The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Backinwellies on January 23, 2016, 08:05:26 am
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Hi all
Sheep all scratching and pulling wool out .... been to vet and is Lice. Treated with Spot-on. I wondered if anyone knows how long it takes to kill lice ... and therefore when I should worry if they are still scratching.
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Well, our recent experience is to be patient..... I was getting so frustrated at apparent lack of resolution that I did lots of googling and eventually found a report about how it can take several weeks for the chemical treatment to make its way through the fleece, and that users should be warned of this so that we don't worry and start trying to treat for something else...
Also, my suspicion is that at this time of year, with longer fleece it's really quite hard to eradicate the problem. We treated in early November, I think, and again at Christmas, and to be honest I think we will again next month, since I'm still seeing pulled wool....
I'm also reading that since less 'dipping' takes place now (which does 'eradicate'), lice is a more common / frequent problem.....
I'd be interested to hear how you get on .... :fc:
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I found spot on very effective. It tells you on the bottle when to treat again. I think there will be a lot of lice around this year because it is mild and muddy. The good thing with spot on is you part the hair and apply so it isn't working through a thick fleece and possibly isn't washed off as quickly either.
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Don't forget also, the sheep will carry on scratching for a while after the last louse has died. Just because there's no lice doesn't mean the bites stop itching.
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We ve done the same, at drenching we did all lambs and housed them to make sure they were nice and dry before an then held to make sure spot on dried on them. Long withdrawal though so only used on ewe lambs. Brought ram lambs in and they crovected as its only seven day withdrawal.
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We ve done the same, at drenching we did all lambs and housed them to make sure they were nice and dry before an then held to make sure spot on dried on them. Long withdrawal though so only used on ewe lambs. Brought ram lambs in and they crovected as its only seven day withdrawal.
Just remember, the crovect lingers in the fleece for up to 4 months, so if you planned to use your boys' fleeces for spinning, you'd need to be sure you washed them thoroughly before using. And warn the shearer ;)
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Thank you Sally, they won't be staying, they ll be here for a little while longer but not the length of time that is required for spot on. Our fleeces , are rather mediocre, bar one or two.
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Also it's been pointed out to me that this is why you lime wash shed walls not paint but summit that will kill the little blighters.
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Coopers spot-on needs 2 hrs to be rain safe and starts working after an hour or so , it says on the box Will reduce the incidence of lice over a 4-6 wk period , so not instant