[Jacob-list] misc thoughts

[Gillian Fuqua]

Well, I came home from Maine to perhaps the worst case of fly strike I 
have ever seen.  I castrated my three ram lambs and they all got 
infected sites with maggots.  One poor guy now has no fleece on one 
side of his body, he was covered.  We have had an exceptionally wet 
summer and the parasites are really bad this year.  For the fly strike 
I washed the boy with betadine wash and then rubbed him all over with a 
mixture of ivermectin and udder cream which worked well.  I also 
grabbed my horse's Swat, an insect repellent ointment, very nice to 
have on hand and have been putting that around the boys' wounds to 
discourage further flies.  I hope no one else ever has to deal with a 
fly strike as bad as my one boy had it but I thought I would pass on 
what I did.  If I never see another maggot in my life, it will be too 
soon.
	All the boys are in the barn until they heal completely.  I have had 
to give them first cut hay which I have never given to sheep before.  
They are wasting a ton of it.  They don't leave a stick of second cut 
behind.  The boys have been inside for a week now so I don't think they 
are saving their appetites for grass anymore.  So the second cut is 
definitely worth the extra money.
	On Jacob wool, I love spinning it and, if it ever cools off, I really 
enjoy dyeing it.  Overdyeing the blended roving is yielding some really 
nice results.

Gillian