[Jacob-list] Stress, Mineral Deficiency, or what?

[Linda]

I've never heard of this happening with sheep, but I know that copper deficiency 
will cause loss of color in black rabbits.  It's probably not the same thing - just 
interesting.

Linda

On Sun, 10 Mar 2002 16:23:46 EST, MarmontJacobs at aol.com wrote:
>Hi all,
>Great to read about everyone's lambs...Today I was shearing a couple
>
>of shearling ewes - just in case we in the UK get to show this
>year...when I
>again came across something that puzzled me last year. Last year, I
>outwintered the shearling ewes with hay and a mineral lick, plus a
>feed block
>in the colder weather which wasn't much. When I came to shear them
>in May,
>they all had a "break" line in their fleece especially noticeable
>around the
>neck where the wool was thinner and markedly grey in the dark fleece
>over
>about half an inch - corresponding I suppose to around February time
>when we
>had a cold snap.
>Today I found the same on one of the two shearlings - this time all
>
>inwintered with minerals, block, and hay (not home grown this year
>due to
>foot and mouth and therefore not having any possible homegrown
>deficiencies)!
>The two young ewes I kept back from the previous year have recovered
>their
>dark wool. Any ideas as to the cause? I have heard of breaks in
>fleece, but
>never loss of colour.
>Trisha M-S
>Marmont Jacobs, Norfolk, England
>
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