# copper limits for sheep



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

When I bought a ewe this summer, I asked the owner what he was feeding her. They were feeding a mix of oats, corn and sweet feed. Maybe something else in there. I can't find sweet feed with less than a possible .7 % copper (that's the minimum on the bag the max is up to 1.5%). Is that too much copper? I thought copper accumulated in sheep since they can't get rid of it. Over time, wouldn't even smaller amounts be bad for them? 

Does anyone else use sweet feed as part of their ration? Is it available in your area with no or lower amounts of copper? I don't feed sweet feed. I just wondered about the amount of copper sheep.


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## LibertyWool (Oct 23, 2008)

Blue Seal Coarse 16 (a sweet feed) has no added copper. Agway's does.... I feed blue seal and have for years, no problems.... It is even labeled for Sheep....


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## birchtreefarm (Jul 22, 2007)

Callieslamb said:


> When I bought a ewe this summer, I asked the owner what he was feeding her. They were feeding a mix of oats, corn and sweet feed. Maybe something else in there. I can't find sweet feed with less than a possible .7 % copper (that's the minimum on the bag the max is up to 1.5%). Is that too much copper? I thought copper accumulated in sheep since they can't get rid of it. Over time, wouldn't even smaller amounts be bad for them?
> 
> Does anyone else use sweet feed as part of their ration? Is it available in your area with no or lower amounts of copper? I don't feed sweet feed. I just wondered about the amount of copper sheep.


It's funny - there's another thread here where we've been talking about copper. 

Sheep don't need very much copper, compared to goats let's say. Or perhaps it's just that goats and other animals can tolerate more copper than sheep. But sheep do need SOME copper. Is the sweet feed they were using formulated for sheep? If not, you could switch to something like Shepherd 16 (a Blue Seal product) or any equivalent product from another vendor made specifically for sheep. That would be the safest route to take.

It's not that the sheep never gets rid of any copper it takes in. It does use copper in very small amounts. But if there is too much copper in the diet, and not enough usage of it, and/or not enough other elements that bind copper and make it unavailable, the sheep can store the excess in the liver to an amount which, if suddenly released into the bloodstream because of a stress trigger, will kill the sheep.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Thanks for the info. I saw another thread on the Finnsheep yahoo group about copper, and I decided to ask here to see what people knew. I didn't see another thread here. There is also one going about using copper to combat worms. 

I really don't want to use sweet feed. It is just what the ewe was fed before. I use sheep pellets and oats. Maybe a handful of corn from time to time.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Work to avoid added supplimental copper over 100 PPM, don't worry about a no additive sweet feed mollassas has lots of copper but its probably just fine all else considered. Grasses grown on ground overly used to spread hog manure can be very very high in copper for years. That can b e a problem for sheep.


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## FrankRichards (Dec 9, 2004)

Copper requirement is also breed specific. It's starting to look like all the northern shorttails need more copper than other sheep. It's been known for years about North Ronaldsays, it's been established for Icelandics in the last few years, and now you're reporting chatter in the Finnsheep community.

We give our Icelandics half sheep minerals, half goat minerals to give them enough copper. At this point I'd do the same for any of the northern breeds.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

MIne are Finns so they would qualify as short-tailed, cold climate sheep. 100 ppm sounds like a lot considering the bag said 5-7....I will look again.


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## LibertyWool (Oct 23, 2008)

Ross said:


> Work to avoid added supplimental copper over 100 PPM, don't worry about a no additive sweet feed mollassas has lots of copper but its probably just fine all else considered.


From what I've read, molasses has 2.04 mg of CU per 100g. So if I calculated correctly, that is 20.4 ppm. So I'm not really concerned about using a sweet feed, as sheep need about 5 ppm of CU in their diet.... And I don't have any other direct sources of CU (like fields spread with pig manure, etc)....


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

So how do sheep pass excess copper? CAN they pass it? Are there minerals or substances that help them void excess copper?


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## Slev (Nov 29, 2003)

I read a bag at local Rural King store, and believe it said min./max @ 10/15 ppm

...but that's just from memory... 

(My dairy goat loves the rabbit feed @ $1 less per bag.)


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

rabbit feed is the same as sweet feed? I thought rabbit feed was alfalfa.....


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## Slev (Nov 29, 2003)

Callieslamb said:


> rabbit feed is the same as sweet feed? I thought rabbit feed was alfalfa.....


no it's NOT the same. Go to the Rural King web site and have a look.http://www.ruralking.com/agriculture.html?cat=718 

The best thing to do would be to contact either someone at your store, or read the label of the product you're thinking about feeding, and call that number...


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