[SavageU]

So I have Itchy sheep.


All the ewes are inside for lambing and definitely have something moving in their fleeces.

I’ve crovexted them but they really need shearing I think-after lambing before I turn them out.

Is it too early?

I don’t want to be jabbing them if I can help it. Any tips-obviously don’t want itchy lambs either!

[shep53]

You really need a vet to take skin scrapings so that you know what you are dealing with , Crovect at the lice rate is well known to be less efficient in a very full fleece . Shearing right after lambing could be very dangerous as the weather is still volatile and could cause any thing from mastitis to death . If you can shear with a cover comb or hand shear and keep them inside then that's different

[shep53]

In late winter if I thought heavily fleeced sheep had lice then I would put crovect on at the tick rate

[SavageU]

Yeah I think I did and they are significantly less itchy.

I could try hand shear some of them but I’m not that skilled tbh and my electric shears are not upto much.


Reading online it says earliest for shearing is early spring-April time?

[shep53]

You normally shear non breeding sheep In spring depending where in the country you are as to how early