Wool rot

primmiemoo

Member
Location
Devon
In wet conditions, the wool will turn green or pink with algae, clump together, and it looks like rot. Just rarely the skin will become infected with, iirc, a staphylococcus causing sores that need antibiotics.

Years ago we'd sprinkle some sort of granules (might have been zinc sulphate?) on any uninfected cases, but it wasn't effective.
 

z.man

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
central scotland
Seen dermatitis really bad one year had vets out as couldn’t get a grip on it was sure there must have been other nasties involved but all test come back negative (scab , lice) eventually found alamycin injection and golden hoof sprinkled along there back before heavy rain seemed to help....... but maybe it just coincided with summer and shearing
 

Boydvalley

Member
Location
Bath
Don’t know if it’s the same but had ’lumpy wool’ one year that was explained to me as the constant heavy rain washing off the lanolin of their backs and allowing bacteria to grow. Treatment was a very weak solution of Jeyes fluid poured along their backs which cured it. The skin wasn’t broken.
Apparently common in Ireland.
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Had it here after the really wet winter in 2017 and my whole wool clip was discounted by 60% I think, maybe more, because of it as the wool was all discoloured. I don't remember having to treat anything for it but some of the ewes were green or pink and some had patches of an off white/grey looking mush you could scrape off with your fingers leaving a bald patch. It was ok when it was still wet but did start getting to be a problem when it was drying out but I was shearing them then anyway. Not seen it before or since.
It was the reason I started looking at shedding sheep and bought an easycare ram autumn 2018. Used shedders over all the ewes this year.
 
Ahh, that's what that was. I had that a couple of years ago during one of our really wet winters. The wool one a handful of ewes got all manky and you could just scrape off. I thought it was some sort of skin infection from something that must have had a touch of fly strike or scratched too much against something. As said above, once sheared it was not an issue again.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Do you use CLik, I suspect using Clik during the year makes it worse but putting washing soda in the winter dip solves it

How so? I've been using Clik for years (with no unnecessary dipping) yet I haven't seen it since I've been using it.

Prior to that, when we used a jetter to put OP on a couple of times a year, we did see it once. Next time we ran them through the jetter we made a mix up with OP, a bit of Zinc Sulphate and a bit of Virkon S (the last two specifically to clear up the dermatitis). Worked a treat and never had to treat again.
I have no doubt Zn So4 in a dip would do the same, but individual treatment would leave other sheep ready to spread it again.
 

rancher

Member
Location
Ireland
How so? I've been using Clik for years (with no unnecessary dipping) yet I haven't seen it since I've been using it.

Prior to that, when we used a jetter to put OP on a couple of times a year, we did see it once. Next time we ran them through the jetter we made a mix up with OP, a bit of Zinc Sulphate and a bit of Virkon S (the last two specifically to clear up the dermatitis). Worked a treat and never had to treat again.
I have no doubt Zn So4 in a dip would do the same, but individual treatment would leave other sheep ready to spread it again.

I use aluminium sulphate in the dip, an old sheepfarmer recommended it years ago and is probaly the reason that our dipping clears the wool rot
 

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