effect of different levels of molybdenum, sulphur and iron on copper absorption and fiber quality‏ ‏in markhoz goat and sanjabi sheep

an experiment conducted to evaluate the level of molybdenum, sulphur and iron ‎supplement on the copper status and clinical deficiency in iranian sheep and goat. eight of one ‎year -old sanjabi sheep and markhoz goats housed in individual crates in animal house of razi ‎university. animals fed with the same basal diet which was supplemented with different levels of ‎minerals of mo, s and fe during five months experiment. blood samples were collected in edta ‎containing tubes to measure plasma copper and thiomolybdate. wool and mohair samples were ‎collected by taking patch samples (10 × 10 cm2) from the mid-side area of the animals every ‎three weeks to measure copper content and quality parameters. supplementing the diet with 30 ‎mg molybdenum, 400 mg iron and 2.5 g sulfur /kg dm produced sub clinical copper deficiency ‎with minor dipigmentation of fleeces and mohair and poorer crimp being observed. the ‎response to high levels of molybdenum, iron, and sulfur in sheep and markhoz goat was ‎different. the fiber diameter significantly reduced after four months of experiment especially in ‎goat mohair.‎