The Backyard Sheep by Sue Weaver

Author:Sue Weaver
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sheep, raise, pets, fleece, milk, cheese, yogurt, healthy, care, lamb, breed, housing, feeding, milking, making cheese, ewes, lambing, guide, productive, pet sheep, introductory guide to sheep, livestock, animals
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Published: 2013-06-19T04:00:00+00:00

Fly Strike

Fly strike, also called myiasis, is caused by maggots devouring a living sheep’s flesh. It isn’t the problem in North America that it is abroad because we aren’t plagued by many of the species that do the most harm. We do, however, have pockets of blowflies (bluebottle and greenbottle flies) and screwworm flies in the United States, so it pays to know what to look for.

Open wounds attract flies. Add wet or diarrhea-soaked wool to the equation and fly strike is apt to occur. When blowflies and screwworm flies lay their eggs in wounds, the eggs hatch within hours. Larvae (maggots) secrete enzymes that liquefy the skin and flesh of the animal on which they feed, so untreated wounds quickly become septic and spread. Untreated sheep can die from fly strike, so carefully examining all sheep at least twice a day in areas where blowflies or screwworm flies are present is important. If you aren’t sure about what resides in your locale, ask your County Extension agent.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.