we had been busy getting the trailer back yesterday evening, so didn't go round them all last night.
Hubby has said it is my fault, which is normal... but really annoyed with myself for not spotting it. All the other sheep seem fine, no odd behaviour and no fly's hanging around. We treated the sheep not long after shearing (around early june) but obviously, we needed to get it done again. Think that will be tomorrow nights job.
DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT......it happens and it happens FAST and before you know it. You have however spotted it and now you are able to treat. WELL DONE BOTH OF YOU - its a horrible thing for the sheep and equally and horrible for you to have to deal with. Best of luck and hugs from me as I know first hand how I felt when it happened to me years ago. x
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:wave:
Lamb didn't make it through the night. :'( Quite a blow as we only had four lambs from five ewes and it's our first year.
Will definitely be rounding them all up tonight for a spray.
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Raine, that is very sad. I have 4 lambs from 5 ewes too and know how devastated I would be if one died.
:hug: for you
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Sorry Raine :bouquet:
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O heck. It's awful!
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Things to look out for: small, sudden movements, trying to rub head, shoulders or tail against a fencepost or similar, putting head down suddenly then moving off, trying to nibble at foot or tail, flies following an animal, separated from flock, doesn't come to the bucket, damp-looking patch on fleece. If a sheep has flystrike in the foot check the place on its body where the foot goes when it's at rest - they often transfer across. Our present regime seems to work and we haven't seen flystrike for many years. Before that we used to find the maggots then get out the shearing kit and shear a large circle around them, moving inwards to stop maggots escaping into the fleece. We used the traditional mix in these parts - a 1 litre washing up liquid bottle with a centimetre of Jeyes fluid in the bottom, filled up with water. This irritates the maggots enough to make them try and exit the wound as well as cleans the wound itself. No stronger, though, as it would then be too painful for the sheep. 5ml of Alamycin LA for anything but the smallest area of strike.
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Really sensible suggestion about working your way in to the area where the maggots are. Always in such a hurry to get shot of the horrible things and I worry about any escaping either into the nearby fleece or the grass. Thanks for that MF.
Really concerned about flies at the mo with thunderstorms and the humidity that goes with them. Perfect conditions for blowflies. Be extra vigilant guys and check any sheep behaving even slightly odd.
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I've had to deal with flystrike every year for the last five years, and have lost a couple to it. One ram even got it between his toes! This year I have been extra vigilant and have Crovected all of them at crucial times, so far (touch wood) I haven't had one case.
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Thank you MF ..... a really useful description of what to look for and wouldn't have thought about starting with a large circle and moving in, not in my panic to treat.
Scared to speak too soon but not had any yet since starting with the sheep and so always worried that I won't spot in time.
With weather how it is, got them in at the weekend and treated all flock except lambs with crovect and also did thorough dag of any that needed it .... most were spotless.
Lambs are not that big and feel less than 12.5kg .... is there anything that I can use on these to protect?
I have one with a slight limp at the minute but can't catch her to check :( ..... hoping its a pull from their butting antics and not strike. She doesn't seem to have got any worse (spotted a couple of days ago).
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So I bought four Whitefaced Woodland sheep last year after years of keeping goats, and today I found a downed lamb born in May who didn't run over to see me, and just wanted to lie down the whole time - I knew something was wrong.
I have heard many people talking of flystrike but had no idea how horrendous it is.. she has a huge area of sores across her back and belly, funnily enough not by her back end, and had a lot of small maggots burrowing into her. The offending fly was dead in the top of her fleece.
Me and my friend (who is more experienced than me) cut away the hair, pulled as many of the maggots out and away as we could find with meticulous inspection, we sprayed the big open wound areas with purple spray. I never imagined these things would be so horrendous - they were practically eating her alive, and as I had my first year of lambs and only got 4 - 2 ewes/2 rams, she was my best. I am absolutely gutted. We are planning to take off the rest of the fleece tomorrow to be sure.
They've been regularly vaccined and worms but I'd like to know your thoughts about medication treatment:
Do you lambivac all your sheep lambs and adults annually? Or just lambs?
