Free choice copper for goats? Is it ok?

[azure_]

If I feed goats a feed ment for both goats and sheep ( no copper in it ) would it be ok to give them free choice copper of some sort? If so what is your recommendation for what kind of copper? Solid or liquid?

 

[Araucana Nest]

Not a good idea. Copper toxicity shows similar signs to copper deficiency. You wouldn’t know what you were dealing with. There is also secondary copper deficiency. It is best to give the copper bolus twice a year and offer free choice minerals with copper if you can keep the sheep out of it. I use Ultra Cruz copper bolus and put it in a mashed up banana twice a year.

 

[azure_]

Not a good idea. Copper toxicity shows similar signs to copper deficiency. You wouldn’t know what you were dealing with. There is also secondary copper deficiency. It is best to give the copper bolus twice a year and offer free choice minerals with copper if you can keep the sheep out of it. I use Ultra Cruz copper bolus and put it in a mashed up banana twice a year.

So if the food didn't have copper they would only need minerals with some copper and copper bolus twice a year?

 

[Araucana Nest]

So if the food didn't have copper they would only need minerals with some copper and copper bolus twice a year?

It's complicated but yes. Depends on your water and other things in their diet but basically if they are offered free choice minerals (which they readily eat and you notice that you are filling it up to keep it topped off) and the copper bolus twice a year then yes, all else being equal.

Calcium binds with copper so if you have high calcium in your water, they will need more copper than what is generally recommended. Alfalfa also contains not only calcium but also another mineral I can't remember off hand that will bind with copper.

 

[cassie]

Too much copper is toxic to goats and the condition is irreversible. I never gave my goats a copper supplement but they did have access to minerals. For what it is worth, they were fed high quality alfalfa hay and the grain was either COB (corn oats and barley) or rolled corn mixed with whole cottonseed. The cottonseed mix was never fed to kids.

 

[Weeg]

I wonder if there is a goat mineral block, like a salt lick, that has copper in it for them. We don't feed our goats copper or any supplement/grain, so wondering if it should be fed free choice in a block or something?

 

[cassie]

If I feed goats a feed ment for both goats and sheep ( no copper in it ) would it be ok to give them free choice copper of some sort? If so what is your recommendation for what kind of copper? Solid or liquid?

You need to find out if your goats are copper deficient before you do anything. Consult a knowledgeable vet about this if nothing else. You could also write the veterinary division of Washington State University or the veterinary school at the University of California at Davis. On occasion I have written them for information. It takes a while but you will get an answer. If you give copper to goats that don't need it, you can kill them.

 

[azure_]

You need to find out if your goats are copper deficient before you do anything. Consult a knowledgeable vet about this if nothing else. You could also write the veterinary division of Washington State University or the veterinary school at the University of California at Davis. On occasion I have written them for information. It takes a while but you will get an answer. If you give copper to goats that don't need it, you can kill them.

don't goats need copper in there diet? Most goat feeds have copper in them and the one I'm thinking about feeding goats (in I get them) does not have any copper in it.

 

[cassie]

I am no expert on this. I am really not. I offered a loose mineral mix to my goats and a trace mineral salt block, and that's it. I never fed a commercial grain ration formulated for goats. Mine got COB (corn, oats, and barley) and the milkers often got rolled corn with whole cottonseed. These feeds did not have any added minerals in them, let alone copper. I never worried about the relatively low protein content in the COB because my alfalfa was so high in protein. I always figured they got enough copper from their feed. In fact, I really never thought about it at all. The only time this issue came up was when I fed Omaline, a Purina feed mix for horses, and I was advised not to because the horse feed had too much copper for goats. I would suggest you contact WSU or Davis for advice on what you should do because I think you need some expert advice. A lot of goat people are very free with the copper boluses and other copper supplements, and if not needed those supplements cause more harm than good. You really need to find out if they are needed in your case and what to do if they are. For instance if your soil has a lot of molybdenum, copper supplements are necessary because that mineral binds up copper. The symptoms of too much copper and not enough copper are similar, and copper toxicity is irreversible and fatal.

 

[Weeg]

I personally down feed any grain, or COB, or anything like that, and my goats seem fine. They get a nibble of spilled, or stolen horse supplement every now and then, but that is it. I wouldn't worry about copper until, they needed it, and had a deficiency. Otherwise, it sounds like touch and go, to me.