From preventing flystrike to managing your show team

Dr Alistair Crozier from Parkside Vets in Dundee, part of the VetPartners group, outlines seven key flock health considerations for the summer months.

- ALISTAIR CROZIER

NUMBER ONE-FLYSTRIKE PREVENTION

Flystrike is a very painful condition so it’s always better to take steps to prevent infection, rather than waiting for it to develop and having to treat it. It will make your sheep ill, reducing their growth rates which means they will take longer to finish or will be more difficult to get pregnant again, and in the worstcase scenario, it can kill them. Applying a preventative treatment is essential since it can develop very quickly; the ideal time for this is after shearing. There are also forecast tools available from websites such as www.nadis.org.uk to help you time your treatments appropriately. There are several medicines available against flystrike, each with different pros and cons, so speak to your vet to decide which is most appropriate for your flock. You can also reduce the risk of flystrike by dagging lambs - the process of cutting away dirty wool from the rear end of the animal - and monitoring them for worms which can cause dirty rear ends and attract the flies which cause flystrike.

NUMBER TWO -WORM CONTROL