Mineral deficiency? Or is it toxicity?

[Taffy]

WADDL can test your goat's mineral levels.

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

WADDL can test your goat's mineral levels.

Yes and they have a fairly quick turn around too. That's how we found out that we had a herd wide zinc deficiency.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

The thing with doing blood mineral tests is that they only are able to tell you the mineral levels of the animal at that particular time. As seasons, water and feed change, even day to day, so do their mineral levels. But its still worth it to do it. Our vet has us do the 3 worst looking animals and the 3 best looking animals to get a herd average. At that time we had just started doing mulitmin90 injections, had CHS 16/8 goat mineral plus out for them free choice. Our animals came back low / normal range for selenium. Low / normal range for magnesium. Low / low range for both copper and zinc. We are dry lotted and feed nothing but alfalfa year round. Been over a year since we started doing the mulitmin90 and we now crush up zinc pills and add them to their loose mineral. We copper bolused once but didnt see much help from it. Still fighting to get them all at a good average.

[blackie's maiden]

This all catches my interest. Having trouble this year keeping the goats looking healthy. All were copper boluses in both August 2017 and.this past April. I figured it was time again but now I wonder. While our "Magnificent Seven" (the seven we are training to pack) get separate individual meals and supplements and their gums are.pretty pink, even they are not where I would like them to be in appearance and health but the pasture.goats, many are somewhat bony and very white gummed which scares me to death. Maybe I am on wrong track. The goat raisers here always say it's worms. After talk at Rendy, I dropped.Ivomectin as my go-to wormer for Valmezan orally at.2.cc.per 25 lbs body weight. Just wormed.about 10 days ago and still white.gums, no weight gain. Could not.get the Spring Mix loose calf minerals recommended at Rendy. But we bought and put out their standard calf mineral from Tractor.Supply. on that about 2 weeks. Still no change.

Our pasture is horrible.this.year due.to drought so we have been depending on coastal round bales.around here. And here.they fertilize the heck out of them.

Out right now but usually put out copper rich meat goat blocks.for them but never saw much change.

Do you think the zinc might help and.if so, what is.most.practical way to make it.available when group feeding a herd?

Or does anyone.have any other explanation for.white gums?

Our vet support for goats here is.really really bad. We.are.pretty much on our own on diagnosing/treating.

Thanks.

[blackie's maiden]

PS: Forgot to add herd goats get Bryant Meat Goat pellets.at rate of 1/2 quart per goat along w/1/4 C food.grade D.E. and 1/8 C apple.cider vinegar per animal. In herd tho, hard to say how.much each actually gets but there always seems.to be a little left. Also free choice baking soda per Fias Goat Farm suggestions tho I see no evidence they eat it.

[Taffy]

Submit fecal samples for each of your goats to MidAmerica Ag so you know which parasite(s) if you are dealing with.  When you know exactly which parasites you are dealing with you will know which treatment(s) will most effectively treat them.  Just treating them without this knowledge is a waste of money and is why parasites have developed resistance to some medications.

https://www.midamericaagresearch.net/instructions.php

In my opinion, and after having done mineral blood tests on my herds twice in the past 3 years,  I am a true believer in the Payback Goat Minerals Plus.  My goats test results have been excellent both times.  My vet remarked he had never seen such excellent results before.  The copper is chelated so it is readily available to the goat's system.  The remaining minerals provide what is needed.

http://www.paybackfeeds.com/tag_book/doc...inPlus.pdf

You should utilize the FAMACHA method to check your goat's health.  It's easy and a very accurate gauge of your goats health.  This is a god link to learn about FAMACHA.

https://web.uri.edu/sheepngoat/video/