Sheep & Fluke

johngalway

What is the current wisdom? Proper dosing regimes? Any tests available that doesn't include bodies Is there a risk at tipping time dosing for fluke? I've just sorted the breeding ewes from the sales ewes. Will be handling the breeding ewes properly tomorrow, dosing is just something that's been rattling through my head. I know a few were thin coming in off the hill but that could have been the golden oldies going off to market I cannot remember.

LostCovey

johngalway wrote: »

What is the current wisdom? Proper dosing regimes? Any tests available that doesn't include bodies Is there a risk at tipping time dosing for fluke? I've just sorted the breeding ewes from the sales ewes. Will be handling the breeding ewes properly tomorrow, dosing is just something that's been rattling through my head. I know a few were thin coming in off the hill but that could have been the golden oldies going off to market I cannot remember.

There's no simple answer, and no magic bullet.

The best test does involve bodies - even if you don't have fluke deaths you can try getting feedback on livers from the butcher/factory.

Any other test has flaws - fluke can do a lot of damage before eggs appear in the dung, and a lot of the blood tests are ropey too.

When you handle the breeding ewes you will have a fair idea.

Also if you are thinking about fluke for the first time in November you are really too late to do much other than damp down the fire.

Preventive measures apply a lot earlier, in the early summer, when judicious fluke dosing will prevent your sheep passing out fluke eggs and infecting snails.

if you do that you can relax in the autumn, especially if you can use Fasinex on your farm (ie no resistance to it in your area), as it is superb for summer dosing (but not if it doesn't work on your farm's liver flukes).

LostCovey

supersean1999

keep mixing up your doses, worm doses in summer flukiver superverm panafluke the rest of the year, i dose first week nov, mid december, mid feb, april,early june, early august, it suits my system i never lose sheep to fluke, you should not really be having many thin ewes coming off hill now, they wont survive the winter

johngalway

I'm not one to turn out a thin ewe onto the hill so nothing will be dying, can't remember the last ewe that died on me it's been quite a while :eek:

Penned up the breeding ewes today, they're all grand, had a look at eyes as well, just in case, but none of them were thin.

Will have a look at the oul wans tomorrow but I suspect it's an age thing, some of them are quite old.

I believe the very wet year we've had here is making me second guess myself

errisshooter

I have found myself in the same situation this year and iam putting it down to the aful wet summer thats just passed.,:mad:

I keep changing dosing
And have started to keep sheep moved from field to field every 2/3weeks in summer months helps prevent sheep picking up worms

A change of ground this time of year dose sheep the world of good:D
if theres a few acres of dry ground near you not usualy grazed by sheep
mite be worth a look if the price is rite;)

razor8

agree

has anyone used fasinex lately, i used it back some years ago and wasnt happy with it but it looks to be making a comeback

i normally switch between flukivor and trodax but id like to try something else incase of resistance kicking in

any opinions on fasinex??

sea12

razor8 wrote: »

agree

has anyone used fasinex lately, i used it back some years ago and wasnt happy with it but it looks to be making a comeback

i normally switch between flukivor and trodax but id like to try something else incase of resistance kicking in

any opinions on fasinex??

I always found fasinex very good. But I do try and switch around to try prevent resistance.

johnny1

From what ive heard there is supposed to be some resistance to fasinex and that it doesnt work that well for fluke in sheep. Hard to beat Flukiver and i think curafluke is also quite good - covers worms too.

HillFarmer

Was looking at flukiver today, rang the co op
1 litre is 26 euro
2.2 litres is 57 euro

5 litres is 100 euro.

I've 100 ewes to do and 30 ewe lambs, will the 1 litre do me or am I cutting it tight, all scottish blackface hill ewes.

It says on fact sheet 1ml per kg bodyweight.

getupthatyard

HillFarmer wrote: »

Was looking at flukiver today, rang the co op
1 litre is 26 euro
2.2 litres is 57 euro

5 litres is 100 euro.

I've 100 ewes to do and 30 ewe lambs, will the 1 litre do me or am I cutting it tight, all scottish blackface hill ewes.

It says on fact sheet 1ml per kg bodyweight.

are you sure?? says 1ml per 5kg on a bottle i have here
if your ewes are 60kg they'll need 12ml each (=1200ml total)
and 25-30 kg lambs 6ml each (=180ml total)
so talking 1400ml at the minimum, be better off with 2.2litre, whatevers left can always be used again

HillFarmer

getupthatyard wrote: »

are you sure?? says 1ml per 5kg on a bottle i have here
if your ewes are 60kg they'll need 12ml each (=1200ml total)
and 25-30 kg lambs 6ml each (=180ml total)
so talking 1400ml at the minimum, be better off with 2.2litre, whatevers left can always be used again

Your right there, i checked up a factheet on the net and misread.
Cheers, i'll buy the 2.2 litre


Thanks for that

razor8

12ml would be skimping it, i would be giving them at least 15ml and ewe lambs 10ml. if you underdose you are just wasting the whole container

supersean1999

razor8 wrote: »

12ml would be skimping it, i would be giving them at least 15ml and ewe lambs 10ml. if you underdose you are just wasting the whole container

i think flukiver is one of the strongest doses, iv heard of a guy
double dosing and getting a few blind ones,

errisshooter

Dont Overdose will cause blindness in ewes.,12ml would be a good dose for such breed of sheep in my opinion..

Highland

There are basically 4 different families of drugs if you want to kill immature fluke (which you should be doing at this stage)

Triclabendazole - Fasinex, Tribex etc. - will kill fluke from 1 week of age - so also kills early imatures - problem is that there is a good bit of resistance out there to this active ingredient and also it has to be metabolised in the liver to the active form whcih may not happen if you have already incured liver damage.

Nitroxynil - Trodax / Deldrax - injection only, covers fluke down to about 6 weeks of age. Don't over dose or you will kill the sheep.

Closantol - Flukiver/duotech/ closamectin etc - will kill fluke down to around 6 weeks but will not achieve 90% kill at that age

Rafoxinide - Multidose / Ridafluke etc - 83% effective against 4 week old fluke.

Weigh the bigger ewes in your flock and dose according to the heaviest weight. Calibrate your dosing gun to ensure that it is delivering the correct amount of dose. Dont underdose as this increases the spead at which the parasites become resistant to the active ingredient in the drench.

HillFarmer

Thanks Highlander,

Some great info,

Might try the fstinex as I've used Flukiver for the past few years, Prob time to change!