Mineral Deficiency

[babsbag]

I saw in your OP you said you were thinking about selling your goats. Sorry you are having a tough time right now, but I don't think you should do that.

I've never given a copper bolus, never even heard of it until I joined this forum. Never gave selenium injections until last year, and I'm not so sure we really even need it.

If you really have a deficiency, it sounds like you are doing the right things at this point.. We give our lactating does alfalfa hay along with free choice grass hay. That seems to be the best way to condition them that I've found.

I don't think I would take the baby from her now. But, if she is not in good condition, I would try to wean and dry her off as soon as I could

Not all areas are deficient in copper or selenium, it depends on where you live and where you get your hay. Most of the west where I live is very deficient so we just treat as a matter of course and I still had kids last year that had a low selenium count. Blood test for copper is not that acurate as the copper is stored in the liver, but when we had the necropsy done on a kid it came back as low in copper too. And that was after bolusing the dam and giving bo-se to the dam right before kidding.

The blood test for copper can show a normal reading and yet the goat can still be deficient but if it shows a low reading then at least you will know it IS low.

 

[mikayladawn]

Thank-you guys, I really appreciate all your help. We switched to a different mineral and continued MTG skin treatment which has seemed to be helping. The odd warty things have disappeared and everyone's skin is clearing up thank goodness. If anyone has any skin issues, I would really recommend this stuff.

Southern by Choice - We have sheep, goats, chickens, a husky mix and a greyhound

EDIT: Oh, and we feed just the average mixed grass hay, so it isn't super high quality or anything.