Pre-Tupping Trace Elements: The September Job That Shows Up At Scanning
Downland Essential Sheep
Sustained Release boluses for breeding ewes over 40kg
Grass in September looks generous and tests poorly. Bulk is up, but sugars are falling, and the trace element picture in Scottish grazing has always been patchy — cobalt locked up on iron-rich and alkaline soils, selenium and iodine marginal across much of the central belt and the hills above it.
Ewes don't tell you about this. There's no clinical case. There's a tup working half-heartedly, a flock that cycles late and spreads over four weeks instead of two, and a scanning percentage in January that you can't quite explain.
Where Downland Essential Sheep fits
Downland Essential Sheep is a sustained-release rumen bolus for adult ewes, designed to be given pre-tupping or pre-scanning. One 48g bolus delivers, on average, per day for six months:
Cobalt — 0.8 mg
Iodine — 5.1 mg
Selenium — 0.4 mg
Suitable for ewes over 40kg. Packs of 40 boluses, 40 applications. Price: [PLACEHOLDER].
Why the delivery method matters more than the numbers
Most trace element failures aren't dosing failures — they're consistency failures. Drenches spike and fade. Lick buckets depend on which ewes actually come to them, and the shy ones that need it most often don't.
Downland's Essential boluses use eroding technology rather than leaching, releasing measured amounts daily with no lag period and no peaks and troughs. The bolus keeps a uniform density as it wears down, so the residue stays dense enough to sit in the reticulum rather than being regurgitated at 100 days. Every ewe gets the same dose, every day, whether she's boss ewe or bottom of the pecking order.
There's Scottish evidence behind the range, too. A University of Glasgow vet school study on a hill farm in eastern Scotland followed 795 lambs and found those given Downland's lamb bolus gained 49g a day more than unsupplemented lambs — 179g versus 130g, a 38% improvement. That trial used the lamb bolus rather than Essential Sheep, but it's the same delivery technology.
When should I bolus ewes before tupping?
Bolus at least two to three weeks before the tups go out, so trace element status is lifted before the ewes start cycling. One application lasts six months, which carries a mid-October tupping right through scanning and on to lambing.
Practically: do it at a handling you're already doing. Most flocks fold it into the pre-tupping gather alongside condition scoring, dagging and feet. It's a single bolus with a dedicated applicator — quick, even on big ewes.
About the copper version
Essential Sheep is also available with copper added, for flocks on genuinely low-copper pasture. Don't reach for it by default. Sheep tolerate copper poorly, and some Continental breeds — Texel and Suffolk types especially — are far more susceptible to accumulation, with housed sheep at higher risk again. Base that decision on blood or liver results and a conversation, not on a hunch.
Talk to us before you gather
Downland Essential Sheep is available from Ayr, Kinross, Lanark & Stirling, or from your local McCaskie sales rep. Our staff are AMTRA-qualified SQPs, so if you're unsure whether your ground is actually deficient, whether you need the copper version, or whether blood sampling first would be money better spent — ask. That's a five-minute conversation in September and an expensive guess in January.
Frequently asked questions
How many ewes will one pack do?
A pack contains 40 boluses and gives 40 applications — one bolus per ewe over 40kg. For a 200-ewe flock you'd need five packs.
Can I bolus at the same time as vaccinating or worming?
Yes. Boluses are routinely given at the same gather as other pre-tupping jobs. Check individual product datasheets, and ask your SQP or vet if you're combining several treatments at once.
What's the difference between Essential Sheep and Essential Lamb?
Essential Sheep is a 48g bolus for adult ewes over 40kg, lasting six months. Essential Lamb is a smaller mini-bolus for growing lambs over 25kg with a developed rumen, lasting four months.
Links:Downland Essential bolus guide (PDF) · FAS Scotland: guide to trace elements · SRUC on trace elements for sheep · Our Downland range
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