Best selling bolus

KeleGal

Does anyone have any inclination as to what is the current favored/best selling trace element Lamb bolus in UK & Ireland?...Agrimin, Animax or Bimeda (Cosecure and Zincosel)

Thanking you

MayoAreMagic

Whatever about the best selling, Id love to see some research into how many sheep actually keep the bolus down the full prescribed time. I have found a few of them on the ground, and heard others tell a similar story.

A bit of a fad if you ask me

rangler1

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

Whatever about the best selling, Id love to see some research into how many sheep actually keep the bolus down the full prescribed time. I have found a few of them on the ground, and heard others tell a similar story.

A bit of a fad if you ask me

If you don't have deficiencies you don't need to use them, we did a lot of testing for copper here and left some lambs without boluses and there'd be difference in copper levels in the lambs at slaughter in favour of the ones that got the bolus, never checked the ones that got cobalt sel or iodine though, but I know I need cobalt and copper so just put the whole lot into them

ganmo

rangler1 wrote: »

If you don't have deficiencies you don't need to use them, we did a lot of testing for copper here and left some lambs without boluses and there'd be difference in copper levels in the lambs at slaughter in favour of the ones that got the bolus, never checked the ones that got cobalt sel or iodine though, but I know I need cobalt and copper so just put the whole lot into them

you'll nearly always get a response from copper, its nearly used as a growth promoter in some(non sheep) rations

MayoAreMagic

Don't really get what point you are trying to make here rangler. My point wasn't about not needing them, it was about sheep subsequently regurgitating them and not actually having the minerals available that the farmer assumes they do.

Very often, I find that guys end up drenching their animals regardless of having given them the bolus or not.

rangler1

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

Don't really get what point you are trying to make here rangler. My point wasn't about not needing them, it was about sheep subsequently regurgitating them and not actually having the minerals available that the farmer assumes they do.

Very often, I find that guys end up drenching their animals regardless of having given them the bolus or not.

We used to leave lambs without boluses a the start just to compare and do liver tests at slaughter and the tests would show that the bloused lambs still weren't deficient 5 mths later so the boluses were working till very recently.
But that was only the copper bolus
Just edited to say that Animax won't supply enough cobalt in a severely deficient situation but does supply about 75% of requirements for five mths and there seems to be enough in the grass her to supply the rest.
some people supplement it, but you'd need to be blood testing to be sure they need it

KeleGal

What company were these boluses from?

rangler1

KeleGal wrote: »

What company were these boluses from?

Animax

KeleGal

and how did you find administration of these boluses..did you have any difficulties and were there many regurgitated?

rangler1

KeleGal wrote: »

and how did you find administration of these boluses..did you have any difficulties and were there many regurgitated?

Takes a bit of time to learn how to do it alright, but I don't have any problem now, have never found one any where,
if they're going to regurgitate it, it's usually in the race, never even found one in the yard, we'd be putting either 2 or 3 diferent ones down at the same time

White Clover

rangler1 wrote: »

Takes a bit of time to learn how to do it alright, but I don't have any problem now, have never found one any where,
if they're going to regurgitate it, it's usually in the race, never even found one in the yard, we'd be putting either 2 or 3 diferent ones down at the same time

Find the same here when bolusing cattle. If it's going to come up, it will be up while they're in the crush. You have to go as far as the top of the gullet with the gun. They'll swallow then no problem.

brownswiss

rangler1 wrote: »

We used to leave lambs without boluses a the start just to compare and do liver tests at slaughter and the tests would show that the bloused lambs still weren't deficient 5 mths later so the boluses were working till very recently.
But that was only the copper bolus
Just edited to say that Animax won't supply enough cobalt in a severely deficient situation but does supply about 75% of requirements for five mths and there seems to be enough in the grass her to supply the rest.
some people supplement it, but you'd need to be blood testing to be sure they need it

. Just wondering if the above info is from blood tests on your farm or when you slaughtered your lambs ? Thanks

brownswiss

I gave boluses to 75% of the ewes a few weeks ago. Brought in the remainder today and they were in such great order that if they had received the boluses I would have considered them a great success. So how do farmers come to the conclusion that the boluses or drenches they use are such great products ?

There are so many variables. Soil type, grass quantity & quality, dosing to name but a few.

AntrimGlens

My soil is very deficient in selenium and iodine and the ewes were blood tested every couple of years and showed to be deficient in iodine. Scanning showed a higher percentage than acceptable empties despite them having been tipped. Since bolusing scanning rates have been up to high levels.

brownswiss

AntrimGlens wrote: »

My soil is very deficient in selenium and iodine and the ewes were blood tested every couple of years and showed to be deficient in iodine. Scanning showed a higher percentage than acceptable empties despite them having been tipped. Since bolusing scanning rates have been up to high levels.

...

When blood testing every couple of years how long before bloods test showed acceptable levels of selenium and iodine?