[Marches Farmer]

Just seen the weather forecast for the week ahead.  Had a couple of really humid days here last week.  A ewe lamb that had been Crovected ten days ago was found with her face smothered with greenbottles laying eggs.  None had hatched but she was shaking like a leaf, presumably with shock. We clipped off the eggs, checked her over very carefully, penned her with a pal and gave her rehydration fluid.   Our vet prescribed painkiller, etc.  She wandered around in a daze for a day then quietly died.  Mystery as to why the greenbottles chose that lamb - no tear tracks on face, clean back end, sound feet and no flies at all near her four hours before.

[Old Shep]

Thanks for the warning that sounds horrible.  We've had a couple of lambs with maggoty feet this week. First this year.

[crobertson]

Thanks for the warning !
Ours are overdue crovect but with all this rain we haven't had chance to do them (tried several times and it started to rain). I've been very vigilant for dirty bums in the meantime, they are spotless and then one of our ewes has been struck on the back of the neck over the weekend. She was fine a day or two before and is still not right so I'll get the vet out today and treat the rest.

[TheSmilingSheep]

That sounds so grim, MF.  Can you explain why she died if nothing had hatched - can shock alone cause such a complete collapse? Learning learning....

[SallyintNorth]

It's possible the ewe was sickly with whatever killed her, and because she was sickly, she wasn't fighting the flies off.

A healthy adult ewe shouldn't be getting strucken, so I'd suspect there was an underlying weaknesss.

[Marches Farmer]

As Sally says, flies can sense (smell?) something's wrong way before we realise there's fleece rot, scald or whatever else is around. This lamb was up-to date on all her meds and had just had her first BTV8 jab.  One of those things that keeps you on your toes and determined to remain vigilant.  The knackerman that collected her said he'd never, in 30 years, had so many badly flystruck sheep to collect as he had that week and he'd collected several where the eggs hadn't actually hatched but the beast had died, despite most local farmers checking their stock three times a day while the humidity was so high (95% on our weather station). 

[TheSmilingSheep]

Really interesting, and, of course, makes perfect sense.  Thank you, both.

[Coximus]

funny you say that - had 4 strike this week, 2 lambs 2 ewes, very mild in all cases and treated, ewes sickly for several days (usually sorted in hours) and both lambs died after a couple of days, went off food.
Somethings up with the humidity, Im thinking increased chance of bacterial infection into the early wounds?

[Marches Farmer]

Hmm, that's interesting Coximus.  Makes you wonder if there's something else going on ....?

[Katrina]

Thanks Marches Farmer for posting this.  I went in to the field recently to find a massive amount of flies on my ram lamb, and a pile of eggs the size of my hand on him.  Obviously I cleaned him up immediately, and treated him to be on the safe side, but I did not understand why they had gone for him in such a big way.  I will keep an eye to see if he is sick with something else.

[DartmoorLiz]

Thank you for the warning.  I check them every day anyway but after a very close look decided ram was acting oddly, caught him, found maggots in his horn.  Treated and now happy.  Would not have looked so closely had it not been for this warning so ram thanks you very much indeed.