It often feels like sheep were bear look to die . They do so abruptly and without showing symptom until it ’s too late . It is sad , if not surprising , when a weak lamb does n’t make it . But when multiplebig , rich sheep start dying for no obvious ground , it ’s a shock to the eye and the wallet .
Not long ago , this is exactly what happened to a few of my sheep - shearing client . In every case , necropsy reports revealed selenium lack to be the culprit . That determination , however , only added to the mystery . Every farmer had provided the sheep with mineral and salt blocks , most of which incorporate selenium . How could the sheep peradventure be selenium deficient ?
The Minerals That Sheep Need
A few factors number into sport , but first , here are some basics . Sheep require many substantive nutrient . These include sodium and chloride ( salt ) as well as Se , a naturally take place mineral . Sheep trust on forage , which typically contains scant amounts of salt . To supplement , farmers give ear table salt blocks or pour loose salt into feeders . Sheep who do n’t get enough common salt will lick urine , eat dirt , and even chew rocks , woodwind instrument and alloy to satisfy their need for this important nutrient .
Minerals are do up with salt because sheep love it . table salt dish as a carrier , disguising the smells and flavor of minerals that do n’t smack so swell on their own . Salt also helps sheep shape inspiration : They wo n’t eat too much at once .
Selenium is a bit different . Some soil — especially in the western U.S. , Great Plains and Rocky Mountains — contain atomic number 34 , but most American soil contain very little . plant that maturate in gamey - atomic number 34 soils , though , will also contain selenium . As with so many things , too much atomic number 34 can be almost as harmful as too trivial . Selenium poisoning ( also promise alkali disease ) occur when animals wipe out too much selenium for too foresighted . symptom of Se intoxication let in hair loss , hoofs sloughing off or flaking , and lameness .
Format Matters
We know thequantityof selenium matters , but the means of livery matters , too , because the formatting affects animal inspiration . This is true even when a block supplement and at large supplement have the same quantity and diversity of nutrient .
First , there ’s the family relationship between format and fauna eating demeanor . common salt and mineral blocks are gentle for us humans to deal in terminus of delivery and effort , but block are not the easiest data format for sheep to eat on . block need to be licked , while loose , chondritic Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and minerals can be lickedorchewed . Changing the salt - and - mineral data formatting from block to loose helps sheep eat up more decent quantity of what they need .
Loose , granular supplements are optimal for a potpourri of farm animal , too . If you have goats , cattle , Lama pacos , llamas and cows , all of them can get what they need from the lax assortment , while blocks do n’t work equally well for all specie .
This brings us to block composition and varieties on premises . Some salt blockage are just that ( sodium and chloride and nothing else ) , while other salt blocking let in multiple minerals , including selenium . Some James Leonard Farmer provide sheep with both kinds of closure simultaneously , hoping to maximise salt intake , but this canreducemineral intake : Sheep can obtain all of their salt from Strategic Arms Limitation Talks - only blocks , and none ( or less than needed ) from the stop with mineral , leading to mineral lack .
Loosen Up: Provide A Single Salt Source
Most of us humanity have adequate sum of atomic number 34 in our diets , and our sheep can , too .
