Trace Element Testing Sheep

[TheRock]

Trying to increase performance from the flock.

When is the best time to bleed sheep to see trace element status?

Are trace element soil samples any good? Also grass samples?

Is it worthwhile bleeding lambs too? Before they get any drenches?

 

[Woolless]

When we moved to our new place nearly five years, I was fortunate enough to get some advice from Kiwi beef/sheep production vet Trevor Cook. His suggestion was to submit some samples of spring grass for analysis to give you some idea of what could be missing from the sheep's diet, then bleed ewes about three weeks before tupping to give you time to correct any deficiencies. I think he also suggested liver samples from some early killed lambs, but I didn't get a chance to do that.

 

[Tim W]

Trace elements & mineral supplements all seems like a bit of a hazy dark art to me... it's full of snake oil salesmen & high priests of bulls**t
So trying to figure out what to do is complicated but the best guide we have found is
1) test the grass that you will wean lambs onto in early spring which will tell you the optimum mineral levels for that pasture over the grazing season
2) blood test ewes a month or so after weaning which will give you a base level of ewe mineral availability
3) blood test lambs pre weaning to check where they stand

You can then figure which minerals are lacking and then try and decide which snake oil salesmen to trust

 

[Tim W]

... alternatively you could just dose everything with Dettol & hope the sun shines

 

[neilo]

As above, you really need to build a complete picture by testing bloods & forage, and possibly soils too. Obviously that has a cost, but once you know what you’re dealing with, you’ll have the same issues (or not) every year by and large, so doesn’t need repeating in such detail.

As an example, blood testing when I arrived here showed copper levels to be fine, at the same time that I was actually losing sheep to copper deficiency. Forage & soil testing showed high levels of molybdenum, which was locking up that copper and making it unavailable, despite showing as in the blood. Copper supplementation has remedied that.

I’m seeing similar issues with Iodine currently. Our March lambs have shown typical Iodine deficiency symptoms of being lethargic when born and high losses. Bloods showed levels as being OK, but drenching with Potassium Iodide has stopped the problem overnight. Too much Iodine can block antibody absorption, but testing a few lambs showed that was ok, so Iodine not too high? All sheep were already bolused with high Iodine boluses, but something from grazing fodder beet has perhaps locking it up? Sheep grazing grass for a month pre-lambing didn’t see any such issues, but there’s not enough grass here early enough for all to do that.