Author Topic: Fly strike weather (Read 17769 times)

Small Farmer · « **Reply #30 on:** June 09, 2012, 05:05:51 pm »

Poor me but only because I had to carry her back to the yard and I stink. It's my fault for not seeing the signs - they must have been visible yesterday but it's been bum area before.

Never seen such a mess on a sheep before. I'm so sorry.

Tea over, back to work.

Mammyshaz · « **Reply #31 on:** June 09, 2012, 05:50:26 pm »

hope she recovers quickly.

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #32 on:** June 09, 2012, 06:06:43 pm »

Oh SF its rotten for you and for her.
We failed to spot the signs last year on one of the co-op sheep/lambs, it was only when he was down that I realised he'd separated himself from the flock and was looking miserable. The things had got him just where they've got Stacey.
We crovect'd him and we hoped and hoped and sure enough he made a full and very good recovery - so it can happen!! I was literally having to be his back legs at one point as he would'nt/couldn't stand and I all but wrote him off.
The sheep co-op took him away for the freezer last Winter but bless him, he actually became even tamer due to all the intervention.
Keeping it all crossed for you and Stacey

shep53 · « **Reply #33 on:** June 09, 2012, 07:24:57 pm »

Any one use BARRIER BLOWFLY REPEL to stop or treat strike,how effective?? or BLOWFLY TRAPS either home made or commercial again how effective ?? just wondered

jaykay · « **Reply #34 on:** June 09, 2012, 07:31:35 pm »

Not prepared to faff around with anything vaguely ineffective - give me Crovect or Clik, given how dreadful it is when it happens.

I do use Redtop fly traps but only to reduce the nuisance around the buildings, not to reduce flystrike - for that I Crovect, regularly.

The chemicals might be nasty but flystrike is worse!

Crossing everything for your gimmer SF

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #35 on:** June 09, 2012, 07:48:47 pm »

Same as Jaykay - we have a Redtop fly trap over the rabbit hutch but on the sheep its Clik (lambs done already, sheep just been sheared so will be Clik'd this week)
I think once you've had an animal experience Flystrike you will do everything you can to never have to see it again.
Friend of mine had a cat with it once following an RTA

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lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #36 on:** June 09, 2012, 08:38:59 pm »

Definitely agree with that, we try to minimise chemicals and routine treatments but the two things we do routinely are Heptavac P+ as it covers so many things and the lambs benefit through the mums for the critical first week or two, and any hint of fly strike and the chemical warfare is straight in there with Crovect or Clik, there just are a couple of things where I feel I do have to 'fight fire with fire' from a welfare perspective.

Bramblecot · « **Reply #37 on:** June 09, 2012, 08:57:47 pm »

Pardon my ignorance on this. But do Organic farmers use Crovect /Clik? If not, how do they cope with keeping flystrike at bay?

omnipeasant · « **Reply #38 on:** June 09, 2012, 11:28:07 pm »

Yes!! You just have to have a longer withdrawall period if you are organic.

Also while we are on this subject, check your feet. We have had ewes with maggots in their feet in the past. Keep on top of your foot trimming in this warmer weather.

Small farmer, I am sure your Stacey will be fine. We have had them as bad, fortunately you get better at reading the signs with experience as prevention is better than having to deal with the creepers and a poorly sheep. As long as she keeps eating, that is the main worry. Fingers crossed for her.

bazzais · « **Reply #39 on:** June 10, 2012, 08:44:13 am »

I think flystrike is part of the course of owning sheep.

As far as I know if you already have maggots - use Crovect as it kills them - Clik will only prevent more from hatching.

Crovect kills on contact - clik and Vetrazin only prevent hatching.

I love Crovect- but read the application on the rear of the bottle and times by 5 for what you need to apply.

shep53 · « **Reply #40 on:** June 10, 2012, 12:19:17 pm »

While the choice of blowfly protection product is personal there will be many sheep keepers who for health reasons cannot use chemicals and they need to know about alternatives and their effectivness .

Quote from: bazzais on June 10, 2012, 08:44:13 am

I love Crovect- but read the application on the rear of the bottle and times by 5 for what you need to apply.

When treating young or small lambs for strike, excessive amounts of crovect can actually kill them .

tonka236 · « **Reply #41 on:** June 10, 2012, 05:48:08 pm »

We decided on shearing early this year against the advice of pretty much everybody we knew. I should probably point out that we have a mixed flock of texels, leicester longwools (including coloured) and also ryelands.
We had fly strike last year in one of the coloured ryelands which thankfully was caught in time.

Anyway as I say we sheared early this year and im thankful we did. Both of the coloured ryelands had maggots (one just within her fleece and the other had them so what worse compared)

Im pleased to say they are doing much better now and the worse of the two is healing up quite well

We seem to have a bad run with the "coloured" breeds which is a bit strange but just thankful we sheared early as I say.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #42 on:** June 10, 2012, 07:09:38 pm »

I don't think the colour of the wool makes much difference, although I have heard people say it does. What we have found does make detection of strike difficult is very dense fleece, such as Ryelands have. The worst ever strike we have had - the only bad strike in fact - was on a black Jacob cross lamb from a Polwarth/Dorset/Ryeland ewe. The lamb had extremely fine fleece, very densely and tightly packed (bred for fleece to sell to the top end of the handspinners market). As soon as I saw there was a problem, when she was doing the running away from an invisible something, then lying flat, then skittering off again, but without any of the other signs of strike, I brought her in. The back half of her body was covered in tiny maggots, with one patch of slightly bigger ones. We very nearly lost the lamb, but spotting the strike was impossible without going through her fleece, opening it down to the skin, all over. So I fully understand how strike can be missed - and it's why here ever since that happened we use Crovect, whereas we don't use any other chemicals for anything else

Hellybee · « **Reply #43 on:** June 10, 2012, 07:26:59 pm »

Dont worry Shep, he wouldnt do that. well we had three, 2 with strike on tail, and one toothless old girl with it, she is mending beautifully, she s hanging out with the molly lambs at the mo and puts her self to bed of an evening with her companion, another old biddy awww

dagged, wormed, multi vit drench, vacc ed, did feet, sent up after holding over night then up up and away to where they belong up top where the wind dont do flies

. now to get the shearer up asap !!

Small Farmer · « **Reply #44 on:** June 11, 2012, 11:36:18 pm »

Well, you were all right. The first night Stacey moved very little and seemed to be in shock. Sunday was dry and sunny so we put her on our nursery paddock by the house and she started eating. We kept her in overnight and all day because the weather is vile and she has lost a lot of wool and has a lot of skin damage. And she's scouring so had another dose of pro rumen to keep her fluids up.

Interestingly her mother doesn't seem distressed though her twin (Gavin, obviously) is sticking very close to her. We haven't had a single bleat from Stacey yet and she is being very co-operative.