Fly Strike
Fly strike is a condition where blowflies lay their eggs on a sheep. The eggs hatch into maggots, which can cause severe damage and death if left untreated.
Certain measures can be taken to greatly reduce the chances of fly strike affecting your flock.
Shearing:
The best fly strike preventative is regular shearing.
By removing the wool there is no cover for fly eggs and maggots to survive, allowing better airflow and sunlight to get in to the skin to kill any infestation of fly.
* Shearing gives up to 6-weeks protection.
Pour-On Fly Strike Preventatives:
Due to it being safe for humans to handle, Extinosad is the safest pour-on fly strike preventative that I recommend using. Extinosad is considered an allowable product on organic farms and has no withholding period for meat or wool. Its active ingredient is spinosad, which is derived from naturally occurring soil bacteria.
* Extinosad gives up to 6-weeks protection.
Clik Extra is a more effective fly strike preventative that is more human friendly than most other products available. This is the product I use for my clients that want fly stirke preventative applied to their sheep. Clik protects your sheep from fly strike caused by dicyclanil-susceptible strains of blowfly, including the Australian blowfly (Lucilia cuprina) for 14 to 26 weeks. It has a meat withholding period of 21 days. Wool withholding period is 2 months.
* Clik Extra gives 14 to 26 weeks protection.
Unlike most other fly strike preventatives or treatments both of these options have no nasty organophosphate chemicals.
Please note that almost all other pour-on applications are extremely toxic and hazardous to human health. I will not shear your sheep if they have been treated with Maggo.
Maggo is a human carcinogen that causes organ damage and cancer with repeat exposure. Maggo remains on the skin of a sheep for a considerably long time and is easily identified by its white powder remnant. The chemical absorbs into a shearer’s clothing and skin, and the dust from the remnant is breathed in when shearing. Equipment and clothing become contaminated which further contaminates the shearer’s household through the washing machine.
An alternative to using any pour-on is shearing your sheep more regularly.
If it's a bad season for fly I personally shear my sheep in the middle of summer in addition to main shear (Oct - Dec) and second shear (March - May). In my opinion this is the best preventative measure available.
Flock Monitoring:
Regular inspection of your flock is crucial in identifying any signs of fly strike during a hot and humid season.
This includes checking for...
- behavioural changes (such as a sheep separating themself from the flock, signs of discomfort or restlessness) that could indicate a potential fly strike,
- wet patches of wool due to the presence of fly eggs or larvae,
- wounds or lesions caused by maggots.
Early detection allows for prompt intervention.