Itchy sheep.....lice?

MiniSheep

Chillin' with the herd
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Hello,
Just wondering what is considered a normal amount of itching for sheep. Mine itch on stall walls every time I go in to spend time with them and absolutely LOVE to be scratched. One looks like she has courser wool from rubbing on her shoulders. All three of my sheep are itchy. Is this considered normal or should I be concerned?
Thanks
 

Athena2344

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I'd spray permethrin in their stall/pen and on them, make sure you do correct dosage though...
 

Sheepshape

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All sheep scratch and have favourite scratching places. Inspect the sheep. If there's areas where the fleece issuing rubbed off, the skin looks inflamed, or the sheep pulls out fleece with their teeth, something else is going on....lice, scab, eczema etc. Lice leave their faeces on the fleece near the skin, looks like little grains of black pepper near the skin. You may also see lice....grey/fawn typical little things, running through the fleece.

Sheep do moult to a greater or lesser extent depending on the breed, but this entails a general loss of fleece all over the body and doesn't lead to bald or inflamed patches.

Tame sheep love to have their faces, chests, backs etc scratched/rubbed, and will often reciprocally rub their heads on you or on each other as a sign of affection.
 
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