Last fall our wether, Luca, ended up with a high amount of internal parasites that led to teeth grinding, lethargy and a couple of some pretty miserable days for him. Until that time, we were consistent in de-worming/worming and could not figure out why he was so over run with worms when the rest of our herd was not. Now, it is important to note that at the same time we noticed he also had a rougher looking coat, lighter colored patches in his coat and a tail that was becoming sparse looking. We assumed it was more related to seasonal changes then anything else so we treated him for worms, gave him a vitamin B12 injection and also gave him Probios for a few days and as he bounced back, we all went on our merry way. Until we noticed similar changes in the coats and tails of some of our does a couple of months later. What the....
Images: Luca's rougher coat, lighter patches in coat and tail has fishtail appearance.
And so I did what so many of us do with uncertainty, I Googled. And I Googled some more. And in a short amount of time I was confident I knew what it was dear Watson, Copper Deficiency.
In my research and readings, my experiences and results thus far, here is what I know today about copper deficiency in goats:
It is prevalent in goats and more so in certain regions.
It can be caused by too much of certain minerals in their diet. Copper can bind with certain minerals/elements like calcium, iron and sulfur (all of which can be found in higher levels in well water). In our case we discovered our well water is higher in calcium.
It is hard for goats to get all their copper needs met in most of the loose and block mineral products that are out there.
Alfalfa can contain high levels of molybdenum, which copper also binds to.
Their coats get lighter, the hair on the end of the tail splits, giving it a fishtail look.
It can lead to weakened immune systems and problems with internal parasites.
It can lead to fertility issues in both does and bucks.
Our current strategies in addressing Copper Deficiency:
We now use copper oxide wire particles (COWP), also referred to as copper bolus, every 4-5 months with all of our goats and have used Copasure Bolus for Goats with very good results.
We have switched to a weekly herbal de-wormer/wormer, Molly's Herbal Wormer. Gonna be honest, initially the thought of one more thing to do each week turned me off a bit to the idea of starting an herbal wormer. Until I tried it. 1. it is not time consuming at all. 2. it works. Amazingly! 3. we strongly believe that when you can, a holistic and natural approach is best.
We use low to no alfalfa in any form of our feed.
Here's to keeping everyone healthy and happy! Cu Later!
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