An Ounce of Nutrition

One of the big three disease threats to ruminants on feed is urinary calculi “water belly”. Sheep/goats are more susceptible to this condition and many factors contribute to the development of kidney/bladder stones:

1. (1)  High grain show rations in small ruminants with poor water quality increases the risk for your animals.

2. (2)  Minerals in your water source come into play and you can bet that the West Texas Region and our high alkaline well water is a concern.

3. (3)  Make sure your feed has the appropriate amount of ammonium chloride to acidify the urine ph. At Jacoby’s our show feed has the maximum amount we can safely add.

Even though rations are balanced in every respect, I like to top dress additional minerals and additional ammonium chloride for added protection. The best product to use for this cheap insurance is “Granite Sheep and Goat Mineral” from Jacoby’s—one ounce per day per head is all it takes. I recommend this product to my clients and my own lambs. It can be fed free choice or top dress and contains additional ammonium chloride. It comes in 50 lb bags and is inexpensive. Request your local Jacoby dealer to order some or call Reece at the mill at 325-286-4244.

If you are not feeding a complete mineral to your sheep/goats, I encourage you to do so! Thanks, and good luck with your stock!