# Goat Minerals



## RedLotusNigerians (Dec 13, 2011)

Howdy folks,

I'm still looking for a nice mineral to give to my herd. I feed alfalfa pellets and as of recently, chaffehaye. I've gone through both Purina (crap minerals IMHO), and Sweetlix Magnum Milk (pretty decent). I _wanted _to get the Right Now Onyx, but according to our feed store who talked to Cargill, they don't sell that on this side (the west) of the US I guess...?

Thing is, I'm still kind of lost on what to look for in an ideal mineral mix. I think because I feed alfalfa, I should be looking for a 1:1 of calcium : phosphorus ratio, correct? And I just learned about chelated minerals, too (which is why I've been eying this supplement).

But what about the other percentages of minerals - like, could I just look for a nice cow mineral since that's what the Onyx is? What sort of 'base' levels of minerals should dairy goats be aimed for?

In my area (AZ), we're deficient in selenium and copper - I have to bolus and give BoSe or they start to show it. I've just picked up some Replamin to give to a doe that's lost a good portion of her hair since she was bred (still scratching my head over her), though I may try it on the herd, too.

Would love some recs and advice on what to look for. I've been eyeballing a bunch of minerals online, but get lost in the numbers and percentages and ratios, lol.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

You want a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio in mineral, too. You are absolutely right that Purina Goat Mineral is crap. Look for a copper content of at least 1700 ppm, and salt should be somewhere around 11% or so. Other good mineral are Manna Pro, Sweet Lix Meat Maker, ADM, Essential Show Feeds - I know there are other ones, but I can't think of them at the moment. As far as the base goes, print out the Onyx label and use it as a comparison for other brands of cattle mineral.


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## RedLotusNigerians (Dec 13, 2011)

Thank you!  I will print out the Onyx breakdown and bring it with me when I go looking for minerals tomorrow, that's a good idea. 

And thank you for the brand recs - I've seen Manna Pro mentioned a few times and I had just looked at ADM some too. 

So I should be aiming for a 2:1 ratio since I'm feeding alfalfa?


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## millefleur (Feb 8, 2014)

Just out of curiosity, what is wrong with Purina Goat Minerals? It has at least 1700 ppm of Copper so whats wrong with it? I am in the market for some good loose minerals and I don't want to buy anything that is considered crap.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Millefleur, there are 2 problems with Purina Goat Mineral - 1) if you read the label you will see it contains almost 50% salt - that is way too high. Salt acts as a limiter - a lot of feed manufacturers add salt to calf creep feed rations to keep the calves from over eating. By feeding Purina mineral you are actually limiting how much mineral your goats can eat due to the high salt content, and that defeats the entire purpose of putting it out free choice. Salt should never be added to mineral at a rate more than about 15%. 2) The last time I bought Purina Goat Mineral it was almost $25.00 for a 25 lb bag and almost half of it was salt. I can buy a 50 lb bag of salt for less than $10.00. I can also buy a 50 lb bag of Essential Goat Mineral with the same 1700 ppm of copper and only around 11% salt for the same $25.00. If I add a couple of dollars, I can get a 50 lb bag of ADM Goat Power Mineral with the same copper content and a much more acceptable salt content. You're paying for the Purina label - not quality mineral. 

RedLotus, you should aim for roughly a 2:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorous regardless of whether you are feeding alfalfa or grass hay.


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## millefleur (Feb 8, 2014)

Thanks MsScamp for the explanation!  I didn't realize it had so much salt in it. I was too busy looking at the copper and selenium amounts.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

Whoops, I meant to post this on a completely different thread!


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

Do you it would be ok to let my goats eat the rest of their purina minerals? They've had purina for 3 years without issue before I learned they weren't a good mineral.
Both my does are healthy and doing good. One doe has a super tiny fishtail and my black doe is a little rusty on her hind legs, but other than that their coats are soft and sleek and all seems well.
Anyways I have 1/2 a 25 lb bag left, will it kill them to finish it before I buy more? I,don't wanna waste it....
Thanks!


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

No, it's not going to kill them - by all means finish feeding what you have, then find a better mineral.


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## TheGoatWhisperer (Jan 18, 2014)

I would look into this:

http://www.fertrell.com/premiergoatnutribalancer.htm

It's been the best mineral we can find and we feed it along with kelp and a mix from Fir Meadows for Copper and Selenium called KopSel.  we mix a LITTLE Himalayan Sea Salt in with it because it does not come with salt.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Salt is every bit as important as mineral. If your mineral doesn't contain salt, I would keep it out free choice in a separate feeder so they can regulate their own usage.


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## TheGoatWhisperer (Jan 18, 2014)

We've found if we give it to them free choice they will eat the salt and not the mineral so we mix a little in with the mineral...has worked fine. Thanks for the input though


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## LoriH (Jan 12, 2014)

Feed bag says not to add more selenium into their diet .... so does that mean not to give free choice minerals. I have the manna pro but I haven't opened it.


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## TheGoatWhisperer (Jan 18, 2014)

LoriH said:


> Feed bag says not to add more selenium into their diet .... so does that mean not to give free choice minerals. I have the manna pro but I haven't opened it.


Who are you talking to?

Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You can put out free choice minerals. I have yet to find a feed that has all the selenium needed in it.


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