A big question that a lot of new sheep owners have is what mineral supplement should I feed my sheep? Most people know that they need to feed a mineral supplement, but have no clue what one to use or why. Even a lot of more experienced sheep owners are not very informed about animal nutrition and are winging it. So today we are going to discuss the basics of how to determine what mineral supplement to use for your sheep.
Firstly, it is important to understand that mineral supplements are important, and in many cases vital to your success. A diet deficient in important nutrients can cause reduced productivity or much worse. Rarely does the limited diet we offer our animals come complete with exactly what they need. How far off their diet is from ideal depends on a lot of variables. This can include things like what types of feeds you’re feeding, the quality of those feeds, and where you live.
Where you live is important, but often overlooked. Different areas of the country produce forages deficient in different minerals. So beware, that fantastic mineral supplement your friend in Ohio swears by might completely fail you 500 miles away.
It is better to ask local producers, veterinarians, or extension agents what to use. Find out what mineral supplements they use and recommend and why. Also take the time to learn what the common deficiencies in your area are. Again local producers should know this. Then learn to recognize the symptoms of those deficiencies.
In addition, it is an excellent idea to get forage analysis done periodically.
While this doesn’t tell you exactly what your animal is eating in any given day, it does provide a snapshot. Plus, if you do periodic tests for several years, you will likely see trends. Forage analysis is inexpensive to do and gives you the best information you can get about which of your animals nutrient needs are or aren’t being met.
There are a variety of different labs that will do forage analysis for you. Which one is best depends on what part of the country you live in. However, an extension agent should be able to point you in the right direction.
Once you have your forage analysis back from the lab, you might not be sure what to do with it.
It has all these numbers on it associated with various minerals/nutrients. For example, my forage has has 0.37% calcium. But what does that mean? Is that good or bad?”
Fortunately, the National Research Council (NRC) periodically publishes what is currently known to be the nutrient requirements for various different animal species. Through research over the past decades we have developed a pretty good idea of the requirements for our animals. However, nutrition is extremely complex, and it’s not an exact science. Sometimes these requirements are changed based on new information, so it’s always a good idea to periodically check if there is an updated edition.
Additionally, it would be good to note here that outside of a lab setting there are a lot of variables and nutrient interactions that can affect the actual needs of the animal. So while the NRC guidelines are a good starting point, they are just guidelines, and the mineral requirements listed are the bare minimums.
Your animals may require significantly more of a particular nutrient if there is an excess of something else interfering with it.
A good example of this is iron. Most ruminant diets are filled with excess iron. Soil is typically rich in iron and your sheep unintentionally consume a lot of soil while eating. All that iron they are eating can prevent them from utilizing other nutrients in their diet. As a result, sometimes it is not the amount of a mineral in the diet but rather its ratio to a different mineral that is most important.
Keep this in mind as you work through analyzing your sheep’s diet, particularly if you are struggling with a deficiency of some sort. Because of nutrient interactions, it’s not always blatantly obvious what is going on, and you might need to dig a little deeper into nutrient interactions to remedy the situation.
How do I read a forage analysis?
To begin with you will need to look up the NRC nutrient requirements for sheep. An example can be viewed above. They can be found in various places on the internet. Then you will need to determine which category your animals fall into. Adult ewes at maintenance have different requirements than ewes during gestation, or lactation. They also have different requirements than growing lambs. Mineral requirements however do not vary as much during the animal’s various seasons of life as energy and protein requirements.
Today we are focusing on mineral requirements for selecting the correct mineral supplement for your sheep. However, you would look at energy or protein in the same way.
Once you have the NRC information and your forage analysis in front of you, you can start to compare the requirements to what the forage test shows.
So for example, on the analysis below, you can see that the hay we fed last winter had 0.34% calcium in it, and 0.26% Phosphorus.
