Almost anyone who keeps goats or sheep has heard the rule--goats need copper, sheep can’t have it. How much copper do goats need? How much do sheep need? How much is toxic to them and why are they more sensitive to it?
Copper is required for normal iron metabolism, elastin, collage, and melanin production, immune system response, and nervous system function. Because of how essential it is to most animals, trace mineralized salt usually contain 300 to 400 ppm of copper to prevent deficiency.
Sheep, in general, should have 7-11 ppm of Copper in their diet if the rest is balanced. They should NOT get any more than 25 ppm. Deficiency of copper can cause poor wool quality and growth impairments (such as lameness or swayback) in sheep. Excess can cause anemia, jaundice, abdominal pain, and even death.
Copper given to sheep accumulates in the liver for weeks, months, even years, and is then suddenly released in times of stress, when the content may be as high as 1000-3000 ppm. This essentially poisons the animal and they usually die within 24-48 hours. The diet does not have to have excessive content of copper for a problem to arise, it may also stem from low concentrations of molybdenum, sulfur, zinc, and calcium, all of which help metabolize and limit storage of copper.
The best way to prevent copper overdose in sheep is to keep the diet ration of copper to molybdenum less than 10:1. The sheep should be provided with mineralized salt for zinc. In case of an emergency but where animals are still eating, sheep can be treated with 50-100 mg of ammonium molybdate and 0.5-1.0 g sodium sulfate for three weeks to try and steer off copper poisoning.
The National Goat Handbook (NGH Website) recommends mixing mineral supplements in the grain or feed of goats and claims they will not consume free choice minerals according to need. Other breeders do suggest loose cattle minerals (or sheep minerals supplemented with 950 to 1250 ppm of copper). Goats may wear down their teeth if given a block, instead. Copper deficiency causes the same problems in caprines as ovines—growth, development, reproduction, and coat. See Copper Deficiency for more information on this.
Related Links
Sheep Copper Toxicity - Salt Institute
Goat Nutrient Needs - Delaware Cooperative Extension
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