Selenium-E Gel instead of Bo-Se?

[dkluzier]

I give Selenium E gel. Never had a problem and/or needed to get the prescription Bo-Se.

 

[rebelINny]

I get a Selenium/Vit. E gel from Jeffers. One tube doses all my goats at once. So far so good. I haven't used it for very long though so experimenting too I guess.

 

[AlaskanShepherdess]

I've done a lot of research into this, and I have decided for myself that I want to provide my goats with selenium yeast (in particular Diamond V's) but I am having difficulty getting any. I did a lot of research and decided that I wanted to avoid Bo-Se as much a possible and use it or an inorganic source only if I had to.

I've just begun using Diamond V's yeast - but I'm assuming it's not the same stuff you're talking about. I have the Diamond V from Hoegger's. It is a yeast - but selenium yeast? I'll have to look into it further.

Yes that is different, I have not done the research yet to see if it contains any selenium yeast in it, and if it does, if it's enough as I live in a selenium deficient area.

One thing that is interesting to note is that once I started giving my goats Thorvin kelp, within 2 weeks a doe that had been having silent heats, went into very obvious heat. When I bred her, my buck, who had had a lot of false mounts (symptom of selenium deficiency) the last time I used him, this time he had NO trouble and did the deed 5 times in less then 5 minutes. The only thing that had changed was the kelp.

At this point I don't think the kelp will provide enough selenium to keep them at the levels they need to be, but I think it may allow me to get by with something with a smaller amount of selenium then the Diamond V selenium yeast, which is very concentrated and it would take me like 10 years to go through a 50lb bag (all I can get it in) and it goes bad in 2.

 

[Our7Wonders]

I'm working in the kelp as well - I've only had them a few weeks now - I've been slowly adding in the supplements that I want to have them on. Just finally got them to take their minerals - now they love it - and just switched from a couple weeks of daily probios (as they transitioned and settled in) to Diamond V - next is the kelp (I think it's korivin - it's the stuff from Azure). I'm glad to know your goats have done well on it. Do you give it free choice or do you have an amount that you supplement with? If you dose it, how much do you use and at what intervals?

Thank you - I love being able to network ideas since I'm so new to this!

 

[AlaskanShepherdess]

I would give it to them free choice, but it seems like they would eat so much of it that I'm afraid of them eating too much because they just LOVE it and beg for more. So I give each goat 1/2 oz once a day (in the morning), which is I think 2 1/2 tsp? It's not much, and that is the recommended dose for all goats, not just ND's which I have. I mix it in with this grain mix. 1 C sprouted barley, 2 1/2 tsp kelp, 1 tsp comfrey leaf, 1 tsp red raspberry leaf, 2 tsp black strap molasses and 2 tsp kombucha vinegar or apple cider vinger. Eventually I will be changing that as I can, adding in more sprouted grains/seeds and herbs when I can get them, but that is what I am doing currently and they seem to be doing great. I'm just concerned about my copper levels right now. I would also be doing it differently if I had any does in milk. I give this equally to all which includes 1 buck, 1buckling. Two heavily pregnant does (due in early feb) and 2 does due in april and may.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

I was a little squeamish about the injections at first, but let me tell you! Anymore I would MUCH rather give an injection than drench. Easy peasy.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Just as with doctors for my family, I appreciate that vets are there when they're needed - I just don't like to HAVE to use them when they aren't needed. And it bugs me that I need them to maintain normal - not just when I can't maintain normal on my own - that is, for sickness or injury.

a lot of us do some of our own vetting so dont feel bad about taking a whack at it. sometimes its just lack of having a big animal vet around..... and some of us just do it b/c we can.

you might wanna check with your local extension agent - they'll have the best info on your local selenium situation. that way you'll know for sure.

and dont feel bad about not wanting to give shots. everyone has their limits so do what works for your barnyard. i had to work myself up for 3 days to give our pup a vaccine. she didnt care at all but now i need therapy
;-)

you might want to check with a local 4H club. we have our 4H kids do our shots for lots of reasons:

1. one of the kids is in training to be a vet tech
2. its cheap and they already have the meds and equipment - i usually just give them $20 to cover everything that i dont have to buy
3. it goes toward their "points" (???) for their 4H standing
4. it plugs you into the local goat community which is your best source for local info (parasites, local disease issues, possible customers to purchase your goat babies etc)

good luck!

 

[nmred]

OK, here is another question to throw into the mix I like the idea of using the selenium yeast but can't get it in my area, and shipping costs would really add to the cost making it too expensive for me. But...at Walmart I found selenium tablets in the supplement/vitamen section. They are made from selenium yeast and are 200 mcg per tablet. I bought some and am going to mix it in with their weekly herbal wormer (Molly's!). What do you think? Will one tablet each be enough? Should I just give a few weeks before delivery since that's when you give the BoSe and give the equivalent of 2.5 mg (15 tablets!) or is it OK to give every week and to all, even the wethers?

I'm thinking it's worth a try. The bottle was only $4 so I'm not out much if it doesn't work. I don't think they would overdose on this small amount every week??? What do you all think?

 

[AlaskanShepherdess]

Sounds like a good idea to me! I just don't know about the dosing. Dosing will be different then an injection. Just be careful because too much selenium can be fatal, although with using a whole food form you would really have to give quite a bit extra for the animals body to not be able to handle it.

I'll have to look in my local store for some, I had thought about that but thought that the price would be really high.

 

[nmred]

Thanks, CrownofThorns. I think it should work. I'm going to go ahead and try a tablet a week per goat and watch carefully to see how they do. They get a good goat mineral, too, so I'm not sure how much they need, if any. This is such a guessing game! It can be frustrating. But 200 mcg isn't much when compared to the 2.5 mg they get from the shots (how does a mcg compare to a mg, anyway ), so it should be safe.

By the way, where do you get your kelp from? I'd like to try some but have no idea where to get it? Is it a powder or just dried stalks? How do you put it out for them?

Love your ideas, and you seem very knowledgeable about all this. Thanks for sharing!