Agitation and kicking or nibbling at the affected areaįigure 3.Clinical signsĪdults flies are attracted to areas of soiled fleece surrounding the tail or breech, and less commonly to wounds, footrot lesions, lumpy wool lesions on the skin, and urine scalding around the prepuce. Disrupted grazing in this lamb affected by blowfly strike – note other lambs in the group are grazing normally. Unlike the situation for sheep scab and lice, most of the blowfly lifecycle occurs off the sheep and adult flies can travel large distances between farms.įigure 2. Death can result in neglected cases, with mortality associated with fly strike estimated at 5% of affected animals. Flystrike of foot lesions causes severe non-weight bearing lameness, compounding the welfare implications of lameness alone. At least 75% of sheep farms report cases of blowfly strike each year. This number will be much higher if no control measures are adopted. Secondary bacterial infections are common and may also cause death if untreated.īlowfly strike is a major animal welfare concern: an average of 1.5% of ewes and 3% of lambs in the UK may be affected each year, despite preventative measures undertaken by most farmers. Toxins released by damaged tissues and ammonia secreted by the maggots are absorbed through the lesions into the sheep’s bloodstream, causing illness and death in severe cases. Secondary blowflies are attracted by the smell of decomposing tissue.
#CHICKEN FLY STRIKE SKIN#
Maggots are active and feed voraciously, causing skin and muscle damage by secreting enzymes. Adult flies are attracted to areas of faecal soiling of the fleece Flies can over-winter in the soil as pupae and emerge as soil temperatures rise during the spring.įigure 1. Third-stage maggots then drop to the ground and pupate mature flies emerge after 3 to 7 days between May and September. These larvae feed on skin and faecal material, becoming mature third-stage maggots in as little as 3 days if temperature and humidity are at optimum levels. Sheep affected with blowfly strike have disrupted grazing patterns and rapidly lose weight especially if untreated for several days.Īdult female flies deposit eggs on dead animals or soiled fleeces and eggs hatch into first stage larvae within about 12 hours. The entire life cycle from egg to adult can occur in less than 10 days in optimal conditions.īlowfly strike is a major economic concern for farmers with considerable prevention costs involved for all at-risk sheep. Blowfly populations are greatest during the summer months, although due to changes in climate the risk period can be from March to December in some lowland areas.
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