It is important to understand if lice are present on introduced stock and at what level so you can accurately assess the risk the introduction poses.

Factors that may influence the risk and how you quarantine introduced stock include:

• The number of sheep being introduced
• The source of the introduced stock
• How many sheep are being introduced in relation to the existing flock size
• The impact to the existing flock if lice are introduced
• Length of wool and time to shearing at the point of introduction

OPTIONS FOR QUARANTINING SHEEP FOR LICE

There are several ways to introduce sheep and manage possible lice introductions^.

• Treating sheep with Flexolt on arrival and keeping sheep quarantined for at least 4 weeks.
• Shear sheep on arrival and treat with a Flexolt or an off-shears product.
• If in less than 6 weeks of wool treat immediately with Flexolt or a short wool product.
• Quarantine sheep with no treatment and treat at the next shearing^#.
• Do not quarantine sheep and then perform a whole flock treatment at the next shearing^#.

^ Always follow label recommendations for lice control products regarding post treatment isolation periods.

^#Options four and five pose a very high risk of introduction of lice into your flock if the introduced stock are infested with lice.

Isolation periods from existing stock

It is best practice lice management not to mix treated and untreated stock until you can be certain there is no lice present in either group, this may be many months after treatment. If introduced stock were lousy at the time of treatment, then check them for signs of rubbing every 3 months following treatment to check for treatment effectiveness.

This may require considerable forward planning to ensure that there is a suitable paddock ready that is isolated from the existing flock and that all fencing infrastructure is in excellent condition to ensure introduced sheep are not able to stray and come into contact with the existing flock.

Know what you purchased

As part of good lice quarantine practice you should also request a National Sheep Health Declaration (NSHD). The NSHD will detail whether there has been any evidence of sheep lice at or since the last shearing, the date of last shearing and the name and date of any external parasite treatment used. This document can help you to assess the risk stock introductions pose.

THE FLEXOLT ADVANTAGE – How Flexolt changes the quarantine plan

The introduction of Flexolt, the only flexible oral lice treatment, offers a new, flexible and effective option for the treatment and quarantine of stock introductions for lice. Sheep can be effectively treated for lice at introduction no matter what length or wool or where they fit into your shearing cycle.

Flexolt as a quarantine treatment also means that:

• You do not need shear introductions to treat lice.
• Reduced labour and treatment costs.

The ability to treat effectively and quarantine is particularly important for introductions where shearing is not a good option as it may negatively impact on health, reproduction, and fertility, like rams just prior to joining or ewes that are close to lambing.

Sheep treated with Flexolt will need to be quarantined for at least 4 weeks before they can be introduced into your flock. Remember however that it is best practice lice management not to mix treated and untreated stock until you can be certain there is no lice present in either group.

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