# Copper in diet



## alsea1 (Nov 13, 2013)

I am thinking that Goldie my nubian may be copper deficient.
She has the poor hair coat.
Anemic despite recent worming
No weight gain despite being fed well.
I am going to give her copper bolus.
Can anyone tell me how long it takes for this treatment to improve the goat.
Approximately. 
I am going to give Goldie one more shot at being my milk goat.


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## alsea1 (Nov 14, 2013)

I am waiting for the copper bolus to arrive.
In meantime I got some power punch for her.
I gave her an ounce of that and 5ml of vit. b complex.
This morning she was more int in eating.  
LOL, so much for not molly cottling her.


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## Southern by choice (Nov 14, 2013)

I saw your post the other day but didn't really have an answer. Friends I know that are in other counties that are copper deficient have given the copper. I think it takes some time to see results, if I recall correctly several months.
It might be advantageous to do a blood draw and have a mineral analysis done. Expect to pay around $35 but it will give you good data and a good place to target possible deficiencies. I find you save $$$ by having the data, it takes the guesswork out of it. 

Molly coytling... nah.... that's just a _"well it won't hurt to just try this first"_...


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## alsea1 (Nov 14, 2013)

yEAH. i HATE GIVING UP.
If its just a maint. thing then thats fine. She just may be more sensitive than the others.
Although now that I'm thinking about it growth rates have been a bit crummy compared to the sheep.  So I'm really thinking copper def. 
I provide loose mineral but have noted they don't appear to eat much of it.
So  I will try this on everyone.
Blood draw would be good idea.  May do that just to see whats up.


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## elevan (Nov 14, 2013)

It can take several months to see results using copper oxide wire particles (copasure).

I agree with Southern...you might want to have a mineral analysis done.  Toxicity can mimic deficiency and then you'd be giving even more copper where it's already a problem.

Remember that they get copper from the browse they eat, hay, grain and supplements that you give...it all must be added up to figure out how much copper they are getting, a daunting task indeed.  A mineral analysis is the easier way to go.


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## goatboy1973 (Nov 17, 2013)

I use the Copasure copper capsules. It took about 3 weeks for my goats to have a shiny hair coat and a noticeable weight gain. The insert info said to administer every 6 months. All a person needs to do is call their local Ag Extension office and ask about their copper levels in their area.


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## alsea1 (Nov 17, 2013)

Good idea goatboy. I will do that. I have been looking for info regarding the pacific northwest area regarding selenium and copper and such. The ag guy should be able to tell me whats up real quick. Duh. Shoulda thought about that ages ago. Thank you.


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## goatboy1973 (Nov 17, 2013)

alsea1 said:


> Good idea goatboy. I will do that. I have been looking for info regarding the pacific northwest area regarding selenium and copper and such. The ag guy should be able to tell me whats up real quick. Duh. Shoulda thought about that ages ago. Thank you.



Alsea1, glad I could be of assistance. I find that the local Ag Extension office is a great wealth of knowledge and if often not used as much as it should. It is funded by tax $$$ that we all pay and most all their services are pretty much Free.


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## Southern by choice (Nov 17, 2013)

I agree with goatboy1973 ... for a quick reference for all minerals you can look here. State/county.

http://mrdata.usgs.gov/geochem/doc/averages/countydata.htm


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## alsea1 (Nov 17, 2013)

I checked that out Southern.
Thats a cool website.  Now I just need to learn how to use those stats.
I think I may have to take my goat to the vet and find out just what excactly is going on in her body. 
She may have a problem I cannot fix on my own. We noted today that she turns her head oddly.  So now I'm thinking that for whatever reason her rumen is off and not making b vits. LOL Without bloodwork and a vet its all a big guessing game. I was hoping to bring her thru this without costing hundreds of dollars. LOL


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## Southern by choice (Nov 17, 2013)

Alsea- I have a site I will try to retrieve (in my bookmarked folders LOL- I have a bajillion) it gives all the levels for small ruminants also toxicity levels as they can mimic deficiency. 
Hopefully it posts... it is in a book... one day I'm going to get this book! LOL 

http://books.google.com/books?id=1F...AQ#v=onepage&q=iron toxicity in goats&f=false


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## babsbag (Nov 21, 2013)

You also have to know where your hay is coming from if you don't buy it from a local farmer. Most of mine comes from outside of my county and while my county is fairly decent with selenium and copper the neighboring counties can be pretty dismal. My goats' diet consist primarily of alfalfa and not local browse so knowing my mineral levels doesn't help me much.


