Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
specifi cally for sheep, because those prepared for cattle and horses may con-
tain too much copper.
Vitamins and minerals are required in only very small quantities, but
shortages — or excesses — of a critical vitamin or mineral can have grave
impacts on your fl ock's health. Defi ciencies of vitamins cause diseases like
rickets and anemia; overdoses are toxic. Defi ciencies and excesses are usually
the result of soil mineral imbalances, which vary from farm to farm and from
region to region.
Water
The fi rst and most important nutrient (though people don't always think of
it as such) is water! Animals can live for up to 10 days without food but may
not survive for 2 days without water. Water, in adequate quality and quantity,
must always be available. Water serves the following functions:
■
Keeps sheep cool in hot weather (but even in the dead of winter, it's
necessary)
■
Aids in transporting nutrients throughout the body
■
Carries waste out of the body
■
Is required for the chemical reactions that take place
throughout the body
■
Keeps cells hydrated and healthy
Water should be kept clean. The ideal temperature for water is about 50ºF
(64ºC). (In northern climates, sheep may meet quite a bit of their water needs
by eating snow, but they should still be given an opportunity to drink water
at least once a day.)
Moisture in feeds also affects the sheep's drinking habits; very moist feeds
reduce water intake and dry feeds raise it. Hot summer pasture has very little
moisture in it.
To cope with heat, sheep lose moisture through their skin, which adds to
the need for ample water. Providing shade helps keep down moisture loss, but
the sheep still need clean, fresh water. Also, access to shade should be lim-
ited and regulated, like controlling movements through the pasture, because
shaded areas that are overused contribute to parasite problems.
Ewes with nursing lambs need extra water to make milk. On average,
mature sheep drink between 1 and 2.5 gallons (3.8 and 9.5 L) of water per
day. Late-gestation and lactating ewes are toward the top of the scale.
