Are your black sheep black?

[Beekissed]

I'll need a much better feeder before I spend the money on individual minerals, as my flock just loves to wee in it...

Yeah....I've got those kinds of sheep too. If I mount them high enough on the wall to avoid poop and pee, they will either stand on them with front feet or try to scratch themselves on them so that they are ripped off the wall. I'll likely be building a heavy duty wooden feeder with a rubber flap they can't move into an always open position.

 

[Beekissed]

Wool/hair is old cells, nothing fed now will ever change the color or health of those old, expelled cells once they are past the skin. Well, besides hair dye.

I'd say nutrition plays a huge role in how healthy wool is and whether it is prone to discoloration under environmental factors, such as sunlight. Same goes for hair....the healthier the diet, the stronger the hair, the less damage it sustains under stress.

WebmedCentral.com :: Nutrition For Wool Production

Biomedical journal with guaranteed publication of scholarly research using author driven post publication peer review

www.webmedcentral.com

"Micro-mineral copper plays a very important role in maintaining quality of wool fibre. A deficiency of copper, either in the ration of sheep or induced by high levels of S and molybdenum in the diet, results in de-pigmentation of the wool, with production of wool that lacks crimp and has low mechanical strength and a lustrous appearance. De-pigmentation of the wool is caused by low activity of the copper containing enzyme tyrosinase. Zinc deficiency on the other hand results in a marked reduction in wool growth, over and above that associated with the reduced feed intake induced by the deficiency (White et al., 1994). Some fibres are shed, and the fibres that are produced lack crimp and are lustrous and brittle. Cell division in the follicle bulb is marginally reduced by zinc deficiency, but the major effect appears to be on the keratinization of the fibre. Selenium also plays a role in wool growth. Its deficiency reduces wool growth without a reduction in feed intake. While the exact mechanisms involved are not known, many of the selenoproteins have key metabolic roles as antioxidants and affect the redox status of cells. Uncontrolled peroxidation during severe selenium deficiency causes necrosis due to oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules. A lesser deficiency may result in a milder oxidative stress caused by increased concentrations of peroxides of hydrogen and lipids. Oxidative stress causes gene repression through modulation of transcription factors. Such changes may induce temporary growth arrest and lengthening of the cell cycle in the follicle (Morel and Barouki, 1999)."

 

[secuono]

I'd say nutrition plays a huge role in how healthy wool is and whether it is prone to discoloration under environmental factors, such as sunlight. Same goes for hair....the healthier the diet, the stronger the hair, the less damage it sustains under stress.

Yes, of course, but what you said earlier read as if you were saying what you feed now somehow manages to travel to the ends of hair/wool. Which it cannot do, as it is "dead".

 

[secuono]

Yeah....I've got those kinds of sheep too. If I mount them high enough on the wall to avoid poop and pee, they will either stand on them with front feet or try to scratch themselves on them so that they are ripped off the wall. I'll likely be building a heavy duty wooden feeder with a rubber flap they can't move into an always open position.

Yes! I saw this on FB and am going to make one to test out! I know they'll stomp it, so will need an extra cross support...

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, of course, but what you said earlier read as if you were saying what you feed now somehow manages to travel to the ends of hair/wool. Which it cannot do, as it is "dead".

All I know is that the hair turned from black, to brown and then back to black again...not sure how that fits into hair being dead, but the brown didn't shed off. I tried to pull it, just to see if it was sloughing off but it didn't.

 

[secuono]

All I know is that the hair turned from black, to brown and then back to black again...not sure how that fits into hair being dead, but the brown didn't shed off. I tried to pull it, just to see if it was sloughing off but it didn't.

Sorry, it was Roving Jacobs, not you, that I thought I was replying to. Idk where my brain cells are today...

 

[goatgurl]

hey youall, since I was here I thought i'd put my 2 cents worth in. sister#1 and i both raise dairy goats and hair sheep and have some black animals in both. if we have a black goat that is turning brown or getting a reddish tint we give a copper bolus and soon they are back to black and shiny. the sheep pretty much stay black all year but we feed them the same grain mix that we feed the dairy goats and it has some extra copper in it so in essence they are getting some extra copper. the mineral mix they all share has the minimum amount of copper so it is safe for both. we both give a selenium booster to both sheep and goats before breeding season each year so that's taken care of and makes for stronger more viable kids and lambs.
to keep them from tearing the mineral feeders up i place them in a corner of the barn with either a couple of 2x4's long ways in front of them or a piece of cattle panel across in front of them to keep the critters off of them. as sure as i don't someone will put their big feet in them or somehow knock them off the wall.

 

[Beekissed]

the sheep pretty much stay black all year but we feed them the same grain mix that we feed the dairy goats and it has some extra copper in it so in essence they are getting some extra copper. the mineral mix they all share has the minimum amount of copper so it is safe for both. we both give a selenium booster to both sheep and goats before breeding season each year so that's taken care of and makes for stronger more viable kids and lambs.

How many years have you been doing this? In various places I've read about individuals making sure their sheep get copper, but out there in the general sheep crowd, most have been scared into never giving sheep any copper.

I think never is a long time to go without an essential trace mineral. I'm wondering if it adds up to financial loss over time without people even realizing the long term ramifications of it.

 

[goatgurl]

Bee I've been doing this for years. I've had goats for almost 50 years and sheep for 10+. they all run in the same pasture and use the same barn so its almost impossible to separate what they eat and the minerals they share. I think its important to know the mineral deficiencies in your area and treat accordingly. when I first got the sheep I was paranoid about them getting copper poisonings but came to realize that they need the trace minerals just as much as the goats. I have never given any of the sheep copper boluses but have no problem making sure their mineral has it. they are strong and healthy, last year I had 2 sets of trips and 2 sets of twins out of my 4 girls.

 

[Baymule]

I used to buy an all purpose pellet at Tractor Supply. It had no copper in it. My black sheep were brown. I have fed Martindale Feed 14% all purpose pellet to my horses for many years and they stay healthy. I got to looking at that for the sheep, compared it to the goat and sheep feed, and the copper was right in there compared to the goat and sheep feed. So now my sheep get the same feed that the horses do. The brown hair has shed out and I have black sheep. They are so pretty. Miranda does have a mohawk of dreadlocks on her back that are brown, but the new hair coming is black.

Very good discussion!

http://martindalefeed.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/MFM-14-All-Purpose-Pellet.pdf