Goiter is an enlargement or swelling of the thyroid gland. Affected lambs have a swollen throat. They are often born with little or no wool. They are weak and often die of starvation. Treatment is usually unrewarding. But if the condition is not advanced, the lamb may survive.
Goiter in newborn lambs is due to a deficieny of iodine in the pregnant ewe’s diet. It can be prevented by providing iodized salt in the diet of gestating ewes. The salt mixture should contain 0.007 percent of available iodine. An iodine deficiency may also result in reduced yield of wool and reduced conception rate in the flock.
Well-fed hair sheep lambs often display a throat swelling that resembles goiter. It is not. It is often called “milk goiter.”