Minerals Resources Lecture: 2009, Dr. Sylvia Kehoe, UW—River Falls Textbook: The Veterinary Technician’s Pocket Partner, Marisa BauerResources Walter J. Taylor Agricultural Educator and Co-FFA Advisor Plymouth Comprehensive High School

Learning Targets Identify the functions of various macro and micro minerals in animal nutrition. Describe the symptoms of an animal’s body given a toxicity or deficiency of a mineral.

Minerals TBA

Minerals TBA

Helpful Abbreviations Abbreviations – Y = Young – C = Cattle – Ch = Chickens – H = Humans – S = Swine – Sh = Sheep – T = Turkeys – A = Adults

Minerals Macro minerals Macro minerals – Calcium: Rickets, osteoporosis, poor growth (A); muscle cramps, convulsions (H) – Phosphorus: Rickets (Y), osteoporosis (A), anorexia, pica, low fertility – Magnesium: anorexia, poor productivity, tetany (A); weak crooked legs (S) – Potassium: Muscular weakness, paralysis (H); abnormal electrocardiograms, unsteady gait, weakness, pica (A) – Sodium: Anorexia, muscle cramps, mental apathy (H); dehydrated appearance, craving for salt, weight loss (A) – Chlorine: Depressed growth – Sulfur: Reduced gain or loss of weight (C, Sh); loss of wool (Sh)

Minerals Micro (Trace) minerals Micro (Trace) minerals – Chromium: Impaired ability to metabolize glucose – Cobalt: Primarily ruminants; symptoms similar to cobalamin emaciation anemia, fatty degeneration of the liver – Copper: Anemia; when coupled with high Mo and/or sulfate, swayback or enzootic neonatal ataxia, loss of pigment in hair or wool (C and Sh); bone abnormalities, cardiovascular lesions, reduced egg production reproductive failure – Flourine: Excessive tooth decay (H) – Iron: Anemia and associated poor productivity, very common in young pigs

Minerals Micro (Trace) minerals Micro (Trace) minerals – Manganese: Lameness and shortening and bowing of the legs, enlarged joints (Y); perosis (YCh and YT); reduced egg shell thickness (ACh and T); weakness, poor sense of balance; crooked calf disease (C), poor fertility (C) – Molybdenum Reduced growth rates (not very common) – Nickel: Prenatal mortality, unthriftiness, decreased growth rate (YCh, T, YS) – Selenium: Nutritional muscular dystrophy (Y), exudative diathesis (YCh, T); liver necrosis (YS); heart failure (YC); retained placenta (AC) – Zinc: Poor growth, anorexia, parakeratotic lesions on head, neck, belly and legs (C, Sh, S); perosis, abnormal feathering (YCh, T); poor testicular development, slow wound healing (H, other species)