# Copper bolus with high copper mineral?



## andyrew (Feb 3, 2014)

I have started to look into giving my goats copper boluses and I was wondering if it was necessary if my mineral says it has 1350 copper. I read that some people give there goats a bolus every 3 months.

I live in the southeast corner of Kansas if that helps.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

1350 while better than some loose minerals your girls could probably benefit with bolusing.
Especially if the loose gets damp or dirty, mine wont touch it, it has to be absolutely fresh.


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## andyrew (Feb 3, 2014)

Sorry for the late reply, but How much copper boluses and how often should I be giving them?


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I'm in Western WA and I give my goats a high copper mineral, and copper bolus every 3 months. I use the 4 gm on all my goats. My mineral has the 1350 ppm's too.


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## Landofsojourning (Feb 24, 2014)

I've given copper boluses to my open does, but is it okay to give to bred does?


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I give to preggos...;-)


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

It depends on what type of copper is used in the mineral. Generally speaking, 1350 PPM is low copper, something about 3500 PPM is better. BUT if the mineral with the 1350 PPM copper level uses chelated copper, then you can get away with a lower copper level because the said animal can absorb it better. Copper sulphate is next down the line, and then oxides, which are hardly absorbed. Seems that copper sulphate is the most common.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

andyrew said:


> I have started to look into giving my goats copper boluses and I was wondering if it was necessary if my mineral says it has 1350 copper. I read that some people give there goats a bolus every 3 months.
> 
> I live in the southeast corner of Kansas if that helps.


Be advised that copper can be toxic if too much is given. Are your does displaying copper deficient signs such as fish tail or reddish tints in the coats of black does? This link is a selenium deficient map, but it also lists other minerals. If you hover your mouse over the individual areas in your state it will display counties, click on your county and it will give you a general guideline as to mineral content in your county. I would make a note of that amount and talk to my vet to determine if my goats need extra copper before I started blindly bolusing them.

http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geochem/doc/averages/se/usa.html


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## andyrew (Feb 3, 2014)

I don't appear to be selenium deficient, but I'm not sure with copper.

I have 1 all black doe and she has a shiny coat and is great looking. My 2 traditional looking boers have pretty rough looking coats, but I assume that's their winter coat. 

I can take pictures of my does and ya'll could tell me if they look copper deficient. 

And I could call up my vet and see what he thinks.


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## chelsboers (Mar 25, 2010)

You might try posting a couple pics just to make sure it's a copper issue and not something else. I'm in Se Kansas and I have to give copper boluses twice a year.


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## andyrew (Feb 3, 2014)

These are the only does I have that are traditional colored and the only 2 that look a little "scruffy". But it could just be there winter coat still. I'm not sure.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Do they have a fish tail? They look pretty good to me....


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## andyrew (Feb 3, 2014)

I don't believe so, but I can look tomorrow


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## chelsboers (Mar 25, 2010)

I agree that they just look normal winter fur scruffy.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

"Copper levels in loose minerals fed free-choice may safely be considerably higher than in "full feed" packages that are consumed by the goats on a daily basis. For example, a "full feed" should not more than 15-20 ppm of copper in most cases, while free-choice loose minerals might be as high as 1500 ppm in copper.

It is possible to induce copper toxicity in goats. Copper accumulates in the liver. Red/brown urine may be a sign of copper poisoning.

Up to 1200 ppm of copper may be fed to goats under specific situations." http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/copperdeficiency.html

You really need to be aware of whether or not you truly NEED copper before adding extra. If your mineral is sufficient, adding more can induce toxicity.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

It's hard to overdose on the copper if you copper bolus correctly. The bolus MUST go down whole, not chewed or sprinkled on food. It then sticks in their system and it is time released, and it releases only when they need it.


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## cher1190 (Aug 9, 2013)

*selenium copper def*

Here is a copy of the copper and selenium in my area, how do I know I need to give my goats EXTRA of these... I'm confused... I want to make sure they get what they need, any advice is appreciated...
Average concentrations of elements in Roane County, Tennessee

(Calculated from cells in the geochemical grid plotting in this area.)
Element	Symbol	Mean	Std. dev.	Minimum	Maximum
Aluminum	Al (wt%)	2.259	0.491	1.241	3.845
Arsenic	As (ppm)	5.651	2.328	1.890	10.899
Calcium	Ca (wt%)	1.277	1.210	0.156	5.452
Copper	Cu (ppm)	9.909	2.236	5.873	15.267
Iron	Fe (wt%)	1.197	0.294	0.573	2.218
Mercury	Hg (ppm)	0.056	0.023	0.019	0.137
Magnesium	Mg (wt%)	0.231	0.053	0.144	0.458
Manganese	Mn (ppm)	502.967	105.736	213.331	856.264
Sodium	Na (wt%)	0.079	0.031	0.020	0.162
Phosphorus	P (wt%)	0.018	0.004	0.009	0.033
Lead	Pb (ppm)	16.921	3.757	7.491	25.548
Selenium	Se (ppm)	0.188	0.076	0.100	0.464
Titanium	Ti (wt%)	0.211	0.027	0.112	0.254
Zinc	Zn (ppm)	46.820	6.392	27.322	69.218

I don't know what the numbers mean for this area.


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