What are the symptoms of sheep pica? How to prevent sheep from eating indiscriminately?

Nowadays, there are more farmers raising sheep in rural areas, but it is not too difficult to find that in addition to eating all normal feed and forage, a flock of sheep will continue to be interested in non-nutritious non-feed that cannot be digested and absorbed, for example, some sheep eat plastic sheeting, hair, *, rags and so on. In fact, it is pica in sheep, because the metabolic function disorder causes abnormal taste buds to appear a variety of diseases syndrome, mostly produced in house-fed sheep, will eat indiscriminately. So what are the symptoms of sheep pica? What is the cause of the disease? How to prevent it?

First, illness

Sheep pica usually starts with poor digestion, followed by abnormal taste buds and pica symptoms. Sick sheep lick, bite, swallow feed or mat grass contaminated by feces, lick walls, grooves, bricks, tiles, etc., and increase their sensitivity to external irritation, followed by dull hair, iron deficiency anemia, and weight loss. Sheep sometimes have wool-eating habits, which are common in lambs.

Second, the cause of the disease

1. Lack of minerals, especially acetate. The lack of sodium can be caused by insufficient sodium in the feed or too much potassium salt in the feed.

2. Vitamin deficiency, especially the lack of B vitamins, because it is the composition of many enzymes and coenzymes that are closely related to metabolism, when it is deficient, it can cause metabolic disorders.

3. Lack of protein and carbohydrates.

III. Preventive measures

1. Ensure nutrition

According to the different growth and development of sheep and the nutritional composition of the production and manufacturing process, the balance of supply and demand must be based on the total amount of kinetic energy, protein, minerals (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, sulfur), nutrient elements (zinc, copper, iron, cobalt, etc.) and vitamins (A, D, E). Feed each other to ensure that the nutrients are omni-directional, scientific research and effective. Make sure the sheep drink plenty of drinking water. For increased production sheep and pregnant ewes, attention should be paid to the provision of high-quality protein feed.

2. Innovation management

Feeding should be carried out regularly, quantitative analysis, determine the breeder, do not feed frozen and moldy feed. In spring and winter, in addition to feeding green fodder and cost-effective wheatgrass, you can also add some fodder containing vitamins such as grain sprouts and maltose.

Scientifically arrange the relative density of a flock and do a good job of cleanliness and hygiene. In order to create an adequate home life and maintain the dryness and cleanup of the enclosure and sports grounds. Prevent sheep from parasite infection, avoid pica caused by cercariae, and disinfect a flock of sheep with a history of parasite infection on time. Let sheep moderate fitness exercise, multi-sun, enhance resistance, pay attention to avoid gastroenteritis, in order to facilitate the digestion and absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which is also a key countermeasure to prevent the disease.

3. Eliminate dirt

Immediately remove dirt such as plastic, rope, wood and nails in enclosures, sports grounds and grazing lands, so as to prevent sheep from swallowing, so as to form a good habit.

In view of the indigestion caused by swallowing plastic film, you can give stomach-invigorating drugs several times to promote rumen peristalsis, and according to ruminant, let the plastic fall back to the oral cavity to chew; or use acid laxatives to promote the excretion of plastics and harmful substances that remain in the digestive tract for a long time. If the treatment fails, rumen incision can be performed to remove the accumulated plastic hypoechoic area if the human condition of the sheep allows.

4. Lamb management method

For lambs, the nutritional composition of ewes during pregnancy should be considered to ensure that everything in the fetus is normal. After the lamb is born, lambs should be fed sufficient amount of colostrum as soon as possible, so as to improve the breast milk quality of ewes and strengthen the management of lamb feeding. On the one hand, to improve the feeding of lactating ewes; on the other hand, to train and feed suckling lambs in advance to make up for the feeding of lambs is not, well in the concentrate feed for lambs to appropriately improve bone meal, nutrient elements, and so on. In addition, it is also solved that lambs should be grazed moderately and insolated frequently.

Above is the relevant countermeasures for sheep to prevent random eating. once sheep eat because of bulimia and eat dirt such as rags, plastic bags, plastic film and so on, they will appear, their spiritual substance will be withered, their appetite will be reduced, their appetite will be reduced, and their mouth will flow with white foam. plastic film, rags, etc., in the rumen, it is difficult to regurgitate, in the middle and later stages, the sick sheep are restless, and when the sick sheep are more serious, they will slowly lose weight, which will lead to death. Therefore, sheep farmers should pay attention to it.