Sulphur

Uses: Feed Supplement | Parasiticide

In its native form, sulphur is an abundant, yellow crystalline solid. It can be found as the pure element and as sulphide and sulphate minerals. It is an essential element for life and is found in two amino acids. In agriculture, its uses are primarily as a livestock supplement, fertilizer, insecticide and fungicide. Sulphur must be present in the diets of ruminants to allow them to synthesize certain amino acids (cysteine, cystine and methionine), vitamins (thiamin and biotin) and enzymes in the rumen. Sulphur probably is the oldest known pesticide in use. The Greek poet, Homer, described the benefits of “pest-averting sulphur” 3,000 years ago.

Benefits as a Feed Supplement

In sulphur-deficient diets, supplementation improves performance by enhancing the synthesis of bacterial proteins in the rumen and improving the balance of amino acids.

Cattle and Dairy:

• Improves digestion, weight gain and carcass grading.
• Increases resistance to internal and external parasites, and increases supply of microbial proteins in the rumen that speed up the digestion of fibres.
• Increases plasma and urinary calcium excretion.
• Increases production of milk solids, milk fat, milk protein and milk casein.
• Reduces HCO3 (bicarbonate) levels in the blood.

Hogs:

• Improves digestion.
• Increases resistance to internal and external parasites.
• Controls feed intake.

Sheep and Goats:

• Improves digestion of dry matter, fibre and cellulose, and improves nitrogen balance.
• Increases resistance to internal and external parasites, feed intake, wool and meat production, and weight gain.
• Improves strength of wool.
• Increases wool clips (up to 33%) and survival rates for lambs.
• Reduces poisoning from prussic acid when sheep graze on wilted pastures.

Directions for Use as a Feed Supplement

Cattle and Dairy:

• 0.18 – 0.25% of diet dry matter.
• Dairy Feed: 3 lb/ton or 1.3 kg/ tonne.
• Beef Feed: 2 – 3 lb/ton or 0.9 – 1.3 kg/tonne.

Hogs:

• Sow Feed: 2 lb/ton or 0.9 kg/tonne.
• Hogs: 0.07 oz/2.2 lb feed or 2 g/kg feed.

Sheep:

• Sheep need more sulphur than other ruminants to synthesize wool. The nitrogen/sulphur ratio of their diets has a significant effect on production.
• To maximize the use of dietary nitrogen by microorganisms in the rumen, the ratio of nitrogen/sulphur should not be greater than the ratio of those elements in bacterial cells.
• The ratio of the increment of nitrogen/sulphur was 13.5 when sulphate was added to a sulphur deficient diet. Therefore, the nitrogen/sulphur ratio in the feed should not be greater than 13.5.

Horses:

• Horses are not sulphur – deficient as a rule. Toxicity is unlikely to be a problem unless they consume large doses (0.4 – 0.8 lb or 200 – 400 g) by accident.
• Sulphur is normally included in a mineral premix or concentrate and therefore rarely used as an individual feed ingredient. Talk to your nutritionist or premix supplier to make sure you are feeding appropriate amounts. Report any deficiencies so that your premix can be reformulated to address your particular conditions.

Benefits as a Parasiticide

• Is non-toxic for mammals.
• Improves shine to coat.
• Is effective against mange, ticks, fleas, lice, and mites.

Directions for Use as a Parasiticide

For External Use:

• Dust 99% concentration to control lice and other external parasites.
• Blend 1:1 with diatomaceous earth and rub into the animal’s coat.

For Internal Use:

Cattle and Dairy:

• Feed two weeks on, two weeks off at 3 lb/ton or 1.3 kg/tonne along with 7 – 10 lb/ton or 3 – 4.5 kg/tonne of diatomaceous earth.
• Make a sulphur salt block available.

Packaging

• Granules to use as a feed supplement.
• Powder to use as a parasiticide with diatomaceous earth.
• 2.2 lb or 1 kg bags
• 50 lb or 22.6 kg bags

Safety

• Keep sulphur dust to a minimum as it readily catches fire.
• Keep away from flames or sparks.
• Ground handling equipment to avoid static electricity.
• Avoid breathing fumes from sulphur fires.
• Do not mix with chlorates, nitrates or other oxidizing agents that may contribute to explosions.
• Sulphur will react with alkalis or alkaline earths.
• Sulphur may irritate nasal passages, skin and eyes.
• Wash liberally with mild soap and water.