We
are often asked what we do to maintain our high level of healthy
animals. One of the most important things we do is to make
sure our sheep and goats have available at all times a free choice
vitamin and mineral salt mixture.
"White
Muscle Disease" is attributed to a selenium deficiency in
animals including sheep, goats, and horses. It is a mineral
that is often overlooked by shepherds until it is too
late.
At Hawks
Mountain Ranch, we have always taken a proactive look at what we
can do as a preventative maintenance to ensure healthy, strong,
and thriving animals. As a result, we have never experienced
a vitamin or mineral deficiency on our farm.
We use a
vitamin and mineral salt mixture that is made by Inman and Company
in Clackamas, Oregon. It is formulated especially for our
area of the country.
Below is a
copy of the "Shamrock Fee Choice Sheep Mineral Mixture"
we use with a list of ingredients. While
each area of the country has different minerals and vitamins in
their soils and feed, we strongly suggest you check with your
veterinarian, county extension office, and/or State Dept. of
Agriculture to find out if your area is deficient in any
minerals.
We also
recommend you have a hay analysis testing done of your pasture
and/or hay to find out the contents of our feed. Many
shepherds have gone by how "green" the hay looks as to
what the quality is. We found that many times the
"yellowest" looking hay can have a higher protein
content while the "greenest" hay can have a lower
protein content.
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