[Oopsiboughtasheep]

Is now the right time to put Clik on my sheep to keep them safer from flies in the warm weather? This will be the first time that I have done this as its my first spring/summer with sheep.
Also, I have them booked in for their first shearing in mid June so assume I will need to Clik them again after that? If so, do I do it straight away or should I wait a while?
Thankyou for your help.

[Melmarsh]

Most of the questions you are asking you will find answers too on the clik itself. It tells you how long you need to not handle the  sheep following application and how long after shearing you need to reapply, not straight away.
As far as when to spray them, it probably depends on where you are in the country. I'm in the south and have sprayed on the 1st of May because that's the earliest I've had a problem.
I'm going to use clikzin and clik this year due to the withdrawal and shearing so that I can give maximum cover, for both ewes and lambs. I've used it before and never had a problem, once applied, with blow fly. Good Luck

[trish.farm]

I tend to use crovect now which doesn't last as long but takes them through to shearing late in may.  then apply clik when they have a bit of fleece growth.  This lasts them all summer.  I then use crovect again when clik has run out of steam to take them through the warm autumn.  My shearer is happy for me to crovect them now prior to shearing.  (some arnt so happy!!)

[Azzdodd]

Personally I think it's easier to shear the ewes start of May then treat them accordly after that....everyone is different i just don't like the fact of cravat on there fleece to sheer it

[SallyintNorth]

My usual plea to be aware that crovect or clik on fleece can be very unpleasant / dangerous for any handspinner who may process that fleece - so if you sell/pass fleece to handspinners, please be sure to let them know in advance that you have applied the product, and when. 

[Bionic]

Because of shearing I don't Clik my girls until they have been shorn. Prior to that I spray them with a lemony repellant weekly, I think it's called dynamite, and keep a close eye on them. I then Clik when their fleece has grown a little bit.

[trish.farm]

My usual plea to be aware that crovect or clik on fleece can be very unpleasant / dangerous for any handspinner who may process that fleece - so if you sell/pass fleece to handspinners, please be sure to let them know in advance that you have applied the product, and when.

I always inform anyone who buys my fleece (and my shearer) that they have been treated with crovect.  I have to treat them as we have very warm, damp weather down here in  the south in April/May.  Have even had to treat as early as March in the past.  I would never sell any fleece without prior warning of crovect.  Would rather lose the sale of a fleece than risk my sheepies getting flystrike. 

[Marches Farmer]

I crutch the all the sheep just before lambing which removes most of the soiled wool that attracts flies.  I don't use Clik before shearing but just stay vigilant and trim and use Spot On topically if the need arises.  The wool generally rises around early May here and they're shorn in mid month, if dry.  I use Clik once the fleece has regrown to about 1cm - before that the wool is too short for the maggots to cling on to.  Our lambs are Clik'd as soon as I see more than six greenbottles in a day, which is purely dependent on the weather. The effect will last 16 weeks, although I have occasionally reapplied it if the Autumn is warm and extended.

[Oopsiboughtasheep]

Thank you all very much for your replies.
As I live in the South and its warm  already, (horses already wearing fly masks) I am keen to do them as soon as I can/should as the worry about fly strike is the one thing that stopped me getting sheep for so long. I am dreading it happening. I have someone interested in the fleeces for spinning and have already told them what I plan to do, so will be sure to let them know the timings of any applications. I only have 4 sheep (hoping to bump up to 6) so no trouble to burn the fleeces if I need to. Thankyou again for all the helpful advice.

[Foobar]

I wouldn't treat the ewes until after shearing.  Dag them if you need to to remove any pooey bits.  Shear earlier if need be - mid June seems a bit late if you are that far south - we shear mid to late May (South Wales.).

[Oopsiboughtasheep]

Thank you Foobar. I should have said that they have already been crutched so that's a help. I will contact the shearer I think and ask if he can shear them earlier.

[Hellybee]

Be careful, keep a n eye on shoulder too, they can track up.  We prefer clik and clizen now

[Oopsiboughtasheep]

Thanks Hellybee. Can I ask what Clizen is? Are they used in conjunction with one another or do you use one or the other at various times? Sorry to be a bit thick...so much to learn!
Thankyou

[Hellybee]

 Cliczin  has the same action but is shorter time span  than the sister spray  clik. 

[Liz Kershaw]

Can you clik a ewe who is feeding lambs or is it dangerous to the lambs?