ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
Tailing ideal time for selenium, B12 doses Selenium and vitamin B12 are both vital nutrients, and if your sheep are deficient it can have a significant economic impact. If your farm soils are low in selenium and/ or cobalt, tailing is an excellent time to begin supplementation.
Lambs with B12 deficiency show signs
Multine is now available with B12
of ill-thrift despite grazing good green
(Multine B12) or with B12 and a 2mg
pasture. Cobalt is the trace element
dose of selenium in combination
required for vitamin B12 synthesis,
(Multine B12 Selenised).
but about 46 percent of New Zealand
For ewes 2-4 weeks pre-lamb,
Selenium is a trace mineral found in soil
about over-supplementing selenium,
and pasture; once ingested, it acts as
vitamin B12 has a high safety margin4
an antioxidant, preventing and repairing
and can be used at the same time as
cell damage. Selenium-deficient sheep
other cobalt supplements, such as
may have low fertility, be ill-thrifty or
mineralised drenches.
immune-suppressed. About 30 percent
Supplementation of selenium and/or
of NZ pastures provide insufficient selenium for grazing stock.1 If you are
vitamin B12 from tailing may coincide
For more information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local
with lambs receiving clostridial
Farmlands store.
unsure about the selenium status of
vaccines such as Multine ,
your farm, work with your vet and/
New Zealand’s leading 5-in-1 vaccine.
or farm advisor on some testing
Clostridial vaccination programmes
before supplementing, as overdosing
require that lambs receive two doses
can cause toxicity. Where selenium
– a sensitiser at tailing or weaning
supplementation is indicated, 2mg is
followed by a booster dose 4-6 weeks
the optimal dose for lambs 10-20kg in
later. Stock should then receive an
weight, while 5mg is more appropriate for heavier sheep2.
annual booster of clostridial vaccine,
4.Mulvaney C, Hodgson B, Cuttance W. MSD data on file.
with replacement ewes receiving their
Vitamin B12 is important for energy
booster pre-lamb to provide passive
ACVM Nos: A11766, A0934, A0935, A11311. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd.
metabolism. Young, growing ruminants,
protection to their lambs via colostrum.
© 2020 Intervet International B.V. All Rights Reserved. NZ-MUL-200700007
like lambs from tailing, have the highest
For convenient selenium and vitamin
Article supplied by MSD Animal Health
B12 requirements of any class of stock.
B12 supplementation from tailing,
WWW.FARMLANDS.CO.NZ
pastures provide insufficient cobalt for sheep.3 While you should be careful
Multine 5-in-1 Selenised (containing 5mg selenium) or Multine B12 are appropriate if you would like to combine clostridial vaccination with injectable selenium or B12 supplementation.
®
1.Beef and Lamb New Zealand, Trace Element Nutrition of Sheep, March 2020. www.beeflambnz.com 2.West D, Bruere N and Ridler A (2009). “The Sheep, Health, Disease and Production”. Massey University Press p138, 200. 3.Knowles SO and Grace ND. Vitamin B12 status and the effects of vitamin B12 supplementation during the first year of life of spring calves from pasture-fed dairy herds. NZ Vet Journal, 2014: 274–8
Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited | © September 2021. All rights reserved.
THE FARMLANDER | 47
