Copper Deficiency and Supplementation in Goats

Goats are just like every other kind of livestock: they have specific dietary needs that must be met. They need the right kinds of foods that will supply the right amount of calories and all of the vitamins and minerals for them to thrive.

But goats are fairly unique among mammals in that they need copper in their diet—lots of copper! And, regrettably, copper deficiency is very common for these animals… Goats that don’t have enough copper in their system—they’re copper deficient—will start to suffer, get sick, and can eventually die.

If you’ve got goats, learning to manage their copper intake properly is just another part of owning and caring for them. But you’ve got to get this part right!

In this guide, I will tell you everything you need to know about dietary copper for goats, the consequences of deficiency, and how to correctly provide it as a supplement.

Why is Copper Important in a Goat’s Diet?

Copper is simply a critically important trace mineral for the health, development, and wellness of goats. It’s needed for muscle and bone growth and plays a role in all sorts of other bodily processes, from immunity to circulatory health.

Goats, nominally, are supposed to get all of the copper they need from their diet. But that presupposes that the soil their food is growing in has enough copper, and that they aren’t eating other things that could cancel that intake. High iron and calcium foods are major culprits, as is hard well water.

Suffice it to say, it can be a seriously tricky thing to manage in some circumstances, but you’ve got to do it for the wellness of your herd! We’ll talk about those specific factors in what follows…

A Lack of Copper Causes Serious Health Issues

Make no mistake; a lack of copper in a goat’s diet is a major problem. If they’re a little low, they can become generally depressed and a bit sluggish, but a serious shortage will quickly turn into a health crisis which can be fatal.

Consider the following:

Anemia

A lack of copper can lead to anemia due to poor oxygenation of the blood and a lack of red blood cells.

This results in exhaustion and also decreased organ performance along with a host of other issues. It also exacerbates anything else that might be wrong with the goat, from injury to illness and even parasite load. Left unchecked, it can be fatal.

Errors in Muscular and Skeletal Development

A lack of dietary copper is particularly devastating for kids because it is important in muscular growth and bone formation.

Goat kids that lack enough copper in their diet often experience stunted growth and irregularities in their spinal column, joints, and even their nervous system. These issues will plague the affected animal for the rest of its life (if it survives).

Depressed Immune System

Copper is critical for overall immune system performance, and even slightly low levels will lead to goats being sicker more often, and illnesses lasting longer…

As mentioned, it also allows parasites an easy day—whether they’re internal or external. Parasites that feast on blood are especially problematic because of the complications brought on by anemia, detailed above. Lungworms, barber-pole worms and ticks will all exacerbate copper deficiency, or proliferate because of it.

Poor Reproductive Performance

A lack of copper means that bucks and does alike will be suffering from reduced reproductive performance.

Bucks are less likely to impregnate viable females. Females are a lot less likely to get pregnant, and if they do get pregnant, they’re less likely to bring the kids to term.

Assuming they do, birth is typically more complicated and dangerous, and there might be birth defects, too.

If you didn’t believe me before, I hope you do now: copper deficiency is no joke when it comes to the health of your goats, and is in fact deadly serious.

How Do Goats Miss Out on Copper?

Your goats might enjoy a good diet with lots of varied foods, but that doesn’t mean they are getting enough copper in their system. It turns out, they can miss out on it in sneaky ways.

Goats can be deficient in copper through two basic mechanisms, known as primary deficiency and secondary deficiency:

Primary Deficiency

Primary deficiency is what happens when there simply is not enough copper in the food that they’re eating. This could be because the food you give them lacks copper entirely or has too little, or if they are grazing, there is not enough copper in the soil for it to be absorbed into the plants that goats eat.

Foods like chicory and soybeans (especially non-GMO soybeans) are known to be copper rich and a great choice for combating primary deficiency.

Secondary Deficiency

Secondary copper deficiency is what happens when goats get too many copper antagonists in their diet, which are other minerals that will bind to copper and prevent it from being absorbed into their body and then used as intended.

There are many such antagonists, but some of the biggest ones are iron, sulfur, and molybdenum. Also, too much calcium is sometimes a problem.

As good as it is for goats in certain circumstances, alfalfa hay, pellets and forage are a common cause of secondary deficiency since it contains so much calcium. As mentioned above, hard well water is another chronic offender.

Your livestock might be getting tons of dietary copper, but if they’re getting too many antagonists along with it, it won’t do them any good…

How to Tell Your Goats are Lacking Copper

Scary stuff so far, but how can we tell our animals are lacking the necessary copper that they need to thrive?

