Week 9

Sheep

Minerals and Vitamins

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Minerals

• 15 minerals identified as essential for sheep
  • Macrominerals
  • Microminerals
• Most needs are met under normal grazing and feeding habits

Calcium Requirements for a 176 lb Ewe

Mineral Supplementation

• Salt
  • Supply loose salt free choice no blocks
  • Feed at level of 0.25-0.4 oz/head/day
• Trace minerals also added when feeds are deficient in mineral content

Mineral Disorders

• Ca:P ratio
  • Urinary Calculi
• Copper
  • Toxicity
• Selenium
  • White muscle disease

Urinary Calculi

• Ca:P
  • 2:1
  • Less may result in urinary calculi in males
• Problem with animals on high grain diet
  • Grains high in P low in Ca
• Add Ca to diet to maintain 2:1 ratio
  • Also add ammonium chloride or ammonium sulfate to diet at 0.5%

Copper

• Toxicity vs Deficiency
  • Fine line between two
• Toxicity most likely to be the problem
  • Levels too high in diet
  • Molybdenum content of diet affects Cu requirements

Selenium

• Se deficiency in many areas of U.S.
  • Narrow range in deficiency and toxicity
• White muscle disease in lambs results from deficiency
• Supplement sheep with Se in salt-mineral mix
  • 90 ppm max allowed by FDA
  • No more than .23 mg Se per sheep per day

Vitamins

• Sheep require dietary sources of fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
• Rely on rumen microbes for water soluble vitamins (B-complex)
• Vitamins A & E most likely to be deficient in diets

Vitamin A Requirements for a 176 lb Ewe

Vitamin Related Disorders

• Interaction of Vitamin E and Se
  • Low Vitamin E may result in WMD
• Polioencephalomalacia (PEM)
  • Results from lack of thiamine
  • Affects brain
  • Thiamine in diet destroyed or bound by thiaminase
  • Occurs in young animals on feed