Nutritional/Metabolic Problems in Sheep

1. Nutritional/Metabolic Problems in Sheep Dr. Dan Morrical Iowa State University

2. Young Lambs • Enterotoxemia • Clostridium perfringens type C • Symptoms • Sudden death in 7-21 day old lambs

3. Young Lambs....continued • Prevention • Booster dams in late gestation • Vaccinate lambs at 21 days and weaning • Orphan vaccination • Maximum colostrum intake • Misdiagnosed-selenium/Vit. E deficiency

4. Goiter • Symptoms • Enlarged thyroid • Poor wool coat at birth • Low vigor/survival

5. Goiter.....continued • Prevention • Iodized salt • Compensate for goitergens (kale, brassicas, etc.)

6. Finishing Lambs • Enterotoxemia/Overeating • Symptoms • Best doing lambs • Uncoordinated movement • Rapid death

7. Finishing Lambs...continued • Prevention • Vaccination - toxoid • Bunk management • Gradual ration changes • Antibiotics • Misdiagnosed-polio and • Vit. E/Se deficiency, pneumonia

8. Urinary Calculi • •Wether lambs and stud rams • •Several types-phosphate, calcium, silica • •Problem-concentrates are low in calcium and high • in phosphorous

9. Urinary Calculi...continued • •Prevention • Water intake • Salt • Ammonium chloride or sulfate • Add calcium to achieve 1.5:1 ratio to phosphorous • Never add phosphorous

10. White Muscle/Stiff Lamb Disease • Symptoms • Stiff rear legs and arched back • Sudden death • Aspiration Pneumonia • Poor suckling reflex

11. White Muscle/Stiff Lamb Disease...continued • Cause • Deficiency of Vit. E and/or Selenium • Note: Selenium is toxic but Vitamin E is not • it is also cheap • High grain rations reduce Vit. E • Newborns only source of E is milk

12. Results - Serum E ewes • Con E-G E-L E-GL • Pretreatment 1.27 1.26 • Pre-lambing 1.51a 1.91b • Post-lambinga .93a 1.13b • Mid-lactation .97a .95a 1.28b 1.37b • Milk e at 3 days 10.8 15.1 • a,b Row means with different superscripts differ (p<.05).

13. Results - Serum E lambs • Con E-G E-L E-GL • 3 days 1.08 1.08 • 28 days .41 .38 1.33 1.33

14. Rectal Prolapse • Prevention • Longer tail docking • Less dusty feed • Prevent pneumonia • Shearing • Feed some long fiber

15. Polioencephalomacia • Thiamine deficiency • Prevention • Maintain rumen health • Gradual ration changes • Feed some long fiber • Sulpher intake

16. Copper Toxicosis • Breed Susceptibility • Mineral interactions-Mo & Su, • along with high Zn & Ca • Normal copper, low molybdenum

17. Copper Toxicosis...continued • Prevention • Sheep specific feeds • No additional copper • Feed some Mo • Copper & Molybdenum • are both toxic

18. Copper BMPS – new slide • Sample feed deliveries • Monitor feed delivery for appearance and texture • Label sample • Date, amount, what it was fed to, freeze, store six months • Read mineral tag • look for sodium molybdate

19. Sheep Mineral, Kansas GUARANTEED ANALYSIS Better mineral Calcium not needed with Phosphorous not needed with High salt equals lower intake levels ++ • Calcium 7% • Phos. 5% • Salt 45% • Sulfur1% • Magnesium 1% • Zinc 150 PPM short • Iodine 125 PPM okay • Cobalt 150 PPM okay • Selenium10 PPM super, super short

20. T.M. SALT w/ Selenium • T.M. Salt for sheep • GUARANTEED ANALYSIS • Salt, min 94.00% • Salt, max 95.00% • Zinc, min 0.60% 6000 PPM • Magnesium, min 0.52% 5200 PPM • Manganese, min 0.25% 2500 PPM • Iron, min 0.25% 2500 PPM • Iodine, min 0.01% 100 PPM (short) • Cobalt, min 0.003% 30 PPM • Selenium 90 PPM .009% max. • PPM = mg/kg

21. INGREDIENTS • Salt, Vegetable Oil, Calcium Sulfate, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Sodium Molybdate.

22. Pregnancy Toxemia • Cause - Excess fat catabolism and ketone accumulation • Prevention • Over conditioned ewes • Increased conc. feeding LG • Fetal scans • Pre-lambing shearing

23. Pregnancy Toxemia...continued • Treatment • Propylene glycol • Induced parturition • Severe cases usually do not recover

24. Grass Tetany • Hypomagnesia • Cause: excess potassium • Lactating ewes on lush, spring pasture • N fertilization increases risks

25. Grass Tetany...continued • Magnesium oxide in mineral • poor palatibility. • Sudden death-confirmation by necropsy • Stress induced

26. Milk Fever • Ewes vs. Dairy Cows • Cause • Calcium deficiency ?? • Stress induced

27. MIlk Fever...continued • Late gestation ewes carrying triplets • Symptoms • Depressed, lethargic, recumbent • Treatment • Calcium gluconate • Rapid response

28. Wool Pulling • Cause • Inadequate dry matter intake • Small particle size, effective fiber • Low phosphorous intake • Starvation

30. Wool Pulling...continued • Prevention • Maximum 50% concentration ration • Improved feeding technique • Offer some low quality, long forage • Evaluate phosphorous level

31. Vaginal Prolapses • Causes • Overfeeding roughage • Genetics • Short docks • Fat ewes

32. Vaginal Prolapses...continued • Prevention • Feed higher quality roughage in LG • Restrict roughage in ration esp. for ewe lambs • Adequate bunk space • Prevent obesity in ewes

33. Listeria

34. BMP, listeria • Corn silage • feed adequate amounts • correctly stored and harvested • Tyson’s • Dirt • Tub grinder • Rotten feed-Feedlot

35. Summary • Common sense eliminates most disorders • Shepherd mistakes creates a lot of the disorders • Seek advice if not sure of what you are doing