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The potential toxicity of copper-rich animal excreta to sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

N. F. Suttle
Affiliation:
Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh EH17 7JH
J. Price
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
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Summary

1. The true availability of Cu in animal excreta and pasture dressed with excreta was assessed in three experiments from the responses in plasma Cu concentration of initially hypocupraemic ewes repleted with diets containing different Cu sources.

2. Herbage from a sward treated with Cu-rich pig slurry contained a larger proportion of available Cu than untreated herbage (0·058 v. 0·047; P<0·05, Experiment 1). Herbage Cu content was also increased from 7·3 to a maximum of 10·2 mg Cu/kg DM by slurry application.

3. Availability of Cu in dried pig slurry (DPS) and Cu sulphate was similar and lowered from 0·068 to 0·040 in both sources by increasing the sulphur content of the diet from 1 g/kg in Experiment 3 to 3 g/kg in Experiment 2. Availability of Cu in dried poultry waste (DPW) was greater than that in DPS (P < 0·05).

4. Treatment with ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid extracted 64·3 % and 78·3% of the Cu in DPW and DPS, respectively.

5. The Cu toxicity hazard associated with the recycling of animal excreta of high Cu content is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1976

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References

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