A Note on Copper and Selenium Requirements of Goats

Soils in many areas of the U.S. are deficient in copper, resulting in copper deficient feeds produced in these areas.However, adding a mineral supplement to the diet that has an adequate amount of copper can eliminate most symptoms of deficiency. In fact, copper deficiency is sporadic throughout the country. All coastal areas on the west (including California) and east coasts, the Southeast and major parts of the Midwest are deficient in copper. Generally, animals raised in Western states had lower serum copper than those raised in Southeastern and Midwestern states.

In some states copper levels in soil may be sufficient; however, other minerals such as molybdenum or sulfur may reduce its availability. Also soil copper levels may vary from location to location within a state. Therefore it is recommended to check your soil mineral level for copper, molybdenum and sulfur.

Copper deficiency symptoms vary depending on the severity of the condition. Symptoms may be exhibited as frequent staph lesions on the body, a thin and faded hair coat, bald tail tips, twisting and bending of the front legs, spinal cord injuries or even anemia. Generally, the immune system breaks down due to hypocupric conditions and animals become vulnerable to diseases and parasites. Although most symptoms of copper deficiency may be reversible by feeding adequate copper, other symptoms in young kids such as swayback (caused by deficient pregnant does), and spinal cord injuries are not reversible. I have conducted research feeding high levels of copper to goats and found that goats are much more tolerant to high levels of copper than sheep or cattle (Solaiman et al., 2001). Feeding levels as high as 100 mg copper per day actually improved daily weight gain and immune functions in goats (Solaiman et al., 2007), and these findings confirm previous recommendations of other producers and goat experts.