Sheep
Shear early to be strike-free - Sue Kendrick has timely advice on keeping maggots at bay during the warmer weather
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| Be prepared to help the shearer if they need it |
THE warm summer days, though pleasant for both man and beast, are not without their draw backs, a major one being fly strike.
This is a particularly nasty condition caused by the blow-fly laying its eggs in the wool of the sheep which then go on to hatch out as maggots with potentially devastating results. If left untreated, the animal will be eaten alive over a protracted and painful period. Even suffering from a short period of infestation can rapidly reduce condition resulting in severe losses, especially in commercial lamb production.
The blow-fly is capable of travelling long distances so you can't eradicate it from the farm nor is it wise to try as it does have a useful purpose. You just don't want it plying its trade on your stock! It favours soiled or wet areas and open wounds, but not exclusively so it is important to keep an eye out for maggots all over the animal's body. Mostly however, strike appears around the breech which is easily stained with dung and urine.
Excessive wagging of the tail
The first manifestation is usually excessive wagging of the tail. The animal will often be seen to make short dashes across the field as if trying to escape from the source of the irritation. There is usually a distinctive smell and sometimes biting of the affected area.
The weather plays a big part in when strike is likely to occur so you should up surveillance when the humidity starts to rise which is very common during the early summer when warm, sunny days regularly follow on from periods of rain.
If you keep sheep for any length of time you will almost certainly get hit with strike at some time or other no matter how good your management. The important thing is to act quickly. You can get an injection from your vet that will kill the maggots in situ and Jeyes Fluid is also effective. Open wounds that invariable result from strike should be dressed with wound powder, preferable one containing a fly repellent.
Prevention is by far the best course of action so it makes sense to do all you can to reduce the risk as much as possible. Shearing will help to do this as the lack of fleece tends to keep blow flies away, though you should treat any shearing cuts promptly.
We always aimed to shear during May, although we were largely dependant on when the shearers were in the area. These are bands of semi-itinerant shearers that travel from farm to farm throughout the season. It's not difficult finding them, simply asking a neighbour who keeps sheep will usually do the trick. You'll also find them listed in livestock market reports and the auctioneers themselves are a good source of information.
The problem with these gangs is that they often don't want to set up on a small holding for just a few sheep. Sometimes one farm will act as a central point to which smaller outfits can take their flock, but this can be troublesome as you need to comply with current movement regulations etc.
In view of this, the sensible option could be to do it yourself. This may sound a bit daunting, but fortunately there is a lot of help at hand to make this feasible. The British Wool Marketing Board exists to help farmers market their wool and achieve the best returns on their efforts. They run various courses on sheep production including shearing, maintaining and choosing equipment and how to roll and prepare a fleece for sale. These are arranged at various venues around the country and run for one day. The board also has a shearing training video which is designed to compliment the day courses and act as a refresher.
You will also find shearing courses at local agricultural colleges and some are run by private individuals.
Once rid of their fleece, the likelihood of strike should diminish for a few weeks, but when growth re-establishes the threat returns. Many shepherds will plunge dip as a preventative or use pour-ons. These are quick and easy to administer though you must read the instructions carefully as the effective time span varies from product to product. The one we use lasts for about eight weeks.
Woolly harvest
Having parted sheep and fleece what exactly do you do with this woolly harvest? This depends to some extent on the type of wool. Breeders of native sheep often sell to specialist weavers which tends to be more lucrative, but usually has a limited market. In reality, the vast majority of wool is sold by the British Wool Marketing Board and is destined to be used in carpeting, clothing and furnishings.
If you have more than four sheep you can register with the board as a producer. It will send you a booklet explaining its marketing system and details of your nearest depot where you will need to take your wool once sheared. Don't worry about packaging as they supply all shearing sheets and labels at the beginning of the season.
They will also send you details of prices for the differing wool types and grades so you will have a rough idea of what your wool might be worth, although this won't be confirmed until the grading centre has sorted and graded your wool.
At this stage everything is pretty much out of your hands. The BWMB will bundle your wool into appropriate lots with other producers wool and this is then auctioned to various manufacturing companies. At some point you will receive a cheque for your labours, but don't get too excited, a luxury cruise to the Bahamas isn't likely to be on the cards.
Resources
British Wool Marketing Board: Wide range of courses including shearing and equipment usage and maintenance. Also registration details to become a producer. Wool House, Roydsdale Way, Euroway Trading Estate, Bradford, West Yorkshire. BD4 6SE. Tel: 01274 688666. Email: mail@britishwool.org.uk. www.britishwool.org.uk.
Hand-shearing shearing courses: Sparsholt College, Westley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester, SO21 2NF. May 20, 2008 (provisional date) Duration: 1 day. Cost: £110. This course is designed for owners of small flocks. The use of hand shears allows sheep to be clipped without the need for expensive equipment. Attention will be paid to technique, sheep handling, quality of work and producing a clean wool sample. Tel: 01962 776441. www.sparsholt.ac.uk/schwww/ag/shearing.htm.
Barrier Blowfly Repel: Repels biting and bloodsucking pests from sheep, including blowfly, ticks, lice, keds and other ectoparasites. Can be used when animals have been struck, to rid the animal of maggots and soothe irritated areas. Suitable for use in organic farming systems. Barrier Animal Healthcare, 36 Haverscroft Industrial Estate, New Road, Attleborough, Norfolk, NR17 1YE. Tel: + 44 (0)1953 456363. Email: sales@barrier-biotech.com. www.barrier-biotech.com.
Sheep news
Sheep industry a vulnerable target on Government agenda: The UK's national sheep flock is a target on the Government's hit list for livestock production, according to British Wool Marketing Board chairman Frank Langrish. Speaking at the BWMB's annual conference in Bradford, Mr Langrish said sheep farmers didn't realise that there was no wish by government to maintain a national flock - or for that matter any other ruminant livestock.
"It's all part of Defra's policy to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases. The government believes a reduction in livestock numbers will have a marked effect on the statistics." He told the conference that the future of the sheep industry - and the amount of wool produced - would be solely the responsibility of producers.
Blue tongue vaccine: Vaccine should be available for purchase through veterinary surgeons and available in 50ml and 20ml bottles. The on-farm price is should be around £27.50 -£33.00 for the 50ml bottles (i.e. 55-66p per ml) and around £16.35-£19.65 for the 20ml bottles (i.e. 82-98p per ml), plus VAT. The vaccine requires one dose in sheep and two doses in cattle.
Scientists create a sheep that's 15 per cent human: Scientists have created the world's first human-sheep chimera - which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs. The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and are another step towards the prospect of animal organ transplants for humans being a reality. The technique, developed by Professor Esmail Zanjani, of the University of Nevada, involves injecting adult human cells into a sheep's foetus. He has already created a sheep liver which has a large proportion of human cells and eventually hopes to precisely match a sheep to a transplant patient, using their own stem cells to create their own flock of sheep.
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