When and what do you use to prevent flystrike?
When and what do you use for worming?
Is it wrong to fleece the lambs in the first 6 months if you suspect flystrike - will this destroy their fleece?
For her I will get an antibiotic in the morning from the vet, and some of the products you suggested from my local store like the maggot oil, and a pour on. Which one is best? Is there anything else I can do? The dressing doesn't seem like a viable option as the area is so big?
I am just praying she makes it through the night - she did look better after we had treated her, and we've put her in a closed stock trailer with hay/straw. I am a bit heartbroken - as much as I thought I'd be super tough smallholder. Kicking myself that I could have noticed it earlier, and I haven't prepared well enough for it. If she makes it through the night without dying from the shock of it, then we might have half a chance.
Your help would be much appreciated..
A very apprehensive Jen x
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Jen, haven't tried it myself but have heard tell that some hairspray works on the maggots if it's an emergency situation which it sounds like it is. Purple spray won't kill them and it's very unlikely (sorry :( ) that you'll have got all the little s***s out. You need a solution which irritates them enough to exit the wound(s). Either that or try the Jeyes/washing up liquid solution as mentioned earlier in this thread. Waiting may result badly.... :'(
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Nettex do a good flystrike spray, it gets the maggots out/kills them and repels any further flies coming down to lay. Good to have in your pocket for when you find a lamb/adult down with it. I get it from the vet, not sure if it is prescription. One bottle usually lasts the summer, I only had one this summer anyway and still using last year's bottle.
The best to treat sheep is really to use Clik, quite early on for the lambs a little later (about 2 - 3 weeks post shearing) on the adults. I do the lambs twice per summer, initially in June then again in mid-August, usually when they get their second shot of Heptavac.
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Concur with Anke. The NetTex stuff is excellent. Drives the little buggers out AND kills them. Only about £5-7 a can and lasts for ages. You can get it online if no-one local has it.
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hi is it the net tex strike spray or the net tex fly and maggot killer I need? iv just had a lamb get two tiny spots today that's iv clipeed, cleaned and blue sprayed but be good to get something that actually kills them...both spots on back on the line where the clik was applied only 5 weeks ago!!!
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I think you need the Flystrike Spray, the other is an insecticide to use in the home (the product info for the Fly & Maggot Killer says "Safe to use near (but not on) livestock".
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Hi jen - maggots breath through their bums, and they breath oxygen, so best to suffocate them if you can't get hold of crovect to treat. Try thick sudocrem or vaseline over the offending patch once you have picked out what you can.
You can shear lambs in the first 6 months, that's fine - many people shear lambs to stimulate their growth. Don't leave it too late though... :gloomy:
Best thing to prevent flystrike is still clik, although understandably there are some sceptics on this forum. Really, best thing to prevent flystrike is good luck, and then keeping your eyes open and treat what happens!
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hi is it the net tex strike spray or the net tex fly and maggot killer I need? iv just had a lamb get two tiny spots today that's iv clipeed, cleaned and blue sprayed but be good to get something that actually kills them...both spots on back on the line where the clik was applied only 5 weeks ago!!!
I dont know whether this has been done to death, but Clik is a growth inhibitor - you will still get eggs and you will still get maggots. All it does is make them unable to moult into the final stage (the one that does the damage - the smaller maggots lack mouthparts), so they will drop off the sheep and die. Crovect kills and treats, but not for as long as clik.
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I've just done ours again this morning :-\ we had a bit left in the bottle and the lambs have been itching this week (last done mid-end July) so apart from the 2 that are going to slaughter next week we treated the rest. The weather here is really humid and damp, perfect growing conditions so better be safe than sorry...
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Best thing to prevent flystrike is still clik, although understandably there are some sceptics on this forum. Really, best thing to prevent flystrike is good luck, and then keeping your eyes open and treat what happens!
<insert woolshedding sheep comment here>
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I treated all mine with Crovect again yesterday - hopefully that should be the last time treatment necessary this year. Prevention is better than cure.