Response to selenium supplementation of sheep grazing cultivated pastures in the Natal Midlands

The response to selenium supplementation of sheep grazing cultivated pastures was investigated on different farms in the Natal Midlands, Republic of South Africa. Over a period of one year, a significant (P < 0.01) improvement of 18.2% in live mass gain and of 13.7 and 15.8% (P < 0.05) in greasy and clean wool production, respectively, was measured in response to selenium supplementation in young ewes at the Cedara Research Station. In ewes injected with a long-acting barium selenate product, the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in the erythrocytes was maintained at elevated levels, above that of the control group, for almost 2 years. On 6 private farms, mature ewes were dosed approximately 6 weeks before mating, with a long-acting intraruminal selenium pellet. On 2 of the farms, a significant improvement (P < 0.05) in fertility of ewes was observed with no response to supplementation in the birth mass, lamb growth rate, or in lamb mortality. The long-acting pellets maintained elevated erythrocyte GSH-Px activity in the ewes for approximately one year. Although sheep on some farms in the Natal Midlands responded to selenium supplementation, it seems advisable to establish the selenium status of a flock before embarking on a supplementation programme. The risk of an excessive selenium intake, through the inadvertent supplying of selenium in different feed sources, has been demonstrated and should be guarded against.