Goats Eating Horse Tails!

It is very low on copper. It looks like it is a supplement for goats on pasture and it has lots of things it in that you do not see in loose minerals like wheat and soybeans.

Goat or cow loose minerals that I use have at least 1200 ppm, what you are using has only 50 ppm. Do not get the kind for sheep or sheep/goats. They are killed by copper and goats needs it.

With only 2 of them a 50 lb bag will last you quite a while. Goats cannot get enough from the blocks due to the way they lick it and how little comes off of it. So maybe if you satify their mineral needs and keep the horses tails all goopy this problem can be solved.

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Well, I am NOT a nutritionist, nor claim to be. Having said that I'll make a few comments but they are based on my experiences in my area with my herd; everyone's needs are different for different areas.

I'm not a fan of Purina; years ago tried it out for my dog who got wicked gas, never knowingly bought that brand again. I'm sure they've improved since then (25+ years ago).

The protein is a nice high level-for my herd, that I know is lacking protein in their normal diet. If I had 2 pet wethers I wouldn't be feeding them a protein block at 18%, I'd look at their other feeds to make sure they were at or below 11% or 12% and call it a day. Wethers really just need the minimal, decent hay and a decent loose mineral and they should be good to go. They are not pregnant, not nursing, not in rut for the fall, they don't have the stresses of intact working animals.

Salt looks really high, but sometimes that's not a bad thing; for my area the selenium & copper look low, and I can't look at the label & my reply screen at the same time but it looks like some of the others are low, too. You can compare to Sweetlix meatmaker 16:8 what I use, and even that is not enough for here.

Where are you located? These pasture blocks are nice, they really are, but I wouldn't use them as the sole mineral for my herd. Like I said I use the protein tubs, same concept their developed as a pasture supplement, but who has the perfect pasture? I don't.

Noone can really can't say what is best for your goats, I can say that it took me about 4 years to come up with a decent solution to my mineral issues; I'd knock one out of whack then would have to fix it. The whole reason for my post was because your goats were eating the block like crazy. To me, that's a key indicator it's not enough minerals for their needs.

I do hope that helped in some way, proper nutrition is a journey we all must endure at some point, the problem is each journey is unique of it's own. IMO your wasting your money on the high protein blocks, there are better choices for your situation.

HF

Here's the meat maker label. Note the copper level & I still have to bolus. I buy this at my coop, thankfully they carry it as shipping costs can get expensive.

HF

Meat Maker® Products

16:8 Meat Maker® - 987

16:8 Meat Maker

* Loose mineral product in 25 lb. bags
* 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio Provides 100% of daily recommended amounts of trace minerals including copper and selenium
* Fortified with vitamins A, D and E
* Designed to supplement forage/browse-based diets
* Highly concentrated formula ensures that goats get full amount of needed minerals and vitamins
* Very economical supplement for commercial goats



Guaranteed Analysis
Calcium (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.00%
Calcium (Max) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.80%
Phosphorus (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.00%
Salt (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.00%
Salt (Max) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.00%
Magnesium (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.50%
Potassium (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.50%
Sulfur (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.50%
Iron (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25%
Manganese (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25%
Zinc (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25%
Cobalt (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 ppm
Copper (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,750 ppm
Copper (Max) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,810 ppm
Iodine (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 ppm
Selenium (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 ppm
Vitamin A (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300,000 IU/lb.
Vitamin D-3 (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,000 IU/lb.
Vitamin E (Min) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 IU/lb.
Ingredients
Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Cane
Molasses, Soybean Hulls, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Chloride, Copper Sulfate,
Yeast Culture, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide,
Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Molybdate, Iron Oxide (as a coloring agent), Sodium
Selenite, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement,
Vitamin E Supplement, Mineral Oil and Caramel Flavoring.
CAUTION: Contains added copper. DO NOT FEED TO SHEEP. Daily
consumption of selenium should not exceed 0.7 mg per head.
Mineral Program
Sweetlix® 16:8 Meat Maker® is a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus mineral scientifically
formulated to be fed to goats on pasture on a free choice basis. Sweetlix® 16:8
Meat Maker® helps goats attain maximum performance by providing a complete
vitamin and trace mineral supplement, which includes copper and selenium,
designed especially for the needs of meat goats. High quality ingredients are
selected to deliver optimal nutrition to your goats.
Feeding and Management
Sweetlix® 16:8 Meat Maker® should be fed free choice continuously as the sole
FREE CHOICE source of salt and minerals at the rate of 0.3 to 0.5 oz. per head per
day. When consumed at this rate, Sweetlix® 16:8 Meat Maker® will provide 0.4 to
0.7 mg selenium.
Provide at least 1 mineral feeder per 10 head of goats for access purposes. Locate
mineral feeders near a clean, fresh source of water. Mineral consumption levels will
vary depending upon the mineral status of the goats.
For additional information, please contact your SWEETLIX® representative.
10/06
NET WEIGHT: 25 LBS. (11.3 KG)
16:8 Meat Maker®
A Free Choice Mineral and Vitamin Supplement
for Meat Goats on Pasture
Manufactured By Sweetlix, PO Box 8500, Mankato, MN 56002
Contact us at: 1-87SWEETLIX • www.sweetlix.com 987
L I V E S T O C K S U P P L E M E N T S Y S T E M

Can you beef up the fence between the horses and goats so they can't get to the horses' tails? Maybe smaller square wire?

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I can fix anything... except stupid... because you can't fix stupid!

Or an electric wire on the horse side of the fence at the height of their hindquarters.

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

I use Manna Pro loose goat minerals with a nice high copper content and I still have to bolus as well.

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