# Great mineral for copper challenged goats



## HummelHill (Aug 8, 2008)

Like many of you, I've been dealing with some black goats that are extremely copper needy. I've tried several different brands of minerals (including the Sweetlix, which seemed to be the best), bolusing, etc.. These steps have helped, but I haven't been able to completely resolve the issue to the point that they no longer had hair loss around the eyes and fishtails. Recently, a fellow breeder recommended I try Right Now Onyx mineral. I bought a couple bags, and now, a month later, I can tell you I am seeing great results. Hair is growing back on tailtips, around eyes, etc. Even the goats that typically were not copper challenged look better. I'm thinking I may not need to bolus with this mineral. Just thought I would share in the hopes that this might help someone else


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## citylights (Jul 3, 2009)

Wow, where did you buy it?


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## HummelHill (Aug 8, 2008)

Hi Denise, 
One of our local feed stores carries it. It is made by Cargill. Here's a link to the product on their website.

http://www.cargillanimalnutrition.com/b ... ts_rno.htm

Maybe one of your stores can order it for you if they don't carry it?


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## PznIvyFarm (Jul 25, 2010)

I contacted Cargill and they said CountryMax could order it and gave me a number to call. I called and left a message.

Today i got a call back from the ordering person. She said they could get it, but that the supplier rep said it was only for cows. I said people were feeding it to goats and getting great results, and i wanted to order it. She called me back with a price ($27 for 50 lbs) and I said to go ahead and order it, and I understand that it is only for cows (I also said i told the Cargill person I wanted it for goats and they didn't say anything)

I probably won't know if it really works b/c i just bolused my girls with Copasure today. In addition i started giving them Purina Goat mineral last month b/c it had more copper, and when i picked up the first bag, I told my feed store to order another to keep on hand (it took awhile to get the first bag) b/c my girls go through mineral mix quickly - at least they used to, when i was feeding them the Manna Pro stuff from TSC. They must have finally gotten what they needed, b/c they rarely touch the Purina stuff. They eat some, but not nearly as much as the Manna Pro, so i still have almost the whole 25 lbs left, and the feed store just called today to say it was in, and they would keep it in the front room for me to pick up next time i came in <sigh>


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## HummelHill (Aug 8, 2008)

I tried both the Manna Pro and the Purina mineral (in addition to the Sweetlix), before finding out about the Onyx mineral. This is just my experience, but I did not see good results with the Purina or Manna Pro. The Manna Pro in particular has less copper than others and I saw a definite increase in copper deficiency symptoms in my goats when they were on it vs the Sweetlix (I tried it because I was looking for a "grey" mineral and it was goat specific). Goats that previously didn't have fishtails developed them while on the Manna Pro mineral. And my copper needy black goat deteriorated even more.

So for my goats/environmental factors (NE Ohio, hard ground water with high iron content), I would rate the minerals best to worst, Onyx, Sweetlix, Purina, Manna Pro. But of course everyone's situation is different and you have to use what works best for you.


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## mnspinner (Aug 13, 2008)

Actually, many goaters I respect advocate the best minerals for goats are labeled for cattle. So you might be on the right track w/Onyx.


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## Kay (Jan 21, 2010)

I was stunned at the difference the Onyx minerals made in the goats. I meant to post on this last year, but time got away from me. I am glad HummelHill posted this information, though. The minerals make a huge difference, but I still copper bolus. It is much more economical to copper bolus and use the minerals as a supplement. If you use the minerals alone, it becomes very expensive.

This is Taurus before minerals









2 weeks after starting Onyx Right Now minerals


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Wow, thats a quick turn around.


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## citylights (Jul 3, 2009)

OH MY GOSH! That's incredible --


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## Greystone (Feb 28, 2011)

True or false? If the goats don't eat the supplement, they don't need it. Neighbor that feels he gets enough minerals in his goat chow from the local feed store was told he had copper deficiency in his goats. He boat a bag of supplement and because the goats nibbled a little and walked away, he felt the vet was wrong.


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## SandStoneStable Farm (Dec 8, 2010)

Thank you for sharing, I've been looking to try something different. I currently keep heoggers blend and Manna pro both available, but am not really happy with the results.
Caryn


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## Kay (Jan 21, 2010)

Caryn, I hope you get good results!

Greystone, I have not found this to be true. Originally, I tried several other minerals and my goats left them with only a curious nibble here or there. When I originally heard about the Onyx minerals, I decided to try them because the price was so much better than the goat minerals. It was the same price for 50# of Onyx mineral as it was for 25# of goat mineral! :shocked:

I started using the Onyx and saw results within weeks. The coats grew back in and was softer and thicker. The goats were more alert and energetic. The best results I saw, though, was when I started copper bolusing, in addition to the minerals. That's when growth started really taking off. The goats who just didn't seem to grow started shooting up. Here is an example of one of our bucks. Note in the after picture, his hair has started to grow back on his tail.

Before minerals and bolusing









This is the same goat 2 1/2 months later


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