I know from the NRC that an ewe at maintenance needs 0.25% calcium, but during late gestation she requires 0.4% calcium. This means that while my hay is fine to feed her without a calcium supplement early on, it is not ok on its own the last 4 weeks of gestation. So I need to provide her extra calcium at that time to prevent her from being at high risk of getting milk fever.
Additionally, calcium and phosphorus happen to be minerals where their ratio is important. You should strive to have a 2:1 up to a 7:1 Calcium:Phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio. If we divide the 0.34% calcium by the 0.26% phosphorus, you will see that we come out to a ratio of 1.3:1 so we should be striving to increase the calcium level in our overall diet even though technically the hay has enough calcium for our ewes.
You can continue down the list of minerals comparing each one in turn.
Note any that are deficient, or that are borderline sufficient. These are the ones you need to focus on finding in a mineral supplement. Ideally you find or blend a mineral supplement that gets your minerals as close to the ideal quantities and ratios as possible. It is typically a good idea to try to avoid minerals that contain a lot of iron as your sheep’s diet is likely to already contain an excess of iron and many times adding more iron can cause problems. It is also recommended to avoid ones formulated for other species that contain high levels of copper unless you know you have a copper deficiency problem.
As you are working your way through, some ratios that are good to keep in mind are the Ca:P ratio mentioned above, the phosphorus: magnesium (P:Mg) ratio which is ideally 4:1, and also both the iron:copper (Fe:Cu) and copper molybdenum (Cu:Mo) ratios.
A Fe:Cu ratio of more than 100:1, or an iron level of more than 150 ppm reduces copper availability. Your Cu:Mo ratio is ideally 5:1. Molybdenum also directly affects copper availability because it forms insoluble complexes with copper. So excess Molybdenum can cause a secondary copper deficiency. Unfortunately, sulfur plays a role also because it will bind up molybdenum, thus freeing up more copper despite a high level of dietary molybdenum.
As you can tell this all gets extremely complex very quickly.
If you are interested in learning more, I’d encourage you to delve into the research that has been done on the topic of nutrition. It’s fascinating. If not, don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t have to understand all the details to feed your animals right. Just focus on trying to get close to the NRC nutrient requirements, and make sure their diet is not deficient in anything.
Now, a lot of times your forage analysis will not include every single mineral your sheep require. Sometimes you can get them as an add on test if you are suspicious of a deficiency. Sometimes, it is just a good idea to offer that mineral just in case because the toxicity threshold is high. Iodine and cobalt are good examples of this. Most of the country isn’t cobalt deficient. However, the toxicity level is high and having some in your mineral supplement is good insurance.
Before we end this article, there are two minerals we would like to mention specifically.
The first one is selenium. Selenium is not typically tested for, but it is absolutely critical to animal health. Don’t neglect it. Be sure to check with your vet or extension agent to determine if you need to supplement it or not. The requirements vs. toxicity levels are relatively close to each other. Too little and too much can both cause serious problems.
The second mineral we want to mention is copper. There is a ton of confusion about copper and sheep. In fact, there is not a more misunderstood or maligned mineral. Contrary to popular belief, sheep DO need copper in their diet. They just have a much lower requirement than other ruminants. They are also very good at storing it in their liver. The combination of which can cause toxicity if you are careless. So yes, sheep can die from copper toxicity, but without it your sheep will also die. Your lambs will be born dead or with nerve damage that can’t be repaired.
As a general rule, its not a good idea to supplement copper to your sheep unless you and your vet have determined that you have a deficiency.
However, you should also understand that sheep need and can tolerate some copper in their diet. Copper is a very important required nutrient for your sheep, so if its been determined that your sheep need some copper go ahead and carefully supplement them. Many producers have lost a lot more animals to copper deficiency than they have to toxicity.
We hope this helps you with feeding your sheep, and that it has inspired you to read more about the fascinating intricacies of animal nutrition.
If you would like to learn more about caring for your sheep, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter!
Please remember
The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.
