I have had goats for years and have never fed them copper. I only have one left now that my pygmies died of old age. Do I need to feed him copper? Also what is the recommended feeding amount for a goat?
Most if not all types of goat feed include copper as one of the main ingredients. Generally goats do not need copper additives in their diet. But I'm sure your local feed store will have a copper supplement if you find out that he has a copper deficiency. Just make sure no other animals like lambs get ahold of that stuff because it'll kill them! For the amount of feed, it really depends on the age of the goat an what he is used for. Like, for my show goats I fed around one and a half pounds twice a day. If he's just a pet, the diet doesn't need to be as strict so you can just toss a little fresh feed in the feed bin when you see it's getting low. Hope I helped :)
I would highly recomend for the happiness of your goat, that you get another goat as soon as possible! Goats are herd animals and need companionship from their own kind! Goats need free access to minerals which contain copper. There are several options available. We use Sweetlix meat maker mineral all the time and Onyx cattle mineral a few days a week. They will eat it as they need it. Goat chow or some other grain made for goats have copper in them as well. If the individual goat's fur looks bleached at the roots, they have abnormal hair loss ( I especially notice it in the tail) or any other symptom of copper deficiency we copper bolus them. This is a pill with copper filings that gets used over time. They are available from a livestock supply store such as Jeffers which sells Coppersure They are made for cattle and are very large. For our goats we break the bolus and distribute the filings into a smaller 00 gel capsule available at a health food store. If you are providing minerals, good sources of feed and bolusing as needed then your goats are likely getting enough copper. Copper deficiency can cause anemia just like parasites. Low copper and parasites is a double deadly combo! Copper helps goats to resist parasites more effectively. Goats can die of copper deficiency or toxicity, so it is important to conduct and record regular observations and treatments, and contact your vet if anything is amiss. If I have a goat which died suddenly I have a necropsy done, and pay the extra money to test the liver for copper. The level should be 25 to 150 PPM Hope this helps! Good luck!
