copper deficiency??

[Roll farms]

Our hard water is the worst problem we have....high iron content.

I read an article in goat rancher about drenching w/ copper sulfate.
(Both to up copper levels when needed and as a dewormer for barberpole).

I intend to try it out...I'll keep y'all posted.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Our hard water is the worst problem we have....high iron content.

I read an article in goat rancher about drenching w/ copper sulfate.
(Both to up copper levels when needed and as a dewormer for barberpole).

I intend to try it out...I'll keep y'all posted.

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

Thats what was spinning thru my head when I was reading. Cuz we too have a high iron content. And the iron binds to the copper so its not absorb...Its really enlightening to me.

Learn something new everyday. Apparently the loose minerals may not be enough.

I think Im gonna follow that trend and dress it as well. I think I will ask about blood test and get that done...since its my first venture with anything extra above minerals...dont want to over load them either. As we know with goat..balance is good!!

Our goats will be so healthy!! They'll be shinin like a lincoln penny!!!

 

[Hollywood Goats]

a week after we got her reddish hair starting showing, so I got her a mineral block and then realized that it was for sheep and goats, no copper so I gave her more minerals, I looked closely at her hair, only the tips are reddish now, not any new hairs, so how long would it take for the hair to go back to the normal color or does it eventually shed and grow back normal?

I got the right minerals about 7 months ago, I have had her for about 8 months.

Thank you!

Interesting about hard water, we have hard water here also and lots of clay in the soil, I will have to look into that.

 

[helmstead]

Drenching with copper sulfate is not nearly as safe as using copper oxide rods...be careful.

Also...the blood test will only tell you about CIRCULATING levels of copper. Copper is stored in the liver. The only ACCURATE test is a liver biopsy. Yeah...yikes.

When I copper bolus a goat who is obviously deficient (reddened hair, fish tail, rough coat) I can see a dramatic difference in 30 days. They tend to blow their coat immediately and change color. When I first realized I had copper issues...and bolused a test group from my herd...it was so enlightening. Hard keepers conditioned back up, and the hair coats became soft and luxurious...and my kidding numbers came up (copper, I have learned, also affects ovulation).

The fish tail can take awhile to correct though.

 

[Hollywood Goats]

fish tail is when the tail hairs separate making it look like a fish's tail right? I googled and just came up with Goatfish!
If that is what it is, than she never had fish tail.

The rest of her hair is shiny and soft now, she does not have any coarse red hairs growing in now.

Thank you so much! I tried google-ing and didn't come up with much because of key words.

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

Drenching with copper sulfate is not nearly as safe as using copper oxide rods...be careful.

Also...the blood test will only tell you about CIRCULATING levels of copper. Copper is stored in the liver. The only ACCURATE test is a liver biopsy. Yeah...yikes.

When I copper bolus a goat who is obviously deficient (reddened hair, fish tail, rough coat) I can see a dramatic difference in 30 days. They tend to blow their coat immediately and change color. When I first realized I had copper issues...and bolused a test group from my herd...it was so enlightening. Hard keepers conditioned back up, and the hair coats became soft and luxurious...and my kidding numbers came up (copper, I have learned, also affects ovulation).

The fish tail can take awhile to correct though.

Thanks...I read that about the ovulation! Interesting. I dont think I will do the liver biopsy on them!! Ill Pass on that then!! A bit overkill!! When my guys are healthy...If it was a simple blood test..than sure..but I wont do it unless absolutley necessary.

I have no fish tails...and no obvious issues. Maybe I will try copper bolus first. Sounds like the wiser and safer method. Thanks for the info!

 

[PJisaMom]

Our hard water is the worst problem we have....high iron content.

Interesting... in the summer, I use the hose outside (no filter, no softener) for water and my boy with the black back legs started turning reddish... now that winter is here, I am hauling buckets of water from inside the house (which means it's "soft" from the softener and filtered). So, thinking out loud... that might make a difference?

Bolused him with copasure this morning anyway; so I guess we'll see!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Drenching with copper sulfate is not nearly as safe as using copper oxide rods...be careful.

I've read that accidental copper sulfate in the lungs can cause shock and death, and most of the copper (90%) is rapidly excreted.

 

[helmstead]

Here is a link with some photos of symptoms...
http://u-sayranch.com/main/2010/01/remedying-copper-deficiency-with-copasure-bolus/