Ruminant mineral buffet - Ask Extension
I keep a small herd of goats and sheep. They are typically kept separately due to differences in mineral needs/tolerance. Despite free access to comme...
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Ruminant mineral buffet #873188
Asked June 15, 2024, 6:50 AM EDT
I keep a small herd of goats and sheep. They are typically kept separately due to differences in mineral needs/tolerance. Despite free access to commercially available mixed goat mineral I still need to copper bolus my goats 1-2 times per year. I have been thinking about creating a free choice system where each mineral is offered individually, including copper. My thought is that the animals can select just the minerals each individual needs based on time of year, forage quality, life stage, etc. Additionally, I shouldn't need to bolus if the goats have continuous access to copper.
This could have the added benefit of allowing me to run the goats and sheep together, because each animal can take only the mineral they need without risk of eating too much.
Am I way off base here?
Washtenaw County Michigan
Expert Response
Animals consume a mineral mix based on the salt (NaCl) content. A good free choice mineral mix will contain 95-98% NaCl and very little calcium and phosphorous. Calcium and phosphorous are often included in a mix as fillers and most animals get the required amounts through the feed sources they have access to. Animals do not consume minerals based on the need of a specific mineral. Putting the sheep in an area where they had free choice access to copper could prove disastrous.
If putting the sheep and goats together is something you wish to do, then you should use a good quality sheep mineral that is 95-98% NaCl and then continue to copper bolus your goats. This way you would have a mineral that won't cause copper toxicity in your sheep, and you can still meet the copper requirements of your goats.
If putting the sheep and goats together is something you wish to do, then you should use a good quality sheep mineral that is 95-98% NaCl and then continue to copper bolus your goats. This way you would have a mineral that won't cause copper toxicity in your sheep, and you can still meet the copper requirements of your goats.
