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Cobalt for sheep & lambs

  • 29-04-2013 12:03pm
    #1
    Username John
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,237 ✭✭✭


    Hello,

    I try to dose with cobalt every few weeks, as I think our place is low in cobalt. I think the sheep and lambs are in the better of it...

    I was wondering if anyone on here ever added cobalt to the water supply for sheep? It would be handy if I could add cobalt to the water, and let them drink it themselves... I feel it would be a better, more constant supplement as well...

    Regarding the issue of mixing it into a tough, which will fill and so constantly dilute the mixture. Well, for some of my fields, I still have to draw water to them :(
    But that's that problem overcome ;)

    So...
    - Anyone ever done it?
    - If so, how? If anyone has mixed in a weak cobalt solution into the water, what mix rate did you use?

    Oh - and I know there are cobalt bolus you can get. I am not sure about them, tried em before and wasn't that impressed... Also, I want to get cobalt into the growing lambs, not sure what age you can give the bolus at?

    Just interested to hear peoples thoughts on it...

    Thanks.


Comments

  • #2
    lucky john
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 838 ✭✭✭lucky john


    The handiest way i found to give cobalt is as a drench. every 6 weeks to lambs especially. if you have a second pack on your back when your worming with two guns it doesnt take long. I'm not sure if its an old wives tale but my old man always watched out for lambs with scaley ears. He reckoned that was a sign of cobalt deficiency.

    A good tip is to tape two different colour markers to the butt of the guns, as you dose each lamb just give them a touch of the marker on the top of the head over each eye. (eg.. Right eye red for wormer and left eye blue for cobalt.) You will have a hand free for catching and not dose the same one twice. You fly through them


  • #3
    DMAXMAN
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 328 ✭✭DMAXMAN


    Username John wrote: »
    Hello,

    I try to dose with cobalt every few weeks, as I think our place is low in cobalt. I think the sheep and lambs are in the better of it...

    I was wondering if anyone on here ever added cobalt to the water supply for sheep? It would be handy if I could add cobalt to the water, and let them drink it themselves... I feel it would be a better, more constant supplement as well...

    Regarding the issue of mixing it into a tough, which will fill and so constantly dilute the mixture. Well, for some of my fields, I still have to draw water to them :(
    But that's that problem overcome ;)

    So...
    - Anyone ever done it?
    - If so, how? If anyone has mixed in a weak cobalt solution into the water, what mix rate did you use?

    Oh - and I know there are cobalt bolus you can get. I am not sure about them, tried em before and wasn't that impressed... Also, I want to get cobalt into the growing lambs, not sure what age you can give the bolus at?

    Just interested to hear peoples thoughts on it...

    Thanks.
    our ground is very low in cobalt and after lambs are weaned we dose weekly with cobalt. we make it up ourselves using 30 grams per 5 litres of water and give them 20 cc weekly. last year we were losing a few lambs after weaning and it showed up as a vit b deficiency tied into cobalt. we got a local crowd that make mineral buckets to make up a batch of buckets with increased levels of cobalt and vit b1 and vitb2. they worked brilliantly and stopped us from having to dose for cobalt. also gave some of them to the ewes and had our best ever scanning results and lambing.buckets worked out about 18 each so not too dear. will do it again this year!


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