Confusion over Selenium, advice needed

[jil101ca]

I asked my boss to bring me a fresh bottle of "Bo-Se" Different name here but same stuff. He missed understood and bought me a 2kg container of Squires Selenium and Vit E feed supplement. It says to feed 1-2 teaspoons twice per day. It also states not be fed with other sources of selenium. This is what they get now.

16% dairy Textured feed: selenium .4mg/kg
Vit E 60iu/kg
Goat Mineral (free choice) Selenium 30mg/kg
No Vit E listed on label
This is the new stuff....

This feed supplement would be Selenium 500mcg/0z
Vit E 1250iu/oz

#1-How do you know what is enough selenium & Vit E

#2-If I feed the supplement added to the grain would that replace the shot?

#3- if Mom is getting enough Selenium would it pass to the kid via milk?

#4- All of these say not to feed with other sources of Selenium, can you overdose a goat with selenium?

#5 Should i feed this supplment or get some injectable or are they getting enough?

I am very confused about this stuff and really wants to do what is best for Daisy who is getting rid to kid some time soon. Thanks for any help...

[Cannon_Farms]

You can overdose selenium, and really until you find out how defecient your forage is. Honestly from what you have stated, they dont need anymore because more than 3 ppm can be a toxic level.
The hardest thing to figure out is how much you really need. Contact your local ag extention for information on what minerals your ares is deficent in, for instance ours is almost free of selenium so I have make sure we get enough, up north they have an abundant supply and dont need anything more. Another reason why no mineral or feed can be trusted to provide every thing from one are to another.

[LaManchaPaul]

Selenium deficiencies: http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geochem/doc/averages/se/usa.html

[Cannon_Farms]

Thank you for posting that link Paul, I lost it. You wouldnt have the one for Canada would you as thats where this member is from.

[Bricheze]

Hey one thing I am wondering, it says that my area isn't very defecient of selenium, but I have to give BoSe shots at birth anyways, because my goats always have weak ankles and feet. My goats always look sooooo healthy when they go on pasture over the summer. Their coats get all glossy, they produce more milk, etc. But when I bring them back into their pens for the winter, they all start getting unhealthy again...

I think this is because they get all the nutrients that they need when they are out on pasture, and then when I put them back on their pens with just alfalfa, they stop getting those nutrients and become deficient in some areas.

So should I start supplementing them when they are on pasture? And how do I know what they are deficient of?

[Cheryl aka JM]

what do those numbers mean? What is a good number and what is a bad number we should be concerned with?
I live on the border between two counties~ one county has
min-0.100
max- 0.593
The other county has
min-0.100
max-0.338

What kind of information should I be taking from those numbers?

[hoofinitnorth]

Bricheze - from where does your alfalfa hay come? Look at that area on the selenium map but remember, there are vast differences from field to field, not just from region to region.

[LaManchaPaul]

Originally Posted by Cannon_Farms

Thank you for posting that link Paul, I lost it. You wouldnt have the one for Canada would you as thats where this member is from.

ooops. I didn't notice the OP location.

Nope, I haven't seen one for our northern neighbor.
Paul

[Bricheze]

Originally Posted by hoofinitnorth

Bricheze - from where does your alfalfa hay come? Look at that area on the selenium map but remember, there are vast differences from field to field, not just from region to region.

My friend buys all of the feed and alfalfa, because he gets a huge discount on it all. I usually just pay him a couple hundred dollars every year for my share. So I don't know where it comes from... well I know it comes from an IFA store, but I wouldn't know which one.

[Cannon_Farms]

pastures are prone to become mineral difficent, so I would advise you to have a soil test done. Just for the sake of showing a difference look at your surrounding counties.
Grass is like any crop, after growing so long and taking so much out, you have to eventually put something in.

[Bricheze]

We don't grow grass for my goats pasture, it's a ton of trees and weeds and very large (like .75 of an acre) area that the goats just go to during the summer, during the end of winter, spring, and beggining of summer it get's a chance to grow back and it does.

[jil101ca]

I spoke to the ministry of agriculture in my area. Very nice lady. She recommends that i still give the Bo-Se shot as I am in a very deficient area for selenium. The supplement my boss brought for me is to be fed with a feed with no added selenium for ex whole grains. The selenium levels in the feed and minerals I am feeding are for maintenance and not enough for a pregnant doe or new born. She also recommended re-treating the kids at 2 months of age and treating the bucks and other does twice a year for production reasons, low sperm count etc.

I'll have to buy the Bo-Se from another store, the bottle at my store expires in Oct 09 and would be a waste to buy. The boss can't get any in for another 2 weeks and Daisy should have it now.

PS: The lady also said the shot was to be given under the skin, is this correct? Also is this the same as Sub Q?

[Cannon_Farms]

yes it is sub q.
Keep in mind Im still learning, but if it comes down to you have to give a shot to get your goats to normal I would be feeding a higher selenium content suppliment. There are 2 i use, one is a pasture mineral for goats and cows, the other is a general compressed block for goats, cattle and sheep, however you have to provide copper if you use that block. I have as high as 30ppm in those minerals.

[pookshollow]

I'm pretty sure I've heard that around the Great Lakes is deficient in selenium and iodine - and you and I qualify for being near the Great Lakes! I remember some years ago hearing of a vet (!) losing a large portion of his lamb crop to white muscle disease. I know feeds sold around here are all supplemented with selenium, so you do have to be careful how much extra you give.

I tend not to automatically give extra selenium - if I have a kid that is over on its knuckles, I'll give it a shot, but that's about it. I feed a mineral that is manufactured fairly locally, so it contains adequate amounts of selenium.