With tupping fast-approaching now is the time to review the trace element needs of your sheep and ensure they have everything they need to support a successful tupping time.
Sheep need minerals and vitamins for optimum health and to maximise productivity. And ensuring they are getting enough trace elements pre-tupping and beyond is critical to support their health, fertility and performance.
Whilst trace elements occur naturally in soil, not only can levels vary enormously from region to region, but there are also several factors that can affect how available they are including soil type, variations in weather and grass quality. As a result, livestock can often be lacking in the appropriate amounts of these trace elements due to variation in grazing quality, especially when grass quality has been poor as seen in recent years.
Some farms may have issues with trace element availability which they may not be aware of, so testing your flocks’ current trace element levels and identifying any provision gaps on your farm ahead of tupping ensures a targeted and beneficial strategy is implemented for your farm.
Supplementing ahead of tupping
Providing sheep with a trace element supplement before tupping can help ensure that all the essential trace elements are delivered to your ewes, helping to maintain health and condition as well as supporting a successful tupping period.
One option is to provide a bolus such as ESSENTIAL SHEEP, which when provided to your sheep ahead of tupping can help:
- Support lambing percentages
- Support ewe health through pregnancy
- Optimise colostrum and milk quality
- Support vitality at birth
- Support a more robust immune system
The controlled release technology of ESSENTIAL SHEEP ensures that your ewe’s health and condition are maintained from tupping throughout pregnancy, lactation, and recovery. Through one simple application, a daily consistent supply of trace elements is delivered over 6 months. Plus, as the bolus is delivered in a single application, ewes are only handled once, helping to minimise stress at an already challenging time.
Suitable for sheep over 40 kgs, ESSENTIAL SHEEP contains Iodine, Selenium and Cobalt. Essential Sheep + is the same as our Essential Sheep bolus but also contains Copper for stock on low copper pasture.
Speak to your local Downland advisor today to learn more about how ESSENTIAL Boluses can aid a successful tupping time. Click here to find yours using our map.