Like anything in life, too much of a good thing can end badly. The same can be said for copper nutrition in ruminants. Required in just trace amounts, copper is needed by all ruminants - but too much copper places the wellbeing of ruminants at risk. Worst case, too much copper can prove fatal for our farm animals.

Part four in our four-part copper themed podcast covers off risk factors for copper toxicity. Just why some ruminant species can be at greater risk of copper toxicity than others is explored. Reasons why some breeds of sheep may accumulate very high levels of liver copper and therefore be at greater risk of copper toxicity is covered. Acute and chronic forms of copper toxicity are compared, and what clinical signs you might see in ruminant species are explained.

**Note: The content within this episode is NOT intended to replace the nutritional advice specific to your animals as provided by your veterinarian or qualified ruminant nutritionist. If you suspect that your animals are showing signs of copper toxicity or may be at risk of copper toxicity, urgently contact your veterinarian **

What are some of the ways that we can test feed or other samples to assess the likelihood of copper deficiency in sheep, cattle or deer? Part three of this four-part copper themed miniseries moves the topic to defining the copper status of your farmed ruminants. The strengths and weaknesses of different testing methods for copper status are discussed. If a copper deficiency is very likely / has been defined, this episode covers different ways to provide additional copper to your ruminants. **Note: The content within this episode is NOT intended to replace the nutritional advice specific to your animals - as provided by your veterinarian or qualified ruminant nutritionist**

Dairy, sheep, beef, or deer farming? There’s something for everyone in our latest “bite sized” copper-themed miniseries podcast. Building on the introduction to copper nutrition in Episode 57, this podcast explores signs that ruminants might (or might not) show when copper deficient. Often we don’t see obvious signs of copper deficiency - this is called a “sub-clinical” deficiency. Which means animals simply don’t grow or perform well but don't show any classic signs of copper deficiency. A "clinical" copper deficiency simply means that we see obvious signs in animals that are suggestive of a low copper status.

Our latest podcast covers clinical signs that can be linked with copper deficiency. Covering all ruminant species, we explore a a range of clinical signs of copper deficiency. Topics discussed include a possible role for copper deficiency in shoulder fractures in young dairy heifers, scouring in young cattle, swayback in sheep and deer, and the classic changes in coat colour when black cattle become severely copper deficient.