Flower of Sulpher - feed supplement

[LuckyRed]

I've already posted this on the main forum but not really got much of a response so I though I'd try again! A good friend of mine who is doing a course with Julian Midda (equine chiropractor and all-round complimentary horse-health person) and he recommended that she start feeding her horses a teaspoon of flower of sulpher every day as it is supposed to help the horses take up zinc, magnesium etc.

Does anyone else use it and is there a good explanation somewhere about what it actually does?

cheers

[Honor]

Somewhere in my several years worth of Smallholder Magazine back-issues is an article about flowers of sulphur. It was written by someone called Felicity Stockwell who is a goat-keeper and she uses it for just about everything. Externally, mixed with zinc and castor oil cream, it makes a really effective antiseptic cream. Mixed with pig oil, it's used as a dressing for feathers on heavy horses to help prevent mud fever and internally as a feed additive, it helps to keep parasite numbers down and improve hoof and hair condition. I did a search on the magazine site and there are three articles about gotas with references to F of S www.smallholder.co.uk/search/?search=flowers+of+sulphur

I'll dig through my old magazines to find the really good article which suggests how much to put into feed for different animals and how to make up various lotions and potions. I'll get back to you in a couple of days with the info.

[LuckyRed]

Thanks Honor - I was begining to wonder if, for the first time ever, I'd managed to bamboozle the DG!

[Honor]

OK - the bad news is that after searching through hundreds of back copies of Smallholder, I can't find the article that I was looking for BUT the good news is that I did find the notes that I took from it with the recipes and dosages.

Mud Fever Cream : warm 1 jar of petroleum jelly and add 2 tablespoons of Flowers of Sulphur - mix well

Udder Cream: warm 1 jar of petroleum jelly with one jar of zinc and castor oil cream. Add 2 tablespoons of Flowers of Sulphur and mix well. ( I use this on scrapes, fly bites etc and it works well).

The powder can be dusted on the feet of sheep and goats to treat foot-rot.

Felicity Stockwell's article recommended that the following amounts can be given in feed spread over the week:

Sheep and goats 1 - 1.5 ozs per week
Horses 2 ozs per week

I get mine from Norvite animal feeds up here in Aberdeenshire - they don't sell it ready bagged or tubbed but they use it as a feed additive in their own feed mixes and I get them to weigh me out a tubfull. It's probably less expensive that way than buying ready packaged stuff. What yopu might come up against is that not everyone calls it Flowers of Sulphur so you might have to try giving them alternative names before they understand what you want - also known as Sulphur Sublimed and Elemental Sulphur.

Hope this helps.

[Esmerelda]

I used earlier this winter to treat mud fever (mild-ish mudfever) I mixed it with Sudocrem and it worked very well, when Sudocrem on its own had failed. I bought it on Ebay, someone sells it in small quantities, I think I searched Ebay for Sulphur Powder, it is interesting that it is a useful feed supplement as well.

[LuckyRed]

Thanks Honor - I've been feeding about 0.5 tsp per meal, twice a day - I'll have to weigh it to see if it comes near the 2oz per week!

[Louise C]

Wonder if it would be worth asking Jackie Taylor - she might know about it because of the Magnesium connection?

[Persianhorse]

Dear Lucky Red,

Age, Weight , Climate and environment are important for the amount of nutritions giving to a horse.
Some of what is important for horse Nutritions and Managements,
For example the hard working horse in our climate which the horse Sweats a lot these are so important 1-sodium 2- chloride 3- potassium 4- magnesium 5- sulfur. but the amount must be giving should be very exact and accurate, Age, Weight , amount of work horse does and how much SWEATING has to be taken into account, Our horses for the hot sun do sweat a lot,
It is good if you gradually take up the dose and not given at once in any kind of feeding, that is what we believe.

We have a saying old timers use to say Good Built Up horse sweats less and from experience I find that true, but also we can not make a general rule for that it is just a saying.
We have a special Word for that saying because horse keepers strongly believe in it.

Wish you the best,
PH.

[ladynowak]

Interesting PH How do you go about feeding chloride (are you sure you don't just mean sodium chloride aka salt?), potassium, magnesium and sulphur? How do you decide exactly how much they need? Do you have to find the sources of them naturally or is it readily available in powder or liquid form commercially as it is here?

[mandal]

I'd be interested in the helping absorb magnesium etc bit too.
I wonder though, if it has an antibacterial effect whether it's benefits would out weigh the possible disruption to gut flora?

[Persianhorse]

Hi,
Hope this would help,
myhorseuniversity.com/online_courses/premier_courses/nutrition

[megansmum]

I use sulphur with pig oil for heels it keeps the feathers nice and I put it on manes and tails in the summer' flies don't like the oil' you can get it from the people who supply the heavy horse brigade