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## Southern by choice (Nov 21, 2013)

babsbag said:


> You also have to know where your hay is coming from if you don't buy it from a local farmer. Most of mine comes from outside of my county and while my county is fairly decent with selenium and copper the neighboring counties can be pretty dismal. My goats' diet consist primarily of alfalfa and not local browse so knowing my mineral levels doesn't help me much.



You are right on there Babs... Our county is high in copper and very good in Selenium but we are off the charts for iron and other minerals. The counties to the East of us are pretty much deficient in everything a goat needs. I stay away from hay that isn't in my county or my sister county.

Of course we do the blood testing on our goats so we can see how everything is working together.


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## OneFineAcre (Nov 21, 2013)

babsbag said:


> You also have to know where your hay is coming from if you don't buy it from a local farmer. Most of mine comes from outside of my county and while my county is fairly decent with selenium and copper the neighboring counties can be pretty dismal. My goats' diet consist primarily of alfalfa and not local browse so knowing my mineral levels doesn't help me much.



You definitely have to know where your hay is coming from.  I'm in a border line county.  Southern is west of me good on selenium and copper.  My county is marginal.  But, if my hay comes from east of me....  Very low on everything.


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## alsea1 (Nov 21, 2013)

My hay is local. Within twenty miles of my home


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## Jered Norris (Nov 29, 2013)

I live in Kansas and even though we are not copper deficient area I give copper boluses to my goats but if you do live in an area deficient in copper check the ingredients in your pellets or grain to make sure the there is at least 40 to 50 ppm of copper in it (I usually add goat balancer pellets into my feed just in case). Also if it doesn't work you may want to check for coccidiosis and signs of liver fluke.


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## alsea1 (Nov 29, 2013)

Thank you Jered. I will check those things as well.


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## Southern by choice (Nov 29, 2013)

Alsea, Jered made a good point and I had forgotten all about flukes. One doe that we had come in (Kiko) was LOADED with flukes.... funny thing is most vets around here say "there are no flukes here" oh brother... anyway I have some links from my website I am posting here... the map is a good one. Since you are in a high moisture area and may have lots of snails.... here ya go.
BTW- the doe was treated with Ivermectin Plus 3 treatments (orally) each one given 10 days apart.
the following are other links that may be helpful :

map and egg pics-goat-link.com/content/view/152/#.UfObNdLOuuI
story and info-  www.dairygoatjournal.com/87-1/the_liver_fluke/
meds chart-www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/pest-insects/liver-fluke


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## alsea1 (Nov 29, 2013)

Yes. We have slugs, snails, salamanders you name it


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## Southern by choice (Nov 29, 2013)

Those links are good... we are loaded too. That is why we have ducks and geese to keep it down. We have to really watch for lungworm here. Since the geese and ducks no issues. Unreal here... thousands of snails, slugs, lizrds, skinks salamanders.
Frogs and toads... they bring in the tapeworm too.


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## Bayleaf Meadows (Jun 5, 2017)

This is not an endorsement, but I am personally intrigued by the information describing this free course on copper in goats.  
http://thriftyhomesteader.teachable.com/p/copper-deficiency
They mention foaming at the mouth, who knew?


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## Hens and Roos (Jun 5, 2017)

we have several goats whose coats look thin/patchy- have to look into doing a blood sample for a mineral analysis test.  We offer the loose mineral and ours eat it like candy


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