Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-cnmwb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-16T22:12:48.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The influence of copper deficiency on the fleeces of British breeds of sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

H. J. Lee
Affiliation:
From the Division of Biochemistry and General Nutrition of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, University of Adelaide, South Australia

Extract

The fleeces of Border Leicester, Romney Marsh, Lincoln and Dorset Horn ewes which were confined for 3 years to copper-deficient pastures at Robe, in South Australia, have been studied.

As the copper status of the untreated ewes fell, their fleeces revealed abnormalities identical with those encountered in similarly copper-deficient Merino and Merino crossbred sheep.

The crimp characteristic of each breed was lost and straight, ‘steely’ fibres were produced. The capacity for crimp formation returned immediately when the copper status was restored.

Ewes which received regular copper supplements grew normal wool throughout the experiment. Supporting analytical data are presented.

The absence of this specific lesion from the fleeces of copper-deficient British breeds of sheep elsewhere is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1956

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bennetts, H. W. (1932). Aust. Vet. J. 8, 137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennetts, H. W. (1943). J. Dep. Agric. W. Aust. 20, 40.Google Scholar
Bennetts, H. W. & Beck, A. B. (1942). Bull. Coun. Sci. Industr. Res. Aust. no. 147.Google Scholar
Bennetts, H. W. & Chapman, F. E. (1937). Aust. Vet. J. 13, 138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clare, N. T., Cunningham, I. J. & Perrin, D. D. (1945). N.Z. J. Sci. Tech. A, 26, 340.Google Scholar
Cunningham, I. J. (1949 a). N.Z. J. Sci. Tech. A, 31, 42.Google Scholar
Cunningham, I. J. (1949 b). Copper deficiency diseases in New Zealand and the relation thereto of dietary molybdenum, 14th Int. Vet. Congr. Lond., Sec. 4(a), (ii).Google Scholar
Cunningham, I. J. (1950). Copper and molybdenum in relation to diseases of cattle and sheep in New Zealand. Symposium on Copper Metabolism (McElroy, W. D. and Glass, B., ed.), p. 246. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.Google Scholar
Cunningham, I. J. (1951). Trace mineral and vitamin deficiencies in animals in New Zealand. British Commonwealth Scientific Official Conference (Specialist Conference in Agriculture, Australia, 1949), Proc. p. 272. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Dick, A. T. (1944). Aust. Vet. J. 20, 298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dick, A. T. (1952). Aust. Vet. J. 28, 234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunlop, G., Innes, J. R. M., Shearer, G. D. & Wells, H. E. (1939). J. Comp. Path. 52, 259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, H. H. (1951). Copper and molybdenum in relation to diseases of cattle and sheep in Great Britain. British Commonwealth Scientific Official Conference (Specialist Conference in Agriculture, Australia, 1949), Proc. p. 293. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Harvey, J. M. (1952). Aust. Vet. J. 28, 209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hubble, G. D. (1946). Bull. Coun. Sci. Industr. Res. Aust. no. 204.Google Scholar
Hunter, A. H., Eden, A. & Green, H. H. (1945). J. comp. Path. 55, 19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leavell, Gladys & Ellis, N. R. (1934). Industr. Engng Chem. (Anal, ed), 6, 46.Google Scholar
Lee, H. J. (1951). J. Dep. Agric. S. Aust. 54, 431, 493.Google Scholar
Lee, H. J. & Moule, G. R. (1947). Aust. Vet. J. 23, 303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marston, H. R. (1946). Nutrition and wool production. Soc. Dyers and Colourists. Proc. Symposium on Fibrous Proteins, p. 207.Google Scholar
Marston, H. R. & Lee, H. J. (1948 a). J. Agric. Sci. 38, 229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marston, H. R. & Lee, H. J. (1948 b). Aust. J. Sci. Res. B, 1, 376.Google Scholar
McClymont, G. L. (1954). Agric. Gaz. N.S.W. 65, 646.Google Scholar
Moule, G. R. (1948). Qd Agric. J. 67, 157.Google Scholar
Perold, I. S. (1951). Manganese and copper deficiencies in the South coastal region of South Africa. British Commonwealth Scientific Official Conference (Specialist Conference in Agriculture, Australia, 1949) Proc. p. 136. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Peters, J. P. & Van Slyke, D. D. (1931). Quantitative Clinical Chemistry, 1, 524. London: Bailliere, Tindall and Cox.Google Scholar
Schulz, K. C. A., Van der Merwe, P. K., Van Rensburg, P. J. J. & Swart, J. C. (1951). Onderstepoort J. Vet. Sci. 25, 35.Google Scholar
Stewart, J. (1951). Some aspects of mineral deficiency diseases of farm animals in Britain. British Commonwealth Scientific Official Conference (Specialist Conference in Agriculture, Australia, 1949), Proc. p. 281. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Stewart, J., Farmer, V. C. & Mitchell, R. L. (1946). Nature, Lond., 157, 442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, H. (1922). J. Biochem. (Japan), 2, 173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar