Sheep and Goat Science Commons^™

Detection Of Lupine Alkaloids In Earwax Of Sheep, Clinton A. Stonecipher, Stephen T. Lee, Benedict T. Green, Daniel Cook

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Lupines (Lupinus spp.) are a common plant species located on western U.S. rangelands. Most livestock death losses due to lupine toxicosis occur in sheep. Cattle are often affected due to the teratogenic nature of lupines in which crooked calf syndrome can occur. Earwax has been used to detect lupine alkaloids in cattle, but it is unknown if the alkaloids in lupine can be detected in the earwax of sheep. The objective of this study was to evaluate earwax as a noninvasive specimen to determine sheep exposure to lupine. Fifteen sheep (45 ± 3.8 kg body weight) were group housed …

A Case Study Of Suspected Sheep Losses Due To Chokecherry Not Death Camas, Kevin D. Welch, Clint A. Stonecipher, Stephen T. Lee, Daniel Cook, Benedict T. Green

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Death camas (Zigadenus paniculatus) is a toxic plant often associated with poisoning cases in livestock, especially in sheep, in the spring on mountain foothills. Consequently, when sheep are found dead in mountain foothills, and death camas is present, it is often implicated as the potential cause of death. However, this may be over simplistic as there may be other plants that may also contribute to, or are the cause of, death in sheep. In this study, we present a case of approximately 200 sheep out of a band of 400 that died within 24 hours of beginning to …

Continuous Exposure To An Aversive Mixture: A Means Of Maintaining Aversion In Sheep Averted To Geigeria Ornativa O. Hoffm. (Vermeerbos) - An Assessment, Leendert D. Snyman

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Establishing aversion to Geigeria ornativa only lasts for some time, after which the induced aversion disappears and sheep start eating G. ornativa again. This behavior is aggravated by the social influence of non-averted sheep in mixed grazing situations. Exposing sheep continuously to a so-called “aversive mixture”, containing an aversive substance (lithium chloride) and the sensory characteristics of the plant (hexane extract of G. ornativa) mixed with a tasty meal (maize meal), following an initial aversion treatment, resulted in sustained aversion to G. ornativa in the field. This method proved to be applicable to mixed grazing situations with averted and …

Toxicosis From Range Lupine Ingestion In A Research Herd Of Rafter 7 Merino Sheep, Benjamin J. Weigler, Walter F. Mandeville Iii, Scott Huber, Gary Mccuin, Fabrizio Caragena, Daniel D. Cook, Stephen T. Lee, Chris A. Pritsos

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

An outbreak of lupine alkaloid neurotoxicosis and death occurred in sheep grazed on rangeland areas of the Nevada Great Basin during the summer of 2023. Overall, 97 sheep died despite veterinary supportive care. Lupinus argenteus var. utahensis was implicated as the causative plant with high levels of lupanine (11.5 µg/mg) and spartiene (13.7 µg/mg) in collected and archived samples. Previous reports of sheep deaths due to lupine ingestion have not been recorded in this region. An increased abundance of the number plants producing seed pods having a high alkaloid content may have been associated with abnormally elevated levels of precipitation …

Livestock Preference For Endophyte-Infected Or Endophyte-Free Oxytropis Sericea, Ipomoea Carnea, And Ipomoea Asarifolia, James Pfister, Daniel Cook, Stephen T. Lee, Dale R. Gardner, Franklin Riet-Correa

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Fungal endophyte-infected forages have been shown to alter herbivore feeding preferences. The objective of this experiment was to compare the preference of cattle, sheep, and goats for plants containing (E+) and not containing (E-) fungal endophytes using freshly harvested Oxytropis sericea, Ipomoea carnea, and Ipomoea asarifolia. Goats and sheep rejected all forage choices regardless of endophyte status except for grass and alfalfa hay. Endophyte status had no influence on cattle forage preferences. Cattle rejected all Oxytropis sericea E+ and E- choices. Cattle discriminated between Ipomoea species, preferring Ipomoea carnea to Ipomoea asarifolia (P = 0.004). In all …

Does Experience With Sagebrush In Utero And Early In Life Influence Use Of Sagebrush By Sheep?, Juan J. Villalba, Fred Provenza, Ashley Longmore

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Learning from mother begins early in the developmental process and can have lifelong effects when it comes to foraging behavior. Pregnancy is not just an incubation period but a starting point for animal well-being and disease later in life. A better understanding of the effects that early exposure to unpalatable feeds impinges on their use later in life may help create management plans that utilize grazing animals to their full potential as landscape manipulators.

Thus, the objective of this research was to explore how experience in utero and early in life with sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata spp. tridentata) -a …