[OhLaLa]

Would some of you kind knowledgeable shepherds out there give me a few tips on checking for flystrike?

Have some older and some shearling (i.e. woolly) sheepies, am keeping an eye on them but you know what they are like - short of catching each one each day (it ain't gonna happen!  ) any way I can make sure I don't miss any poss nasties?

Thanks all.

  

[shep53]

Just watch for any one behaving differantly eg isolation /nibbling wool/wiggling tail /twisting body or if bad strike looking depressed/sick. Look for signs of dark stains on the body wool /smell and green bodied flys around the area

[andywalt]

Im not very experianced but shep has it in one there, Ive had a few cases and I make sure now that they have been treated correctly ie crovect or clik, make sure that you keep to the dates so they will not have any time when not covered by the treatment, each day I drive around them, make sure they all get up and walk, make all observations as shep has said, and most days I round them up into a pen with dog also and look closely, I also have diferant ages of lambs, very young lambs are not treated and isnt an issue (correct me people if you need too)as generally the flys will not lay on short fleece!! but as they grow and get a longer fleece all at differant stages, they need to be treated and  observed closly, ive treated my lambs born in jan/feb. I would say older than 3/4 months

[Rosemary]

Agree with both andy and shep, foot stamping, just looking preoccupied. And there's a smell. Can't describe it but it's horrible.

[andywalt]

Yes a terrable smell, I think this is the maggots, they excrete an acid like liquid that burns the skin of the sheep and its the worst thing ever to find one like that, maybe someone else cn eduate us, does this liquid from the maggotts break down the skin so the maggot can penetrate the skin? 

[marie]

When the sheep get fly strike the fleece from the back end had been badly rubbed away and the skin is soar. The flies lay the eggs in the fleece that is dirty and the moggots gradually eat there way into the skin of the sheep. This causes the sheep to constantly rub at them selfs and they become very soar. They can die if not treated. You can get some fly and maggot killer spray from the farm shop and some anticeptic cleaner that is recomended and with any luck it will be clear up. This process can be repeated if needed.

[kaz]

I've found a handy product to have around is "spot on" as you can pour this directly on to a small area of strike and literally see the critters die.
Would use a pour on as soon as possible. Used Vetrazin last year and it was a total waste of time. Good results with Click but more expensive.
Any bad strike, it is best to clip fleece right back to see how extensive the area is that way you can avoid missing any areas and makes it easier to treat.

[Fleecewife]

Another sign which I have seen with our primitives is that they scurry along low to the ground then suddenly drop down to lie flat, heads out forwards, usually in the shade, then jump up and scuttle along again.  They do that when they are just being bothered by flies as well so that's a chance to spot it early.  I'm not sure if that is particular to primitives or if other sheep do it too.   Make sure you have them dagged and crutched so there is less muck to attract flies.

[Anke]

I had a case in an older lamb last year that didn't show any sign - until I saw one day that she was away from the rest of the herd and lying down a lot on her own... she had been treated with vetrazin, fleece was clean... when I got her in I was so shocked, she had an inch hole on her back, flies had attacked clean fleece, I just shipped her down to the vets as I thought she would need to be pts... but we cleaned her up, half her fleece had to come off there were that many places with maggots, gave her an antibiotic and when she got home she beat her sister to the feed trough! - just to say they don't always show signs until it is nearly too late. Had to clean it all out for quite a few days as there were still new bits/maggots cropping up, she was kept inside for about two weeks and other than having an odd looking fleece she is as good as new!

Vets sell a good spray, can't remember the name though.

Had already one this spring too, but that was on a dirty backend.

[waterhouse]

We're feeding the sheep in the field every day still, not because they need it but because 1. we don't have a dog so we need them bucket trained and 2. until we can can shear them (booked for thursday) we want to be able to look closely at them.  So we're feeding them with ewe nuts mixed with horse chaff to slow them down and give time for a good hard look and a poke into the fleece.  Not that it takes long to see a strike: once seen never forgotten. 

When the wool comes off we'll treat them with Clik which clings to the wool and should prevent trouble for up to 16 weeks.  Clik's expensive so it's worth having the right spray so that the dose and coverage are right.  I keep Crovect for actually treating a strike rather than preventing one except early season - you're not supposed to shear within 3 months of Clik treatment

[feldar]

Another thing to remember is the maggots once they penetrate the skin layers can keep moving under the dermal layer of skin and pop out further on, they also excrete a toxin which can kill the sheep if she's really infested, they go into a kind of toxic shock so keep a close eye on younger sheep or sickly looking ones. One of mine lost a vast prportion of skin on her side it turned black and went like stiff cardboard, we eventually cut it off and she had new pink skin growing underneath.
white wool usually always turns brown on regrowth as well.

[waterhouse]

Yes, it really is that yucky!

[kaz]

Found one today. She was swishing her tail about. Lifted that up no sign of anything. Turned her upside down and there the problem, a hole under the vulva towards her belly. Treated her instantly with a dose of spot on directly into the hole and out popped maggots, this product kills them on contact. Will now need to keep a close eye on her to make sure there is no more problems.
Sheep not shorn yet, and as it has been so warm , flys out in the droves. Hopefully have sorted, but not expecting miracles as they are nasty little varmits, so need to be vigilant

[ellisr]

3 of mine went down in one day treat with spot on but one smaller ewe isn't looking good now

[kaz]

Have you managed to expose the extent of the strike? trim her fleece away as far as reasonably possible from the strike. If the fleece feels wet and something like washing up liquid in it you can guarantee there is strike in that area and cleanse it and treat. My one had been eaten away for about the size of a saucer so no wonder she wasn't very happy but it is really hard to see the underneath of them. Please keep an eye out as it can kill if not treated.
If your really worried contact your vet.