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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
High levels of mineral supplementation to ewes in late gestation results in reduced blood serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration and a lowered efficiency of colostral IgG absorption at 24h post partum (Boland et al., 2003). Given that lambs are born hypogammaglobulinemic and are dependent on the absorption of immunoglobulins from colostrum for immunity in early life, this decrease in serum IgG concentration is likely to present a significant challenge to the neonatal lamb in relation to disease susceptibility. The aim of this experiment was to determine which element(s) in the mineral supplement are having the greatest effect in reducing colostral IgG absorption and if the removal of this element(s) from the formulation would result in a return to what might be considered as normal immunoglobulin absorption values.