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Author Topic: Fly strike  (Read 10857 times)

waterhouse

  • Guest
Fly strike
« on: April 24, 2011, 10:24:27 pm »
First strike of the year, but caught very early so little harm done to the ewe.  We had decided to spray them with Crovect today and were doing the routine feet and other checks when we found the little buggers, just about an inch square.  I think we got there just in time.

Crovect is wonderful to have in your hand if you do have a strike.

robate55

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Suffolk
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2011, 10:42:40 pm »
We had one struck today as well. She was being bothered by flies so I brought her in. Not bad but so early. She only lambed about 2 weeks ago!! Now shearing all the sheep & not sure my last ewe has lambed!

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2011, 08:58:54 am »
We dagged and Crovected ours on Friday. Fly strike gives me the willies - we had one last year but maggots in the wool only. Mind you, I do like spraying them with Crovect and watching them die  ;D

Re: Fly strike
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2011, 12:46:41 pm »
we use crovect a couple of weeks after after shearing and keep them at bay until shearing using a product such as Blowfly Repel or Flystrike Plus (depends which one we have most stock of at the time)

 :bunny:
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shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2011, 06:36:41 pm »
COUPLE of points about crovect  it only lasts 6-8wks and only protects the areas it touches. Vetrazin 10 wks CLIK 16 wks both whole body coverage. It is a nerve toxin so when treating lambs for maggots only apply at the recomended rate or you can cause organ failure,ewes being bigger are more tolerant.

Blinkers

  • Joined Jan 2008
  • Carmarthenshire
  • Carmarthenshire/Pembrokeshire border
    • Glyn Elwyn - Faithmead Herd
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Re: Fly strike
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2011, 06:46:34 pm »
COUPLE of points about crovect  it only lasts 6-8wks and only protects the areas it touches. Vetrazin 10 wks CLIK 16 wks both whole body coverage. It is a nerve toxin so when treating lambs for maggots only apply at the recomended rate or you can cause organ failure,ewes being bigger are more tolerant.


I've been mulling over this and have always used Crovect in the past.  However, wondering about changing to one of the others.   Is it OK to use them on the ewes even though they have lambs in them?    I'm always a bit worried about it running down onto the udder etc  ::).
Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again !!
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shearling

  • Joined Mar 2011
Re: Fly strike - ahhhhh
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2011, 08:07:05 pm »
COUPLE of points about crovect  it only lasts 6-8wks and only protects the areas it touches.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:o :o I thought it was only for  6-8 weeks but made sure the whole beast was safe. Surely it cannot just be where the spray lands, or why else would they say it covers the beast and why else do people buy it? Urgent guidance please :'( :'( :'( :'(

andywalt

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • kent
  • observe react administer enjoy !!
    • photos
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2011, 08:31:12 pm »
we found two today, got well caught out, horrable, one ewe had gone and tucked herself in the wooded area, couldnt save her :(  but the other one  was just a small patch, tomorrow evening we will treat them all with crovect !!! blighters so early this year with this early hot weather !!!
Suffolk x romneys and Texel X with Romney Tup, Shetlands and Southdown Tup

dennd1906

  • Joined Apr 2011
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2011, 10:34:44 pm »
Our Southdowns suffer with fly strike, Crovect is great but this year we are shearing early, tomorrow in fact. I'm determined to outwit the little blighters.  One ewe is still pregnant so I hope the shearer is gentle.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Fly strike - ahhhhh
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2011, 12:37:21 am »
COUPLE of points about crovect  it only lasts 6-8wks and only protects the areas it touches.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:o :o I thought it was only for  6-8 weeks but made sure the whole beast was safe. Surely it cannot just be where the spray lands, or why else would they say it covers the beast and why else do people buy it? Urgent guidance please :'( :'( :'( :'(

shep would seem to be right - see
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Novartis_Animal_Health_UK_Ltd/Crovect_1_25_ACU-_w_v_Pour_on_Suspension_for_Sheep/-27942.html

For ticks & lice Crovect is applied in a thin line and clearly protects the whole animal, but for blowfly the T-bar is used to give maximum spread and the data sheet very clearly states "THE PRODUCT WILL PREVENT BLOWFLY STRIKE ONLY ON AREAS COVERED BY SPRAY."

Having said which, so long as you can get yourself the required distance from the sheep, you can get a pretty good coverage using the T-bar : you can see where it's landed by the dye.
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Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

garden cottage

  • Joined Sep 2008
  • forest of dean
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2011, 07:01:23 am »
battles oil is excellent  for strike and not that expensive, wear good gloves and rub it in, but clip affected area away first. dont get it on your skin

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2011, 12:42:24 pm »
GARDEN COTTAGE i agree and use maggot oil to treat the odd young lamb with stike as its safer and helps healing. SHEARLING crovect is an excellent p  roduct and the back of the pack clearly states all the facts, you cover the main areas of stike eg back and bum , but you can get it on the stomach area.   BLINKERS  bit confused do you mean lambs in them ie pregnant or on them ie suckling  , wooly or clipped.    VETRAZIN AND CLIK both have something called fleece bind which makes them stick so actually less runny than crovect.  NONE of these products are recomended for sheep before shearing ,once clipped you have to re do ,plus not good for the shearer to come into contact.

Blinkers

  • Joined Jan 2008
  • Carmarthenshire
  • Carmarthenshire/Pembrokeshire border
    • Glyn Elwyn - Faithmead Herd
    • Facebook
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2011, 02:57:35 pm »
 BLINKERS  bit confused do you mean lambs in them ie pregnant or on them ie suckling  , wooly or clipped.   


Ooops.... yes, meant 'on them' rather than 'in them'  ;D

Crovect is pretty wicked stuff and rots metal stuff - hence the gun being plastic  :o
Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again !!
www.glynelwyn.co.uk

shearling

  • Joined Mar 2011
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #13 on: April 26, 2011, 03:05:00 pm »
Did not have my specs on and left the Crovect to the OH! Stupid I know :dunce: So we did the T stripe down the back and over the bum. But what should we do about the other bits of their bums/parts? We have dagged them first, due to get their hair cuts end of May we used VETRAZIN last year. Prehaps should have stuck with it.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Fly strike
« Reply #14 on: April 26, 2011, 03:36:45 pm »
I thought Vetrazin had been phased out.  We use a garden hand sprayer to apply Crovect to our little sheep - the Tbar thingy just wasted nearly everything and it's too expensive to pour on the grass.  We carefully measured how many mls to spray on or rather how many squirts equals the recommended dose, so not overdosing, but much easier to reach all parts, including the vital perineal area where maggots can hide.
We have just heard a story of someone who a few years ago sheared his sheep early because of hot weather, only for it to turn very wet and cold - he lost a couple of ewes overnight to pneumonia.  It is worth crutching/dagging your sheep a few weeks prior to shearing - keeps the bums clean against flystrike but also helps at shearing as no dags in fleece roll.
Please remember that agents such as Crovect should not be used on fleece closer than 3 months before shearing for the sake of the BWMB sorters, to avoid pollution of scouring water, or for the health of handspinners and felters if you are selling to the craft market.
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