# Copper Bolousing Questions!!!



## Ashlee H (Aug 5, 2009)

Hello everyone!!! I finally got all my copper bolousing stuff together and made about 75 smaller, goat size capsules from the bigger ones for calves Jeffers sells, and am about ready to give them to my goats, but have a few questions to ask about it 1st, about it, as this will be the 1st time I have ever done this!

OK, the size capsules I have are size "0" - now, what is the dosage to give to my goats of these (how many size "0" copper capsules to give per lbs. or per goat?) I have a couple grown bucks, grown does, yearlings, and some older doelings (both dairy goats and meat goats) to give these to. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Ashlee H


----------



## kattmc3 (Mar 8, 2009)

How many little ones does the large one fill? Then devide that by the milligrams that the big pills are. That should tell you how many millgrams are in each pill. If I remember correctly anyone feel free to correct me it 1 gram per 33 pounds. Please someone have a more simple way of doing this than me. I hope that helps though.


----------



## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

I use the "0" size. it comes pretty close to 50lbs worth of goat. So weigh your goat and give according to their weight. It takes five of them for our one buck! I have contemplated just giving him one full bolus but I'm afraid it would lodge in his throat.Tam


----------



## Ashlee H (Aug 5, 2009)

kattmc3 said:


> How many little ones does the large one fill? Then devide that by the milligrams that the big pills are. That should tell you how many millgrams are in each pill. If I remember correctly anyone feel free to correct me it 1 gram per 33 pounds. Please someone have a more simple way of doing this than me. I hope that helps though.


I could make almost 7 full small caps. full out of one of the big ones. Lets see, the bottle of Copasure says it's 12.5 g. Hum, I was never good at math! LOL!!! Looks like I got some figuring to do!


----------



## Ashlee H (Aug 5, 2009)

Caprine Beings said:


> I use the "0" size. it comes pretty close to 50lbs worth of goat. So weigh your goat and give according to their weight. It takes five of them for our one buck! I have contemplated just giving him one full bolus but I'm afraid it would lodge in his throat.Tam


That's what I was thinking I heard someone say befor - 1 size "0" cap. per 50 lbs.

Also, I just have a weight tap to "weigh" my goats - are these pretty accurate enough? And, lets say you have a 80 lb. goat - is it OK to just round it up and give it enough for a 100 lbs? Just want to check and make sure! Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Ashlee H


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

use your weight tape as it will be close. 
The animals are dosed to weight at the rate of 1 gram copper oxide in bolus form per 22 pounds at five to six month intervals

get a scale and weigh it out to be accurate.


----------



## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

I actually empty out the calf boluses onto a sheet of paper on my scale and weigh out what I need. Then I crease the paper and pour it into a capsule (or capsules, as the case may be).


----------



## pokyone42 (Oct 26, 2007)

:yeahthat. We do the goats at 5 month intervals, and like Sondra said, 1 gram per 22 pounds. The difference since we started bolusing about 14 months ago, is AMAZING! Oh, and a tip I learned from the forum a while back...use peanut butter to hold the capsule in the balling gun. It saves them dropping to the floor, and the goats love it!


----------



## chewie (Jul 26, 2008)

sally, could you tell what is 'amazing' since bolusing? i am getting ready to do this for the first time myself, and would like to hear some others' results.


----------



## Ashlee H (Aug 5, 2009)

Well, with the help of my mom and dad, we got it all figured out, and all together, and finally got all the goats Copper Boloused yesterday! I think I did quite well for my 1st time doing the bolousing, as I only had one (out of about 20 head) actually bite and break one of the caps (of course, it was my silly Nubian buck!), but we made sure he got enough though! Had a couple actually cough them up and spit them out, but I just cleaned them off, and back down they went - made sure to get the bolous gun back further the next time, and made sure they swallowed them!

So, we should all be good on our Copper for a wile. This was the 1st time I have ever done this with my herd, and I can't wait to see the improvement in them!!!


----------



## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Good job Ashlee- you will be so pleased. Sounds like you did it perfectly. 
I am taking my most needy and moving to 1/2 dose every 90 days to even out the year instead of larger dose every 6 months.
Be interesting to see the results. I feel like they are moving out the most of it within a shorter time than 6 months and start looking deficient and so to keep an even feed of it breaking down I will try this experiment. Of course I don't clip so am looking at year round coats as well-some tell tale stuff old hair! Be sure to tell us what you notice when it kicks in.
Lee


----------



## 2Sticks (Dec 13, 2007)

Ashlee,
It's great that you got them all bolused. I know first hand how much Honey appreciates being bolused :crazy
You're doing great! You're going to have quite a herd :lol

Tamera


----------



## Narrow Chance (Oct 29, 2007)

:handclap Atta Girl !!! 

