How and Why to Give Your Goat a Copper Bolus
In this post, I explain how and why to give your goats a copper bolus. I cover how to look for copper deficiencies in your herd, what is a copper bolus, and how to easily give a goat a bolus dose in a way that they will love!
I am not a vet, please contact your veterinarian before administering any supplements to your animals. This is simply what we do with our goats.
This post may contain affiliate links.
Why do goats need copper?
Copper is an essential mineral. Goats use copper to produce white blood cells, antibodies, and antioxidant enzymes. It is vital for immune support. Goats that are copper deficient have a hard time fighting off parasites, worms, and infections.
Why your goats might be copper deficient
Copper deficient soil
The area you live in might have copper-deficient soil. This means that the plants growing in your pasture are probably copper deficient as well. The pasture is not pulling up the copper from the soil, so your goats are not eating it when they graze. You can contact your local extension office to find out if your soil is copper deficient.
Not providing the right minerals
Goats need loose minerals free choice, meaning they are available at all times. They also need minerals explicitly designed for goats. An all-stock mineral (intended for cows, sheep, and horses) will not have high enough copper amounts that goats need. This is because sheep are very sensitive to copper and will die if they consume the levels needed for goats to be healthy.
Not feeding loose minerals
There are two main forms that livestock minerals come in; one is a compressed block like a Billy Block and the other is loose, (it looks like granules of table salt). Goats need loose minerals for them to be able to consume enough. A goat's tongue is not designed like a cow where they can lick large amounts of minerals from a block. Loose is much better for goats.
We feed Manna Pro Loose Goat Minerals
Iron in your well water
One of the biggest reasons your goats may be copper deficient is because you have high amounts of iron in your well water. This is why I have to give our goats copper boluses. Our well water contains large amounts of iron and sulfur. Before we got our iron filter, our water smelled like sulfur and everything turned orange...white towels, my hair, and even patches of dry skin. Now that we have the iron filter and the water softener, I can buy white clothes and white towels again without them turning orange in the wash.
However, our outside spigot does not run through our water filtration system. So our animals drink water that is still full of iron. The problem is that iron binds to copper and makes it unavailable for the goats to absorb the benefits.
Genetics
Some goats genetically need more copper than others. This is why it's important to know each of your animals and learn their different needs. So even if you're feeding the right minerals you could still have deficiencies in your herd.
How to tell if your goats are copper deficient
Fishtail or forked tail
Our buck goat came to us copper deficient. If you look at his tail compared to our does, you can see that he has a bald patch right at the tip and the hair is growing in two directions (up and down with a space in the center).
Hair loss on the ears and face
The tips of his ears also have bald patches. If your goat has bald spots anywhere on their body, it could be a copper deficiency.
Lack-luster coat or fur color lightening
Does your goat's coat lack shine and luster? Does it look wiry, or like it's been bleached by the sun? This could be a copper deficiency.
Problems with pregnancies
Are your females failing to get pregnant or are they aborting early? This could be many things, but a copper deficiency could also be something to look at.
Frequent infections
Are your goats getting sick often? Copper is vital to a strong immune system so a copper deficiency can open the door to frequent infection.
Goat struggles to keep weight on
Do you have skinny goats despite quality feed and hay? Copper could be your problem.
What is a copper bolus?
A copper bolus is a slow-release copper supplement that lasts over a period of 3 to 8 months. It comes as a capsule with small wire-shaped copper granules inside. After the copper bolus is ingested, the granules sink to the bottom of the rumen, and copper is slowly released into the system over the coming months. So when you give a copper bolus you're not giving your goat a big dose of copper all at once.
We use UltraCruz Copper Bolus for Adult Goats
How to give a copper bolus
Read the packaging for dosage and frequency, or talk to your vet.
You can use a balling gun to give your goats their bolus, but because our goats don't like their mouths pried open and a tube shoved down their throat I prefer the peanut butter sandwich method.
I simply take a slice of bread and spread peanut butter on it. (Make sure your peanut butter doesn't contain xylitol.)
Then I cut the bread in quarters.
I take out 3 copper bolus (1 for each goat). I open the capsules and pour the granules on each of the sandwich quarters.
Then top it with another quarter of bread. Now I have 3 mini peanut butter copper sandwiches. Maple our Jersey cow gets the 4th (with no copper).
Then I simply feed each sandwich quarter to each goat. They LOVE them!
Some people also use bananas to give bolus, but our goats don't love bananas...they'll eat them but not voraciously enough for me to make sure they get all their copper.
If your goats are picky eaters, you may have to use a balling gun. I suggest a metal gun with I'll have a post coming soon on how to use one.
How often to give a copper bolus to goats
Read the frequency of dosages recommended on your copper bolus packaging. I look every 6 months for copper deficiencies in our herd. If they seem to be struggling I re-dose. I encourage you to talk to your vet about how often to bolus.
Can goats get too much copper?
Yes! Copper toxicity can occur in goats and it can be deadly. Only supplement copper bolus if you are sure your goats are deficient. (See the list above for signs of copper deficiency, and talk to your veterinarian and extension agent.)
Angora goats tend to be more copper sensitive than meat or dairy breeds. So take caution when supplementing with fiber breeds.
Symptoms of copper toxicity are:
diarrhea
stomach pain
lack of appetite
dehydration
shock
Contact your vet immediately if any of these symptoms occur after giving a copper bolus or after upping your goat's copper intake.
Shop this post!
UltraCruz Copper Bolus for Adult Goats
Pin it!
