Capitalising on sheep management and feed with mineral support  

Australian sheep producers maximising growth rates and fertility have jumped at the ability to optimise their flocks’ performance with a convenient multi-trace mineral and B12 treatment. 

Thanks to the recently launched Marks-Min for Sheep injectable range, supplementing lambs, ewes and rams to capture the most benefit from genetics and management has never been easier.  

The Marks-Min for Sheep range contains trace minerals selenium, manganese, zinc, and B12 and is available with, or without, copper.  

Sold by Boehringer Ingelheim, marketing manager Tom Burrough said uptake of Marks-Min, particularly our low copper product, has been strong.

He said the creation of this product was underpinned by the huge investments farmers have been making into uplevelling their sheep production systems.  

“We are seeing more and more sheep producers pushing their systems - improving pastures, accelerating growth rates to market and increasing reproduction outcomes – and Marks-Min for Sheep supports this level of management and production,” he said.  

The demand for trace minerals has increased in recent years as producers push for greater reproductive success and understanding the role trace minerals play in the process increases.  

Boehringer Ingelheim technical manager Dr Gareth Kelly said the trace minerals in Marks-Min play a vital role in fertility, ovulation and embryo survival. 

The demand for Australia’s modern ewe is to be highly fertile. 

“Ewes carrying twins require additional trace minerals and energy in late gestation compared to single bearing ewes, and lactation also increases the demand,” Dr Kelly said. 

Marks-Min is an ideal way to supplement ewes pre-lambing with trace minerals and vitamin B12 to support ewe health and lamb growth. 

“The B12 in Marks-Min is vital for this and assists them to maintain a positive energy balance in times of high energy demand such as joining, lactation and growth, which also supports the animal’s ability to maximise the use of trace minerals,” he said. 

“To see how far the sheep industry has come, with its concentration on productivity, all we need to do is look back at the average marking rate 20 years ago, it was 80 per cent,” Dr Kelly said.  

“Improvements in management and genetics have lifted this rate by 1 to 2 per cent a year however, the nutritional requirements of these high performing animals are different to those that we farmed decades ago. 

“We can’t treat a Ferrari like it’s an old Commodore.”  

Australian dairy and beef cattle producers have been using Marks-Min products as a nutrient supplement for several years.

 It has provided a much-needed top up to improve trace mineral and B12 status in livestock at times of high trace mineral and energy demand, to optimise growth, reproduction, and immunity.  

Dr Kelly said supplementing cattle with trace minerals and B12 at critical times can deliver productivity and profitability benefits, such as heavier weaning weights and more fertile animals, leading to tighter calving and less disease.  

But unlike cattle, sheep are more susceptible to copper toxicity.  

Many don’t require copper supplementation and for those that do, they don’t need as much as cattle.  

That’s why Marks-Min for Sheep includes copper free and low copper options.  

Dr Kelly said copper is an essential trace mineral and more is required by sheep at times of high growth, lambing and lactation but too much can be toxic.  

“We suggest the best way to know which Marks-Min for Sheep product your business requires is to consult your animal health advisor and to begin with pasture testing,” he said.  

“This will tell you your copper concentration and whether it’s available or locked up by other minerals present in the pasture. If sheep will be responsive to supplementation, Marks-Min Low Copper for Sheep provides an appropriate dose designed specifically for sheep.”  

To get the most from the Marks-Min for Sheep range, lambs can be treated once they reach 15 kilograms liveweight, while the best time to inject ewes is four weeks pre-joining and four weeks pre-lambing. 

The optimum time to treat rams is 12-weeks pre-joining.  

Treatments can be timed with essential jobs such as pre-lambing crutching or pre-joining ram inspections for time efficiency.  

Marks-Min for Sheep products have a nil export slaughter interval (ESI), meat and milk withhold. 

As a global leader in the animal health industry Boehringer Ingelheim's more than 10,000 employees serve more than 150 markets worldwide.  

The company is one of the largest providers of vaccines, parasiticides and therapeutics, complemented by diagnostics and monitoring platforms.