# Does white hair coming in mean copper defficiency?



## Our7Wonders (Jan 1, 2011)

I've read over and over on here about dark haired goats getting reddish hairs that meant copper was needed, but what about reddish colored goats with white hairs?  They don't have a lot - just white hairs around the tail head, and some white hairs along the back legs.  I don't know if it's increasing or if I'm just becoming more aware of it.  There was a spot on Ariel's leg that was missing hair when she first came here - though no sign of any skin disorder - it has since started to grow back in but I noticed that it's white hair that's filling in.

I thought I read on here somewhere that white hairs were NOT a sign of defficiency, but found this on the web today:



> Since I have 3 black goats, it was easy for me to tell they might be suffering from a copper deficiency. One sign is the loss of color in their hair. In black goats this usually means the hair takes on a reddish cast or turns a brownish red. It is mostly noticeable in the hind legs of black goats, but the color loss can appear on their backs and sides too. In other colored goats, the hair will begin to turn white. In my caramel whether, the hair on his sides and back was coming in white, so I knew that my whole herd was suffering from a copper deficiency.


If this is true then I think I need to bite the bullet and copper bolus.  Any thoughts?


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## AlaskanShepherdess (Jan 1, 2011)

I don't think lack of copper.. but other minerals such as low iron I know will cause white/gray hair in humans.....


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## ksalvagno (Jan 1, 2011)

Do they have rough coats?


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## Our7Wonders (Jan 1, 2011)

Coats seem pretty smooth to me.  Then again, I don't know any other goats to compare them to.  

In this picture below you can see the white hairs that are around Jasmine's tail - I don't know if these are newer - or if I just didn't notice them to begin with:  






Here's another that shows her tail:





And Ariel has the white hairs around her tail as well, though this pic doesn't show the color contrast very well.  Also (and you can *almost* see it int he picture - there's a spot down her back right leg that had some missing hairs when we first got her.  That spot is filling in with new hairs - but they are white:






The spot I'm referring to is about half way between her tail and the back of her knee - I know, it's hard to see here - I'll see if I can get a better pic of it later.


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## ksalvagno (Jan 1, 2011)

Actually, sometimes new hair grows in white. I have a rabbit that lost some fur from being picked on and it grew back in white. I would just keep an eye on them. They look good to me.


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## DonnaBelle (Jan 1, 2011)

My Nubian goats also have the sprigs of white, or light colored hair around their tails.

I think it's just the nature of those beasties.

Mine are in great condition, slick as a whistle, and have free choice gray minerals and their tails look just like yours do.

DonnaBelle


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Jan 2, 2011)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> Actually, sometimes new hair grows in white. I have a rabbit that lost some fur from being picked on and it grew back in white. I would just keep an eye on them. They look good to me.


I've had this experience with a goat as well.  The hair wasn't completely white but was a much lighter color when it grew back.  Several months later I can still clearly see the spot though all the coat is the same length.  I see it with dogs pretty often at work as well when they're clipped with a 40 or 50 blade due to skin problem, injury, or for surgery.  Sometimes it grows back in a lighter or darker color than the normal coat and the texture is crisper.  Seems like curly coated breeds seem more prone to this, but I can recall seeing it on a yorkie and a shih tzu in the past as well.

Back to the topic:  our kid born a few weeks ago is almost solid chocolate and has a few white hairs in his tail like Jasmine.  I don't think that's out of the norm.

Those are both beautiful girls!


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## Emmetts Dairy (Jan 2, 2011)

Thier hinds will start changing color first, generally..as we all learned goats all are indivduals!!  

http://saanendoah.com/copper1.html

This information has not been updated for a while..but there is information on a herd of Toggenbergs..some they had to cull for paralysis and some they were able to save they had servere copper deficencies.  

The buck turned totally white..and a week after his bolus he started growing dark brown hair again.  Granted this is extreme.  But the white hair growth can mean copper issues.

It hard becuase sometimes they will have a little bit of white come in with thier winter coats.  But I would also look for other signs.  Like fishtailing, coat quality etc.  I would google it and look at images etc...it might help.

As far as I can see your guys look like they have a little discoloration in the hinds but its pics so its sometimes is hard to make that call unless its obvious???  The tails look good though??  So its hard to say????

But as they all discussed..sometimes injured areas..differant shaves will cause white hair to grow in???  

I hope this helps.  Just did'nt want you to disregard the white hairs growing in totally though...


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## Ariel301 (Jan 2, 2011)

I've never heard of white hair from copper deficiency....but I can't say for sure it's not a possibility either. I'd think you would see other issues as well. 

They don't look bad to me. The coats are pretty smooth and shiny looking. Scars can grow back with white hair after an injury, this is very common in horses that have had sores from a bad fitting saddle, they will get white spots where the saddle rubbed them, so the spot that was hairless on the one goat could be a scar from an old injury.


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