ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Producer Knowledge and Application of Mineral Supplementation in Sheep Farming Systems
Provisionally accepted
- The Pennsylvania State University (PSU), University Park, United States
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Minerals are critical for ruminant health, reproduction, and productivity, yet deficiencies in grazing systems are common worldwide. This study characterized mineral supplementation practices among Pennsylvania sheep producers and evaluated their knowledge, perceptions, and diagnostic approaches. An anonymous Qualtrics survey, conducted from March to August 2024, yielded 168 valid responses from sheep producers statewide. Most respondents managed small flocks (<20 ewes) and rated minerals as "very important" for both health (77.8%) and reproduction (78%). The majority (91.0%) provided supplemental minerals to their animals at certain or all stages of production. Commercial mineral mixes (72.0%) and salt/mineral blocks (29.8%) were the most frequently used delivery methods, with decisions primarily guided by producer experience, extension recommendations, and peer advice. Interestingly, only 30.7% of respondents had tested their soil/forage and only 9.0% had tested animals for mineral deficiencies, despite recognizing the importance of minerals for health and productivity. Reported health concerns included diarrhea, teeth grinding, and milk fever, while key reproductive challenges were mastitis, weak lambs, and stillbirths. Cost constraints, perceived adequacy of pasture, and flock size were cited as reasons for not supplementing. These findings highlight strong awareness of mineral importance but limited adoption of diagnostic testing, suggesting potential gaps in targeted supplementation that may be more economical.
Keywords: Sheep, Minerals, supplementation, Reproduction, nutrition
Received: 28 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Stenhouse, Helbus, Clemens and Yankocy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Claire Stenhouse, cms9086@psu.edu
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