How's our MS girls by the way?


----------



## Holly Govero (Mar 26, 2009)

Hey. I have a questions. I have a new doe that she is pregnant. She is huge. But I used the tape measure. I am wondering will the tape measure be okay? Becuz I am afraid to bolus her since she is pregnant and BIGGEST that I ever seen. How much should I give her? 1 gram per 22 lbs?? Is that correct?


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Huge pregnant bellies are *NOT* weighed with a weigh tape, it's over their ribs and anything huge their is fat


----------



## Ashlee H (Aug 5, 2009)

Thanks everone for all the help and suggestions!!! I really can't wait to see the results in my herd!!!



2Sticks said:


> Ashlee,
> It's great that you got them all bolused. I know first hand how much Honey appreciates being bolused :crazy
> You're doing great! You're going to have quite a herd :lol
> 
> Tamera


Actually, Honey was one of the "better" - easier to ones to do, and actually all of my dairy goats did pretty well taking them, except for my Nubian buck!!! Allot of my Boers were hard headed and stubborn though - but that's just how most of their personality is!!! LOL!!!


----------



## Ashlee H (Aug 5, 2009)

Narrow Chance said:


> :handclap Atta Girl !!!
> 
> How's our MS girls by the way?


My MS girls are doing great!!! I just love Honey and Zella!!! They are so, so, so, sweet and just beautiful!!! I can't wait to see their babies this coming spring!!! I am pretty excited!!!


----------



## Holly Govero (Mar 26, 2009)

Vicki. I already did the tape measurement. It says she is 180 lbs. So I have to give her 8 grams of copper right??


----------



## pokyone42 (Oct 26, 2007)

Hi Chris.
When we first attempted copper-bolusing, I did the three most "expendable" goats in our herd...(As sort of an experiment.) Within about a month, their hair was so much thicker and shinier. The hair also began filling in at the ends of their tails. They just looked alot stronger, and healthier, overall. So, then we did the rest of the herd, and have been, since. They ALL look wonderful, and the kids born last winter and spring were larger, and stronger at birth than in previous couple of years.
We copper-bolused all of the kids when they were somewhere around 12 weeks, and again recently (it was 5 months later.) and these are the best-looking and growthy kids we have had.
Before we began copper-bolusing, our goats looked good. But, they still seemed to be lacking something. Since we began copper bolusing, not only do they look good, they look GREAT! We also had a few foot issues, and those seem to have been resolved as well. Thank you to this forum, our goats are in MUCH better shape from all of the wonderful advice...copper-bolusing, is just a smidgeon of advice we have followed.


----------



## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

I've heard there's some cautions to using the bolusing gun on goats, is that right? The experienced breeder who helped me last time mixes the loose rods with mashed banana and then squirts it in the back of the mouth with a large syringe plunger. 

But it sounds like you all use the bolus gun? Do you use a different one for the youngsters or Nigerians vs big bucks? Mine are overdue, and I gotta deal with this on my own this time.


----------



## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

The 'bolus gun' is just a small slim plastic tube with a pusher inside and a flared end so the capsule can be held.
It is honestly no big deal esp if you put something yummy in the end to hold the cap. Mine were lining up for more just to get another taste of almond butter. Our feed store has many sizes and I just got the smallest -$1.80. 
If you can worm them- you can bolus them. A large syringe is much more difficult to use- you have to open the mouth so much more than a small bolus gun. The name being more intimidating than the actual item!
Lee


----------



## chewie (Jul 26, 2008)

i just got a bolus gun, calf size. i got calf sized copasure, and #13 caps--those seem way too large!? so i stopped in town and got a box of 00 size, seems much more reasonable. 

so, i just put, say some pbutter in the end of the 'gun', stuff the cap into that, then plunge? how far into the mouth do i put the gun? i thought hubby would help me but he's being a whiner, about me spending too much effort on those goats!! (jealousy??) i have bald tail ends, fish tails, coarse haircoats, and a few other small indicators. i am thinking to make my caps a bit on the 'light' side so to be a bit extra careful? any advice? thanks


