Sheep copper level

orm0nd

rangler1 wrote: »

What price is the mayo healthcare bolus, it has enough cobalt for 6-7 wks

last year's price about 24 cent per bolus for the ones with copper, the other one would be maybe about 20c

they recommend 1 bolus for lambs and 2 for ewes

haven't ordered any this year yet so maybe prices have changed

Green farmer

orm0nd wrote: »

last year's price about 24 cent per bolus for the ones with copper, the other one would be maybe about 20c

they recommend 1 bolus for lambs and 2 for ewes

haven't ordered any this year yet so maybe prices have changed

So at 20c a bolus, would cost €20 for 100 lambs, that's around the same as a litre of decent cobalt drench, which would have to be done twice in the 6 week period ? I'm I reading that right ? I've never bolused , but would strongly consider it at those rates? If the worked ok.

orm0nd

Green farmer wrote: »

So at 20c a bolus, would cost €20 for 100 lambs, that's around the same as a litre of decent cobalt drench, which would have to be done twice in the 6 week period ? I'm I reading that right ? I've never bolused , but would strongly consider it at those rates? If the worked ok.

we usually drench for 1 or 2 turns & then bolus



.gtg will finish this post @ another time

rangler1

Username John wrote: »

Thanks Rangler , good answer as always.

I only use the Cobalt bolus - I have no scientific basis for not using the SE ones, just I dont think they are needed. I see good enough results with the Cobalt ones alone...

I used the copper ones on the ewes before, but I wouldnt like to do so on the lambs without some analysis first.

Was it blood tests you did - to analyse you needed to give copper? (Sorry to be asking, am sure you told this before)

No, we got the tests done on the livers, the vets in ICM didn't seem to mind taking the samples

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

So at 20c a bolus, would cost €20 for 100 lambs, that's around the same as a litre of decent cobalt drench, which would have to be done twice in the 6 week period ? I'm I reading that right ? I've never bolused , but would strongly consider it at those rates? If the worked ok.

The mayo bolus without the copper has enough cobalt for 50 - 60 days. I should try a trial next year, they look great value.

Green farmer

Just a silly thought, there wouldn't be any health issues with the cobalt bolus and any dust from them, coming in human contact, handling etc ?

Username John

Went in to get the mayo healthcare ones today - after ringing mayo healthcare on where to get a few weeks ago, and they told me the local place stock em.
But when I went in - they told me they don't, and haven't for a few years...
Bit annoyed now, but tis me own fault for leaving it til the last minute.

So the lambs will be getting the cobalt animax ones I have already.

Bullocks

I see the sheep are starting to climb the walls nibbling at bits of ivy /moss even though they have reasonably good grass ahead of them . Would they be lacking in anything in particular when they are at that or shoshould i give them an all rounder type mineral dose ?
We would be low on copper here with the cows but i heard you can overdose sheep with it

Username John

Bullocks wrote: »

I see the sheep are starting to climb the walls nibbling at bits of ivy /moss even though they have reasonably good grass ahead of them . Would they be lacking in anything in particular when they are at that or shoshould i give them an all rounder type mineral dose ?
We would be low on copper here with the cows but i heard you can overdose sheep with it

They'll always go after the ivy, whatever is in it.
And ash - you'd see the ewes here dancing on their back legs getting up at the ash leaves

Sheep breeder

we give the ewes the 3 bolues in one shot a month before the sponge goes in and find it works well, and gave the mayo bullet to hogget ewes in the spring going to grass and has worked well, the only fault is the gun used very poor plastic one.
we are looking at the biameda bolus 3 in 1 for this year.

rangler1

razor8 wrote: »

Thanks, the end looks big on that one, will it hold the 2g bolus? . I have the agrimin bolus gun for lambs but the 2g animax bolus won't stay in it

Because of the problems last year with the 4 mg copper bolus in the lleyn/texel ewes we decided to only give the vendeens copper with the other boluses and no copper to the lleyn/ texels, however the lleyns are 90g/day below the vendeens in thrive for the last 5 weeks or the vendeens have put on 3kgs more so I've given the Lleyns a 2g copper bolus.:eek:
Any way after your experience I got a gun to suit, but it does break some boluses....more so than the big gun...any way nothing died yet.

orm0nd

rangler1 wrote: »

Because of the problems last year with the 4 mg copper bolus in the lleyn/texel ewes we decided to only give the vendeens copper with the other boluses and no copper to the lleyn/ texels, however the lleyns are 90g/day below the vendeens in thrive for the last 5 weeks or the vendeens have put on 3kgs more so I've given the Lleyns a 2g copper bolus.:eek:
Any way after your experience I got a gun to suit, but it does break some boluses....more so than the big gun...any way nothing died yet.

more or less followed suit here, not because we had any problems but based of your experience (no need to temp fate !! )

ganmo

orm0nd wrote: »

more or less followed suit here, not because we had any problems but based of your experience (no need to temp fate !! )

gave some of our lambs boluses last weekend, the rubber that goes on the dosing gun followed one of them down the throat oops

razor8

rangler1 wrote: »

Because of the problems last year with the 4 mg copper bolus in the lleyn/texel ewes we decided to only give the vendeens copper with the other boluses and no copper to the lleyn/ texels, however the lleyns are 90g/day below the vendeens in thrive for the last 5 weeks or the vendeens have put on 3kgs more so I've given the Lleyns a 2g copper bolus.:eek:
Any way after your experience I got a gun to suit, but it does break some boluses....more so than the big gun...any way nothing died yet.

Would you be expecting vendeens to be doing better than lleyns anyway? My lambs are gone quiet dry in wool this week and I'm wondering if bolus is still working or not😳. took a bit of set back since weaning but hopefully will improve from now on

rangler1

razor8 wrote: »

Would you be expecting vendeens to be doing better than lleyns anyway? My lambs are gone quiet dry in wool this week and I'm wondering if bolus is still working or not😳. took a bit of set back since weaning but hopefully will improve from now on

Usually wouldn't be huge difference, vendeens would be slightly ahead. we've done two weighings now with poor thrive from the Lleyns and because the future ewe lambs are in the Lleyns, they're getting the best of the grass

Green farmer

Hi lads, I know we mentioned it sometime in the past and it's more expensive then drenching but, was going to throw standard mineral lick buckets into field with lambs instead of drenching. It has 483mg per kg of cobalt in it. Would that be enough cobalt ? Lambs are thriving away (35kg-45kg average )at moment on grass without any signs of cobalt deficiency.