You've just reminded me how cut-throat racing is on the South Coast, training with someone else would be unusual and don't win too often Brian you'll not have a lot of friends left.
Your wife is right, I had a flock of a couple of hundred sheep and I was lambing outside in the rain, I came in and the wife's scottie had just delivered 8 pups, I soon cut down on the sheep and got more dogs
Surely It's immaterial when birds have last raced, I haven't raced mine for the last 25yrs. including Janssen Bros. stock, ability or potential is held in the genes of the birds not whether they raced last week
As you say we have had this topic previously and I agree there is nothing wrong with them, I get a spell of this every year with my youngsters and they seem particularly well and fit at this time
I think this is just down to numbers whatever vaccine you use, just hit a bad spot, have had it with the odd sheep, even worming down the throat have lost the odd one
I prefer an oil based one, when you say no mess on the birds, there shouldn't be, if there is an oil patch it has leaked and needs to be done again, with water based ones this can happen and you don't know