# Copper bolus during pregnancy?



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

My pregnant ND doe (due 5/15) is starting to look a bit mineral deficient. She has a lot of "fluff" starting to poke out so it's visible, whereas before you had to part her hair to see it. She's also starting to get some minor amounts of reddening in her hips (she's mostly black). 

Since they're dry now, I am only giving them about 1/2c of grain each, once a day (mostly cuz they look at me with great amounts of sadness if I don't). They get alfalfa in the morning and orchard grass at night. They also have lots of evergreen forage. 

Is it ok to copper bolus during pregnancy? Or should I just put more minerals out? I use Sweetlix MeatMaker loose minerals, but since I'm not milking them anymore, I find it hard to offer free-choice as they manage to topple or trample any container I put it in. Suggestions? 

According to the selenium map, we are in the upper ranges (NW WA State) so I don't think it's a selenium issue. Condition on my other doe is harder to tell. She's a reddish tan color... so not sure what deficiency would look like on her. Her coat is starting to look a little dry, but this is the first winter that I've had them... so not sure what their winter coats typically look like.


----------



## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I asked this a few weeks ago. It it 100% safe. As for keeping the minerals out of the way try getting a hang up feeder or put them in a bucket hooked to a wall up enough that they can't step in it.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Yes, no problem to copper bolusing during pregnancy.

They make 2 dish mineral feeders that can be screwed into the wall or tie wrapped onto a fence.


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Next ? on this... where do you buy your stuff to copper bolus? I asked at our usually-knowledgeable feed store and they had no idea about it - asked if there was "something going around" which would make me need to give a goat copper. ??? I explained it - she asked how you can tell they need it, I described the reddening in otherwise black hair, etc. It was all new to her. We have a couple other feed stores (Coastal is one - they have a huge selection but no knowledgeable staff) and a small local place with a very limited selection - highly knowledgeable but dont offer much for goats, so doubt they'll have anything. I'm guessing I can get stuff online, but was hoping for local as I hate to have them sitting there being deficient while trying to grow healthy kids.


----------



## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

I buy mine from Santa Cruz-by far the best prices. Ill dig ya up the link


----------



## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

http://www.scbt.com/datasheet-363568-ultracruz-goat-copper-bolus.html

There you go.

Edited to say they were very fast with shipping. I couldn't get it locally unless my feed store ordered and they thought I was crazy when I asked about it. Lol


----------



## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

You can probably buy some cattle boluses locally but they are expensive because you buy so many and you have to open the bolus to separate it into goat doses so I would go with Santa Cruz. That's where I got mine. Good price and fast shipping too.


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

I have Nigerian Dwarfs... can I give them the regular goat dosage, or will I have to separate those pills too? My two girls are very different in size - one being only about half the size of the other. Is there a "by weight" dosage? (I'll figure out how on earth to weigh them later, lol) One is about 19" and the other 23" at the shoulder.


----------



## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Goats over 50lbs get the Santa Cruz 4g dose under get 2g kids dose.


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Thanks guys. I'll weigh them this weekend and order. I KNOW my small doe is less then 50lb... not sure on the larger one. She's probably pretty close, so I can probably just get the kid ones. Do you use a balling gun, or is there a better/easier way? The balling gun looks pretty simple. Assuming a small one will do. I only have ND's. 

One last question (for now, hehe) - it says "safe use on pregnant animals not proven"... but I assume that's just to cover their butts as many of you have said it's fine. But it also says not to use with other copper supplements. I use Sweetlix MeatMaker loose mineral. It contains 1750ppm min. of copper. This whole deficiency thing has only become apparent since I stopped milking... which makes sense since they're being grained less and I add minerals to the bottom of their grain pan on the milkstand... so they haven't been getting as much. I just bought a loose mineral feeder thing to hang in the new barn... so hopefully they'll get back to eating more of it. So... back to the question... should I pull the loose mineral for a bit after bolusing? Or is it ok? I don't want to OD the poor girls. OR... do you think I should try to just get them back in shape with loose minerals? That worked when I first got them. Laurel had some reddening of her coat when I got her but it went away pretty quick. I just dont want to take unnecessary chances with kids in the oven.


----------



## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

My minerals has [FONT=&quot] 2,200ppm min but I still have to supplement with boluses. You don't have to pull the minerals. If they are not showing signs of deficiency then I wouldn't bolus. If you can get a small balling gun I would. They are the easy way. I don't have one and can't see buying one with shipping so I use a syringe. Just cut the tip off, fill with water, yogurt or what ever you want to, slip the bolus in it, put it as far back as you can and push the plunger.
[/FONT]


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Ok great. My black doe has some red showing up in her fur at the back of her legs/hips. The other one, it's hard to tell. She's a chocolate brown color (she's the one in my avatar) but I do notice she's betting sort of "blonde" tips and her hair just doesn't look as healthy as it did... so I'm guessing she might be deficient too. Is there a good way to tell on a non-black goat??


----------



## mdlopez (Feb 4, 2013)

You can pull out the lower eyelid and check the color for any color goat. There are charts online that show you what the color should be (dark pink- almost red) and it's very good. It shows the shades and tells what shade is seriously deficient, slightly deficient, etc. Maybe somebody can provide a link to the chart. I just googled it.  btw- I get copper from Santa Cruz, too.


----------



## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Is the hair on the tip of their tail thinning, are there a lot of split ends in their hair, flaky skin those are also some of the ways to tell other then reddening. With my brown goats they turned blond. Some blonding is natural but when the blond hair is course and has split ends its not.


----------



## Nsalle (Mar 23, 2013)

Jeffers carries Copasure for goats, don't forget the gun!


----------



## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Good lord THAT was an ordeal. LOL I thought pilling my cat was difficult! The larger doe managed to chew some of hers... so we'll see how effective that was. The smaller doe managed to spit most of it out. Grrrr. The boluses didn't fit tightly even in the "small" gun I bought... I think I have a pill gun for cats so I might try that next time (if they fit in there... might be too big). Will definitely try following with a quick shot of water from a syringe next time. I do that on my cats/dogs and it works great. Forces them to swallow without chewing.

In any case... I now know that bolusing is NOT a one-person job.


----------

