AlaskanShepherdess
Ridin' The Range
I've been playing around with trying to give my goats all their mineral need through whole foods. The biggie source has been kelp, which they have been receiving for about 5 weeks now. I doubled the amount they get on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week (to 1 oz per ND). Also about the same time I discovered a nutritional yeast container in the back of my cupboard that has 50% of the RDI daily recommended for humans in copper and 63.4mcg of selenium, amongst other vitamins and minerals, per 3 tbs. I have been giving one heaping tbs per 3 goats currently. Not sure yet how much to work up to.
Anyways. While I was out there this morning I noticed that several of the goats' fishtails (copper deficiency) were beginning to fill in, and look a little more normal. Yay! And all the visible symptoms (the ones I know about) of selenium deficiency disappeared within 2 weeks of my starting the kelp.
What I am wondering though, is that enough just that those signs are going away, or am I still at risk of having kids born with the problems associated with selenium and copper deficiency in about 5 weeks?
Can a goat that is showing no outward symptoms of selenium deficiency still give birth to a kid that will have white muscle disease?
I really want to avoid Bo-Se and copper boluses if I can, but at the same time I don't want to risk my animals. I am searching for food sources for these minerals but I'm worried that I won't find them, and build up their supply in enough time before they give birth.
Anyways. While I was out there this morning I noticed that several of the goats' fishtails (copper deficiency) were beginning to fill in, and look a little more normal. Yay! And all the visible symptoms (the ones I know about) of selenium deficiency disappeared within 2 weeks of my starting the kelp.
What I am wondering though, is that enough just that those signs are going away, or am I still at risk of having kids born with the problems associated with selenium and copper deficiency in about 5 weeks?
Can a goat that is showing no outward symptoms of selenium deficiency still give birth to a kid that will have white muscle disease?
I really want to avoid Bo-Se and copper boluses if I can, but at the same time I don't want to risk my animals. I am searching for food sources for these minerals but I'm worried that I won't find them, and build up their supply in enough time before they give birth.