Calcium deficiency leads to dystocia and even stillbirth. Pregnant sheep overwintering should beware of osteomalacia.

Pregnant sheep need not only their own nutrition, but also the growth and development of sheep fetus. In winter, due to cold grass and low temperature and light, the vitamin D of pregnant sheep exposed to sunlight is reduced. If calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D are not supplemented in time, the bones are easy to soften, resulting in dystocia, postpartum paralysis, congenital rickets, osteomalacia, and even stillbirth. To prevent osteomalacia of pregnant sheep in winter, we should do the following:

Pregnant sheep

(1) strengthen nursing and increase light. Repair the enclosure in time before winter. The enclosure is best chosen in the leeward to the sun, cold weather covered with plastic film and grass curtains. The sheepfold should accumulate fertilizer frequently, change soil frequently, and keep the sheepfold clean and warm. Drink hot soup and hot water to the sheep, and avoid feeding frozen grass and frozen water. Less light in winter, seize the sunny noon, let the pregnant sheep bask in the sun more.

2 silage and ammoniated feed should be fed. The green corn stalk and sweet potato vine were cut short and made into silage and ammoniated feed, which not only saved concentrate and solved the problem of feed shortage, but also had good palatability and could meet the needs of pregnant sheep.

(3) reasonable collocation of feed, adding vitamins, calcium and phosphorus. In addition to feeding silage to pregnant sheep, we should also supplement substances containing vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus, such as fish meal, bone meal, eggshell, etc., and store and feed green vegetable leaves, carrots, alfalfa, sweet potatoes, paulownia leaves and other feeds to supplement the nutrients lacking in straw feed.

(4) take preventive medicine and take preventive measures. Preventive medication should be given to thin pregnant sheep as soon as possible to eliminate hidden dangers. The solution is that calcium gluconate tablets can be taken together with cod liver oil pills. Cod liver oil pills contain vitamins An and D, which not only promote calcium absorption, but also deposit calcium and phosphorus in bones. Medication time, depending on the physique of pregnant sheep, generally 2-4 weeks.