Lumpy wool

Prolonged wetness of wool can also lead to skin infections, the most common of which is lumpy wool in sheep. While mild infections may not cause serious discomfort to sheep, lumpy wool can predispose affected sheep to flystrike and cause difficulty at shearing.

Symptoms

With lumpy wool, the fleece of affected sheep contains hard lumps, scabs or crusts. In extreme cases, the whole skin surface may be covered by scabs. Sheep may develop a ragged or lumpy appearance. There may also be lots of small scabs on the skin along the edge or upper surface of the ears, and also often on the lips, face, shanks and scrotum.

Treatment

In most sheep, the skin infection will cure itself in time and the hard lumps or crusts will lift away from the skin as the wool grows. For treatment of individual sheep, contact your veterinary surgeon. Adopt management procedures to prevent the spread of lumpy wool.

Also consider...