Improving Lamb Growth and Resilience to Parasites Through Targeted Mineral Nutrition Strategies in Grazing Hair Sheep

Commodities

• Animals: sheep

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health, feed additives, feed management, mineral supplements, parasite control
• Education and Training: demonstration, extension, workshop

Hawai'i's small ruminant producers face persistent challenges from inadequate trace mineral nutrition and increasing resistance to common parasite control methods. This project seeks to answer the key research question: Can cobalt and copper slow-release boluses effectively address trace mineral deficiencies and improve parasite resistance in Hawai'i's sheep populations? To investigate this, the project will evaluate the effects of cobalt and copper slow release boluses on lamb mineral metabolism and resistance to gastrointestinal parasite infections. The research plan proposes a unique approach, as research exploring the potential relationship between cobalt and copper remains minimal. The project's results will provide insights for future research that will help improve our understanding of sheep nutrition. Outreach components will focus on communicating research findings through multiple methods (e.g. fact sheets, visual demonstrations, podcast episodes) to ensure they are effectively delivered to producers with different learning styles. Integrated research and robust outreach will empower producers with practical solutions to potentially improve animal production, increase farm profitability, and encourage a more resilient small ruminant industry in Hawai'i.

Research objectives will investigate slow-release boluses strategies by:

1) Evaluate the effects of cobalt, copper, and a combination of both, slow-release bolus supplementations by quantifying changes in circulating plasma trace mineral status and blood metabolites associated with lamb growth in grazing hair sheep.

2) Improve resiliency to gastrointestinal parasites in grazing hair sheep by evaluating key markers of parasitology, packed cell volume and fecal egg count, by implementing slow-release boluses supplementation strategies.

Education objectives include:

1) Educating stakeholders on trace mineral supplementation practices by developing digital educational resources to share project findings.

2) Developing and delivering producer focused educational resources and outreach to communicate project findings and provide practical information for stakeholders to make informed management decisions.

3) Organizing local educational events for small ruminant producers, students, and others involved in small ruminant production.