Refer to the following and you can find out for sure:

Blood Test

The most accurate and, sometimes, the only certain way to know that goats are suffering from copper deficiency is to perform a blood test.

Typically, this is done by a vet, who will draw a blood sample and then send it to a lab for proper analysis. It’s also the only way to know exactly what the copper levels are in an individual goat’s body.

Pale Mucous Membranes and Other Tissues

Look closely at a goat’s mucous membranes (gums, conjunctiva tissues around eye, foreskin, vulva), especially if they seem sluggish and aren’t eating; this is an early indicator of anemia, and anemia is likely caused by a lack of copper.

Loss of Appetite

Goats that are low on copper will start to suffer from all kinds of bodily systems and processes going into disarray, including their rumen and digestive tract. This often manifests as a lack of appetite, or even a total loss of appetite.

Weight Loss

Goats that aren’t eating will start losing weight. Lots of things can cause a goat to stop eating, including intense stress, but if you notice several other symptoms on this list in conjunction with weight loss, you’ve got cause to be concerned.

Onset of weight loss due to copper deficiency typically starts as a slowing then stoppage of gain in growing goats, and then accelerates as the effects of deficiency take hold.

Chronic Diarrhea

All kinds of things can cause diarrhea in goats, including eating too much of something new, something that is hard on their stomach, illness, stress, and more, so don’t jump the gun when you see this symptom manifest…

However, if you rule out other more common causes, it’s time to start paying closer attention and check those copper levels.

Rough Coat

A classic indicator is a rough coat. It will often be dull and feel shaggy and brittle, more than normal, due to a lack of oils and other skin issues. Also, look for a loss of color in their hair, another surefire sign with a few other causes.

Significant Loss of Fur

Aside from feeling and looking terrible, goats that are low on copper might start to lose hair all over their body. Many goats shed, but if you notice unusual shedding patterns, or significant hair loss resulting in baldness or near baldness, chances are good they are lacking this mineral.

End of Tail Becomes Bare and Scraggly

A particular kind of hair loss, colloquially called “fish tail”, will affect a goat’s tail. The end will become bald or nearly so, making it resemble an actual fish’s tail, hence the name.

Loss of Coordination

A serious lack of copper will cause neurological problems and this can manifest as stumbling, an inability to stand, or other problems with body coordination.

Note that if you have Myotonic (fainting) goats, they sudden stumbling, stiffness or staggering gait might be entirely normal! Keep an eye out for other symptoms especially with these goats.

Bowed Legs (in kids)

Remember how I said copper is critically important for muscle and skeletal development? It is, and that’s why a lack of it is so devastating to kids. Problems with joints in the legs can lead to precipitously bowed limbs.

Drooping Back (in kids)

Similarly, problems with spinal alignment are very common in young goats that don’t get enough copper.

Supplementation is Often Necessary to Provide Copper

If your goats aren’t getting enough of this essential nutrient into their systems, for whatever reason, you’ll have to provide them with supplements.

The ideal ratio of copper that goats need is between 10 and 20 parts per million, though some individual goats or different breeds might need slightly more or slightly less.

Supplementation can take many forms, and different approaches are best used for different goats and situations. The following methods are all viable.

Specially Formulated Minerals

Goats need minerals like so many other livestock species, but specially formulated goat minerals will have the necessary minerals that they need in their diet.

If your goats are healthy and not getting too many antagonists, this is often the most convenient way to administer it. You want to be careful and make sure that other animals don’t get it, because copper can be poisonous to them!

Fortified Foods

Similar to specialty mineral blends, copper-fortified goat pellets or even specially grown hay might guarantee a certain level of copper.

Copper Bolus Administration

A copper bolus is basically a capsule that contains copper oxide wire fragments and is injected using a specialty bolus gun. It can also be “disguised” in soft foods like banana.

Although a more expensive and somewhat more complicated option, it has the advantage of releasing copper into a goat’s system slowly over time. However, you must choose the right size bolus based on the weight of the goat.

The guideline is one gram of copper for every 22 pounds the goat weighs. Wait until kids are at least 4 months old and preferably older before you give them a bolus.

Injectable Copper

A veterinarian can also inject a goat with a specialty copper solution that can rapidly raise copper levels. However, a mishap or miscalculation can cause other severe issues. See the next section.

Careful: Too Much Copper Can Be Just as Bad for Your Goats!

One last thing to keep in mind: if your goats get too much copper, it can be just as bad for them as too little. Too much is toxic and can over-accumulate in the liver with disastrous health consequences!

Remember to always adjust their copper levels slowly when you are forced to intervene, and pay close attention to how much they’re getting between food, loose minerals, and forage.