Nutritional/Metabolic
Problems in Sheep
Young Lambs
Enterotoxemia
Clostridium
perfringens type C
Symptoms
Sudden
lambs
death in 7-21 day old
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
Goiter
Symptoms
Enlarged
thyroid
Poor wool coat at birth
Low vigor/survival
Stillbirths
Goiter.....continued
Prevention
Iodized
salt
Compensate for goitergens (kale,
brassicas, etc.)
New NRC increased iodine levels
.8PPM
further increased with cold temps
Finishing Lambs
Enterotoxemia/Overeating
Symptoms
Best
doing lambs
Uncoordinated movement
neurological
Rapid
death
Finishing Lambs...continued
Prevention
Vaccination
- toxoid
Bunk management
Gradual ration changes
Antibiotics
Misdiagnosed-polio and
Vit. E/Se deficiency, pneumonia
Urinary Calculi
•Wether lambs and stud rams
•Several types-phosphate,
calcium, silica
•Problem-concentrates are low in
calcium and high
in phosphorous
Urinary Calculi...continued
•Prevention
Water
intake
Salt
Ammonium
chloride or sulfate
Add calcium to achieve 1.5:1
ratio to phosphorous
Never add phosphorous to lamb rations
if corn is primary energy source
White Muscle/Stiff Lamb
Disease
Symptoms
Stiff
rear legs and arched back
Sudden death
Aspiration Pneumonia
Poor suckling reflex
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
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).
Results - Serum E lambs
3 days
28 days
Con E-G E-L E-GL
1.08 1.08
.41 .38 1.33 1.33
Rectal Prolapse
Prevention
Longer
tail docking
Less dusty feed
Prevent pneumonia
Shearing
Feed some long fiber
Bedding, space and ventilation
Polioencephalomacia
Thiamine deficiency
Prevention
Maintain
rumen health
Gradual ration changes
Feed some long fiber
Sulfur intake w/ ddgs
Copper Toxicosis
Breed Susceptibility
Mineral interactions-Mo & Su,
along with high Zn & Ca
Normal copper, low molybdenum
Copper Toxicosis...continued
Prevention
Sheep
specific feeds
No additional copper
Feed some Mo
CU & MO are both toxic
CU:MO ratio 6-1 up to 10-1
Copper BMPS
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
Sheep Mineral, Kansas
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Calcium
Phos.
Salt
Sulfur
Magnesium
Zinc
Iodine
Cobalt
Selenium
DGM:ISU:2012
7%
Better mineral
5%
Calcium not needed with
45%
Phosphorous not needed with
1%
High salt equals lower intake
levels ++
1%

150 PPM short
125 PPM okay
150 PPM okay
10 PPM super, super short
T.M. SALT w/ Selenium
T.M. Salt for sheep
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Salt, min
Salt, max
Zinc, min
Magnesium, min
Manganese, min
Iron, min
Iodine, min
Cobalt, min
Selenium
PPM = mg/kg
DGM:ISU:2012
94.00%
95.00%
0.60%
0.52%
0.25%
0.25%
0.01%
0.003%
90 PPM
6000 PPM
5200 PPM
2500 PPM
2500 PPM
100 PPM (short)
30 PPM
.009% max.
INGREDIENTS
Salt, Vegetable Oil, Calcium Sulfate, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc
Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite,
Cobalt Carbonate, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Sodium
Molybdate.
DGM:ISU:2012
Pregnancy Toxemia
Cause - Excess fat catabolism and
ketone accumulation
Prevention
Over
conditioned ewes
Increased conc. feeding LG
Fetal scans
Pre-lambing shearing
Pregnancy Toxemia...continued
Treatment
Propylene
glycol
Induced parturition
Severe cases usually do not recover
Grass Tetany
Hypomagnesia
Cause: excess potassium
Lactating ewes on lush, spring
pasture
N fertilization increases risks
Grass Tetany...continued
Magnesium oxide in mineral
poor palatibility.
Sudden death-confirmation by
necropsy
Stress induced
Milk Fever
Ewes vs. Dairy Cows
Cause
Calcium
deficiency ??
Stress induced
MIlk Fever...continued
Late gestation ewes carrying triplets
Symptoms
Depressed,
lethargic, recumbent
similar to ketosis
Treatment
Calcium
gluconate
Rapid response
Wool Pulling
Cause
Inadequate
dry matter intake
Small particle size, effective fiber
Low phosphorous intake
Starvation
Wool Pulling...continued
Prevention
Maximum
50% concentration ration
Improved feeding technique
Offer some low quality, long forage
Evaluate phosphorous level
Vaginal Prolapses
Causes
Overfeeding
Genetics
Short
docks
Fat ewes
roughage
Vaginal Prolapses...continued
Prevention
Feed
higher quality roughage in LG
Restrict roughage intake
esp. for ewe lambs
Adequate bunk space
Prevent obesity in ewes
Listeria
BMP, listeria
Corn silage
feed adequate amounts
correctly stored and harvested
Dirt
Tub grinder
Rotten feed-Feedlot
Summary
Common sense
eliminates most
disorders
Shepherd mistakes
creates a lot of the
disorders
Seek advice if not sure
of what you are doing