Whatever next year’s finished lamb prices, a mineral deficiency in sheep now will impact the number of lambs sold per ewe, and above all, profitability.
The prevalence of mineral deficiency in sheep
Most pastures in the UK and Ireland are up to 50 percent deficient in critical trace elements.
On most farms, the essentials for desired conception rates are selenium, cobalt and iodine. Copper requirement depends on breed, management and soil types with known deficiency. Contrary to popular belief, supplementing with zinc is largely unnecessary because sheep are very rarely deficient in this mineral.
- Cobalt is required for energy cycles, metabolism, lamb growth and pregnancy.
- Copper is required for lamb development during pregnancy. A deficiency mid-pregnancy may cause swayback.
- Iodine is required for ewe condition, fertility, and foetal viability.
- Selenium is required for normal cell function, fertility, and effective immunity.
Combatting a mineral deficiency in sheep
One of the easiest and most reliable methods of supplementation, is bolusing. A bolus is quick to apply and provides a consistent daily release of trace elements for up to 6 months – no if’s, but’s or maybe’s.
A bolus is ideally given 6 or more weeks before tupping and again 6 more more weeks before lambing. Boluses can be given at the same time as other tasks such as worming, vaccinations and foot checks.
What to look out for when choosing a bolus
- The levels of trace elements and whether they are sufficient for your sheep.
- The tendency of the bolus to break up and/or reduce in size, and the risk that poses on premature passing.
- The forms of trace elements for immediate and long term coverage.
- The sources of trace elements for bioavailability (whether they are absorbable and utilisable).
- How big they are and how easy they are to administer.
- Whether they are organically certified (only applies to organic systems).
ANIMAX Tracesure ticks ALL these boxes, reliably delivering results including:
- Stronger ovulations
- Higher embryo survival
- Higher lambing percentages
- Fewer barren ewes
ANIMAX Tracesure in action
Fitter ewes, compact lambing, and lots of lively lambs at birth. All the benefits of bolusing with ANIMAX Tracesure reported by Cathal Joyce from County Galway. He boluses ewes 4-6 weeks before ram turnout to cover the full pregnancy. Cathal also boluses bought-in store lambs for maximum thrive on kale-grown for finishing lambs.
