Im worried about flystrike. What is it?
Flystrike is caused by the sheep blowfly which lays its eggs in damp or dirty fleece and when the maggots hatch they burrow into the flesh injecting a toxin into the wounds which will send the sheep in to shock and possibly eventual death if not treated in time. The blowfly is active in the south from April to December, and in the north from June to November. If you are in an area prone to flystrike don’t wait until after shearing to spray – it is recommended that you spray the adult sheep well before blowfly attack is expected, with a V over the tail and a little over the horns of a ram. These are the most vulnerable areas and spraying will protect the sheep until shearing without contaminating the rest of the fleece with chemicals. Choose a good preventative spray such as Vetrazin or Clik and apply according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It should be noted that application of insecticide formulations can spoil fleeces which are to be processed.
