[Jacob-list] fly strike ick, ick, ick

[Mary Ellen Hansson]

Penelope,

I finally had a few small ICK-FACTOR bugs a couple days ago on a lamb
under the tail region.  I have seen and heard of lots of fly strike
issues, and this is the FIRST that was in that area.  I was simply
cleaning up the rear area after she over-indulged and got her tummy
upset a couple days before---found a wet area left and voila---FRIENDS.

I have gotten to leaving most tails in part through laziness and in part
through the observation that it is not the tails in this breed that
causes fly strike (which is the prime reason I hear breeders talk about
wanting them off).  Shearers want them off, but my take on that has
always been they are part of the sheep, and if the shearer doesn't want
them there, he/she doesn't have to shear my sheep.

Melaleuca sounds like a great idea.  I used a combination of melaleuca,
vitamin e oil, and lavender oil on a case of bacterial/fungal infection
on a dog a number of years back.  I had such good success, I have used
it on the people in my family and on critters a number of times since.
I have the oil in a 1 ounce bottle, put in 6 drops of lavender oil, a
half dropper of each melaleuca oil and vitamin e oil.

Mary Ellen Hansson
ISeeSpots Farm www.iseespots.com
Jacob Sheep, Fiber, Spinning equipment,
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