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.

Selenium is a trace mineral found in soil and pasture; once ingested, it acts as an antioxidant, preventing and repairing cell damage. Selenium-deficient sheep may have low fertility, be ill-thrifty or immune-suppressed. About 30 percent of NZ pastures provide insufficient selenium for grazing stock.1 If you are unsure about the selenium status of your farm, work with your vet and/ or farm advisor on some testing before supplementing, as overdosing can cause toxicity. Where selenium supplementation is indicated, 2mg is the optimal dose for lambs 10-20kg in weight, while 5mg is more appropriate for heavier sheep2 . Vitamin B12 is important for energy metabolism. Young, growing ruminants, like lambs from tailing, have the highest B12 requirements of any class of stock. Lambs with B12 deficiency show signs of ill-thrift despite grazing good green pasture. Cobalt is the trace element required for vitamin B12 synthesis, but about 46 percent of New Zealand pastures provide insufficient cobalt for sheep.3 While you should be careful about over-supplementing selenium, vitamin B12 has a high safety margin4 and can be used at the same time as other cobalt supplements, such as mineralised drenches. Supplementation of selenium and/or vitamin B12 from tailing may coincide with lambs receiving clostridial vaccines such as Multine® , New Zealand’s leading 5-in-1 vaccine. Clostridial vaccination programmes require that lambs receive two doses – a sensitiser at tailing or weaning followed by a booster dose 4-6 weeks later. Stock should then receive an annual booster of clostridial vaccine, with replacement ewes receiving their booster pre-lamb to provide passive protection to their lambs via colostrum. For convenient selenium and vitamin B12 supplementation from tailing, Multine is now available with B12 (Multine B12) or with B12 and a 2mg dose of selenium in combination (Multine B12 Selenised). For ewes 2-4 weeks pre-lamb, 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.

For more information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

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 4.Mulvaney C, Hodgson B, Cuttance W. MSD data on file. ACVM Nos: A11766, A0934, A0935, A11311. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. © 2020 Intervet International B.V. All Rights Reserved. NZ-MUL-200700007

Article supplied by MSD Animal Health

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