[jrobin276]

All summer I've had my two Romney breeding rams in one pasture, and the ewes and lambs (Finn-Dorest and Finn-Dorest/Romney) in another pasture. We've just has a week-long heat wave with high daytime temps, warm nights, high humidity, and intermittent heavy rain - flystrike weather. The ewes and lambs all seem fine.

Monday we lost one of the rams to flystrike. The vet came out and we went over all the others, found nothing, and treated everyone with a topical fly/pest deterrent. Tuesday we inspected the ram again - nothing. Wednesday I found flystrike. Specifically, body strike - likely due to having developed wool rot first: a patch on his rump, and then two patches on his mid-lower back. I am working with the vet and doing All The Things.

There's the weather, the pasture, and the difference in Romney wool (to Finn wool)... Do I want to continue breeding Romney into my flock? Or do I want something else? (There are two Finn rams and a Forest Clun ram for sale within driving distance).

[shep53]

Only you can answer the question , now you have seen strike you will be better prepared , pour on's provide good cover and shearing  2-3 times per year for very woolly breeds  .  Finn blood is put into other breeds to increase lambing percentage so using pure finn rams on finn x ewes will increase the number of triplets & quads , cluns ok sheep easy lambing and fairly prolific so on finnx ewes maybe more lambs than romney x

[twizzel]

Had the ram been treated with clik/crovect prior to getting struck?