Home › Livestock Farming › Article

What to do when deer bite wool? Rock salt can be used for prevention and control

Livestock Farming 0 views
Deer wool-biting disease, also called pica for wool, is a chronic metabolic disease caused by disorders of the digestive tract and nervous system functions, resulting in abnormal taste. The main causes are that in late winter and early spring, long-term feeding of rain-soaked, sun-dried hay or improper feeding management, incomplete nutrition, and excessive deer herd density can all cause the disease. The incidence rate sometimes reaches 100%. At the beginning of the disease, only individual deer gnaw and bite, and later most deer bite each other, and some also eat the bitten-off wool, swallowing it in clumps after slight chewing, and as the stomach moves it can roll into

Deer wool-biting disease, also called pica for wool, is a chronic metabolic disease caused by disorders of the digestive tract and nervous system functions, resulting in abnormal taste. The main causes are that in late winter and early spring, long-term feeding of rain-soaked, sun-dried hay or improper feeding management, incomplete nutrition, and excessive deer herd density can all cause the disease. The incidence rate sometimes reaches 100%.

At the beginning of the disease, only individual deer gnaw and bite, and later most deer bite each other, and some also eat the bitten-off wool, swallowing it in clumps after slight chewing, and as the stomach moves it can roll into balls or mix with plant fibers in the stomach to gradually form wool balls, which mostly remain in the rumen. If the wool ball is stuck in the abomasum or intestinal tract, it causes loss of appetite, malnutrition, and even causes individual deer to become weak, and some are underdeveloped. Such fawns often die in about 7 days, causing serious economic losses.

Rock salt, also called stone salt, exists in solid form in nature and mainly contains more than 10 mineral elements such as Ca, C1, Na, K, Fe, Gu, Zn, and S10. Among animals, ruminants such as cattle, sheep, and deer like to lick it. **Starting in October 1994, the Aral Deer Farm, in addition to measures such as reasonably matching feed, strengthening management, expanding pens, and reducing deer herd density, also set up salt troughs in the deer pens and placed large blocks of solid rock salt (3-4 kg/block) for the deer to lick according to their needs. The annual incidence rate was reduced by 97%, appetite increased significantly, and body condition was much better than in previous years. Apart from individual deer developing wool-biting disease, which were promptly isolated, there was no impact on production. Within 3 years, wool-biting disease was effectively controlled, and the breeding rate was greatly improved.

Related Articles