Copper Bolusing over dose question

[6e]

I broke down and bought some Copasure as it's cheaper for me to do it that way. I bought some size 00 gel caps. I know it's one capsule per 50 pounds, but if a goat weighs say 125 pounds or 130 pounds, would it over dose them on copper to use 3 capsules? What's the general rule if the goat is slightly over or slightly under the weight?

[prairiedog]

I would go slightly over instead of under. The amount you will g over won't hurt them.

[CaliannG]

Rule of thumb is closest to their weight rounded UP....so three capsules each for goats that weigh 125-130. Four capsules for a goat that weighs 160.

It really is difficult to overdose a goat on copper. You'd have to go WAY over to cause toxic reaction.

[Cannon_Farms]

though there is no known toxic level for a goat, non of us can possibly know or probably would want to be responsible for misinformation. You have to take your feed and water levels into consideration as well as your soil and hay.
That being said, I go over rather than under, 125lb doe her will get 150 worth

[6e]

Well, I just noticed today that the girls black is more chocolate and one of them has fish tail. Ugh. So, apparently the hay they're on is very copper deficient despite them having loose goat mineral available at all times.

[victory]

In cases of fish tail, and severe deficiency, I have over dosed, with no problem. I know that you can kill a goat with liquid copper, but not sure how much copasture it would take to really overdose and hurt a goat. Although it is always best to err on the side of caution, I have always given a bit too much, and currently do it 4x a year.
I sure would love a Vet to agree with us on our copper bolusing!! Any one ever talked to a Vet that agrees??

[medic]

What does fishtail mean?

[Oat Bucket Farm]

When the hairs on the very end of the tail fall out, making the tail look like a fish's tail.

[Cheribelle]

We have discussed before, goats that come from a large dairy herd, surely they are healthy, those people know how to take care of their herds.....
Last week I went to the sale barn. I realize this was mostly a cull situation, but almost every goat there except babies showed signs of fishtail, faded coats, general unthriftiness!
Quite an eye opener, now that I know what to look for.

[southerngurl]

I just fill a capsule half full.

[6e]

Originally Posted by Cheribelle

We have discussed before, goats that come from a large dairy herd, surely they are healthy, those people know how to take care of their herds.....
Last week I went to the sale barn. I realize this was mostly a cull situation, but almost every goat there except babies showed signs of fishtail, faded coats, general unthriftiness!
Quite an eye opener, now that I know what to look for.

I honestly haven't found sale barns and auctions to bring in shining examples of care in any animal. Usually they're the sick, the diseased, the old, the ones that aren't producing enough. Sometimes you'll find really good animals at the auctions, but I find it's the reverse most of the time.

I ordered copper from the one place that had it in stock.......and wouldn't you know it? I get an e-mail saying it's on backorder till heaven knows when. Sigh. The girls will just have to wait for a couple weeks.

[Cheryl aka JM]

I read last year that a breeder I respect (not naming names so there won't be arguements if I'm recalling correctly) gave full 12.5 gram capsules to all the adults. I looked at my goats and thought their tails still looked a little thin compared to pics of seen......
So 6 months ago I gave all the adults full 12.5 gram boluses.
They seem fine~ tails still look a little thin! Only one doe has had her babies~ twins and they looked great. Three more does to deliver very shortly~ they all look very fat and prosperous. I'll be bolusing again in about two to three more weeks and I'll be using the full bolus again.

I'm not recommending anyone else give a full bolus~ but I am suggesting that overdosing is a lot further off than give or take a few copper rods....

[southerngurl]

Yea, a whole bolus would make me nervous. Now there may be some farms that need it! But remember that boluses do seem to be somewhat cumulative. For example, I've seen deficient animals take a couple rounds of copper bolusing to really show improvement.

I think it comes down to learning to read your own animals. If you have a black or a roan they can really help you see it. The black goats will just be jet black with a gloss when they have enough copper. Roans will be quite a bit darker. Deficient roans have a lot of white.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I'm not the breeder, but I have experimented with the whole bolus, too. Still had to re-bolus in six months, so we've gone back to a smaller amount quarterly.

Here's the link to the technical info:
http://saanendoah.com/copper1.html

[LoneStrChic23]

Originally Posted by medic

What does fishtail mean?

Fish tail is when the center of the tail tip starts thinning or balding.....you'll have a thinned out center and two fuller sides that resemble the tail of a fish...

My alpine doe is very deficient and you can see her fish tail clearly in this picture (the goat on the left)......Her hair tips are also a burnt copper color where they should be dark..... I'm betting it will take a few rounds of bolusing to improve her appearance.

[6e]

At what age should you start bolusing young baby goats?

[Oat Bucket Farm]

We don't bolus until they are six months.

[6e]

Originally Posted by Oat Bucket Farm

We don't bolus until they are six months.

Thanks.

[6e]

I will say I'm not the least bit impressed with Purina loose goat mineral. They have that in front of them all the time and I'm not impressed with the results. Can't find Onyx or TechMaster around here, at least not at the feed stores I called.

[southerngurl]

I start them at three months. It is important they are ruminating real good. I do a half dose twice as often since they are growing.