----------



## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Tell him if he helps, it will go a lot faster and then you'll have more time for him.  Put the gun as far back into their mouth as you can get it. Then, when they chew up the boluses the first time, you will realize that you need to put it back further than you had it when you try again. (Ask me how I know this  ) Anyhow, you really don't need to make them "on the light side." Go with amount on that chart based on the weight of your goats. The thing about copper oxide rods (the stuff in the bolus) is that it is like a time release thing. They disolve slowly over time. If they chew up the bolus, a lot of that just goes right through their system...my understanding of the reason behind the gelatin capsules is to give the rods a chance to get where they need to go. If the goat chews the bolus but still swallows it, a lot of folks give them a 1/2 dose again to make sure they get enough. But if that happens to you, you can always come back on here and ask and see what everyone says.


----------



## Oat Bucket Farm (Mar 2, 2009)

At what age is it best to begin copper bolousing?


----------



## chewie (Jul 26, 2008)

one more ?....when you say to put the gun into the back of the mouth--is that over the tongue like the dr. does to check your throat, or along the side of the cheek, alongside the teeth? sorry being so anal about this, i would like to be successful! thanks


----------



## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Over the tongue. If you put in inside the cheek, when you push the plunger thingy, all you'll do is put it in a good place for them to chew it. 

I can't answer the "best" time, but a lot of people bolus their kids at around 6 months, if I remember correctly.


----------



## Oat Bucket Farm (Mar 2, 2009)

Thanks


----------



## pettigrewfarms (Nov 14, 2007)

WILL BE BOLOUSING MINE ONE DAY THIS WEEK :crazy :woohoo ALL IN ONE


----------



## chewie (Jul 26, 2008)

is it better/easier to use a bolus gun or a drench gun?


----------



## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

For copper bolusing? I don't know how you'd do it with a drench gun, which is designed for liquids.


----------



## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

The words "bolus" and "gun" and "copper rods" all sound so intimidating. It's really quite easy when you get past that.  We have the dog sized pill gun. (really just looks like a long tampon applicator!) It's easier to handle than the calf sized one, and the smaller capsules fit nicely in there with a glob of peanut butter. If you read through Joyce's information, you will see that it's awfully difficult to cause copper toxicity, so if you overdo it a bit, not to worry. If you under dose, you won't see improvement, possibly more copper problems, and you just give another. My alpines came a month before their scheduled copper boluses. I gave them, and wondered if Showy chewed hers; I wasn't sure b/c I did it on the milkstand and she had grain in there she was chewing on, too. Two months later, her tail tip is baldish, so I just redid hers. So far, so good!


----------



## chewie (Jul 26, 2008)

ok, i think i have the info i need, thanks! i have bald tail tips, red hair on black bodies, etc. looking forward to changing this.


----------



## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Yep, sounds like they need it. You'll be glad you did and it won't be so intimidating once you do it the first time.


----------



## chewie (Jul 26, 2008)

thanks for the encouragement! and to use the drench, you put that black rubber thing on the end of it, the pill into that. i think the idea of swishing some liquid along with it will make the animal swallow, maybe even make it easier to wash the cap. down, so being more sure it went where it should.


----------



## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

NO LIQUIDS
You will end up with them sucking it in their lungs particularly if they struggle.
This is so simple - really


----------



## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

NO BLACK RUBBER THING!!! That is for you when you're filling the smaller capsules--one side holds a small capsule, and the other side holds a big one, so you can set them upright in there and not spill rods. You don't want that going rubber thing down their throat! Take the smaller capsule, dip it in the peanutbutter, and stuff it in the bolus gun. That peanutbutter will make it stick in there until you pop it out.


----------



## chewie (Jul 26, 2008)

wow, never thought of that! that is something i could see happening tho., thanks so much for the warning!!!!


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

And throw the bolusing gun away  Just get a $3 pill gun for giving dogs their meds. Use the peanut butter to sticky the bolus to the small cup area, hold like Lee said (like you are putting a bit in a horses mouth that won't open it, and try to put the pill gun down their throat, it's not on the tongue, its as far back as you can go without stabbing them  Push to release it in the back of the throat, your done. I hold their mouth shut and put their head level, and I do not let go until I know they have swallowed, I do this right before milking on the milkstand so the next thing they do is gobble down their grain. Vicki


----------



## chewie (Jul 26, 2008)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> (like you are putting a bit in a horses mouth that won't open it,
> 
> 
> Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:
> ...


----------



## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

right before milking grain is a good idea, thanks Vicki


----------

