Minerals

[happydays]

If a goat wasnt fed minerals what would the effect on the goat be. Would it lead to its death.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day, no, she would not die ,but she would not "do" well,feeding minerals is to replace minerals depleted in the soil through "poor" farming practices in the past.The trick is to know whats missing and try to replace it in its most"natural" form.

.................T.O.R.................

 

[Goatherd]

Ideally, in a perfect world, the foods that animals and humans eat would contain all the essential vitamins and minerals required to sustain a healthy life without the addition of extra vitamins or minerals.
Unfortunately, that isn't the case for a number of reasons. Foods are highly processed, soil has been depleted or never had, all the minerals necessary to maintain a complete and healthy life.

Without some of these essential minerals, the body would show signs of the deficiency which could be an actual physical change in appearance or cause health issues which could cause illness or premature death.

To the untrained eye, a person may not be aware of what is happening to their animal and think that the way their animal looks or acts is considered normal.

In order to prevent problems caused by deficiencies, it's best to supplement the diet with an alternate source of minerals that may be lacking. Supplemented minerals come in various forms and should be chosen carefully and used in a manner that promotes good physical appearance and internal health.

Would a lack of minerals lead to death? It certainly could but may not be so severe as to cause death but cause the animal to have many health problems which could indirectly lead to possibly an early demise.

 

[SarahFair]

Would a lack of minerals cause the lids to fade to a lighter pink??
(I know worms and UC does but Ive treated mine for that and a couple of the lowest rung goats are light)

 

[Goatherd]

While it may not be the primary cause, it certainly be a contributing factor.

 

[ksalvagno]

Would a lack of minerals cause the lids to fade to a lighter pink??
(I know worms and UC does but Ive treated mine for that and a couple of the lowest rung goats are light)

Have you had individual fecals done on the goats with the light eyelids? I would start there. While you may have wormed them, you may not have wormed them with the right dewormer to take care of the parasites that they have. Certainly if they are getting no minerals at all, that could contribute.

 

[Chris]

Would a lack of minerals cause the lids to fade to a lighter pink??
(I know worms and UC does but Ive treated mine for that and a couple of the lowest rung goats are light)

Have you had individual fecals done on the goats with the light eyelids? I would start there. While you may have wormed them, you may not have wormed them with the right dewormer to take care of the parasites that they have. Certainly if they are getting no minerals at all, that could contribute.

As kaslvagno said do a fecal if it shows no worms then it could be a Copper or Iron Deficiency.

Chris

 

[SkyWarrior]

Here in Montana, we have a selenium deficiency in our soil, so we feed trace minerals with selenium. Can really affect haircoat and hooves big-time.

Feeding minerals is simple. Buy a block of trace minerals with selenium and let them go at it. I don't increase the copper here because our soil is full of iron and copper -- Montana is where the big copper booms happened.

For Sid, the llama, I put a pail of the same stuff in granular form so he can eat it.