- Location
- Derbyshire
It sounds very much like the dilemma we had this spring with magnesium deficiency with the cows.I readily admit I don't know what I'm talking about here it's just something I've been thinking about after reading things on here. Hence bringing the subject up while someone who would likely know is paying attention
I've read a few on here saying that their deficiency is getting worse and worse and that they started with one bolus pre tupping. Then go to 2 boluses a year after seeing a difference. Then they have to start drenching with minerals to boost levels at the same time as bolusing to lift levels and a bolus to maintain them, then after a while longer have to drench to boost levels before any stressful times like weaning or lambing or they start seeing symptoms again. There is at least one person on here has admitted to dosing every few weeks to keep deficiencies away even though everything was bolused and their deficiency seemed to be getting worse and worse all the time. But it's the same soil under the same management how would it still be getting worse with more minerals added unless the extra supplementing had affected the sheep somehow. There might be something else going on too that I don't know about though. But that's how I came to thinking it might be a treadmill once you get on.
I'll probably stick to the plan and do the ones that go to a terminal sire this year and see if it makes a difference. I did last year and didn't see any difference at all but it was a bad year for trials because it was so dry and ewes were in poorer condition that I'd have liked going to the rams.
It was so frustrating.