# Copper Sulfate for Horses (and alternatives)



## ashlingm (7 May 2017)

I was recommended to mix a pinch of copper sulphate into my horses' feed instead of having to use commercial copper supplements. I also read that you can add it to their outdoor water supply and let it dissolve in the water, resulting in them getting a steady supply of copper rather than it all in one go. 

I was just wondering if anyone had fed it before or knew how much to add per litre of water?

I was in my local agri store recently and they had chelated copper tablets that you put in their water supply. It's marketed towards cattle but contains no other minerals that may negatively impact a horse (iodine etc) - I contacted them and asked (As it hasn't actually been approved for horses they guy couldn't recommend them). Just wondering what peoples opinions were? 

Copper tablets info - http://www.mayohealthcare.ie/AQUACOPP.pdf


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## ycbm (8 May 2017)

I feed copper sulphate as powder at three grams a day because my land and water are far too heavy in iron. The recommendation is to balance with three times the amount of zinc, for which I use zinc sulphate. I have automatic waterers, so it goes in their food.


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## tallyho! (8 May 2017)

Hmm.. I would be cautious about feeding a Cu straight though... I would carefully balance it as there are interactions to consider. What was it recommended for?


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## ycbm (8 May 2017)

ycbm said:



			I feed copper sulphate as powder at three grams a day because my land and water are far too heavy in iron. The recommendation is to balance with three times the amount of zinc, for which I use zinc sulphate. I have automatic waterers, so it goes in their food.
		
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That's three times the zinc by molecular weight, not weight of powder.


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## supsup (8 May 2017)

I've also fed copper sulfate for years as part of a custom mix supplement - in balance with other minerals. I put it into the feed, no experience with adding it to water. 
I'd be cautious about supplementing any micronutrient in isolation at free choice, because you have no control over the intake. There is no solid evidence that horses self-regulate mineral intake, and it is conceivable that a horse could overdose if he's very thirsty, or become dehydrated/remain copper deficient because the water tastes funny.

PS: Please, don't just go out and just feed 3 grams of copper sulfate to your horse - the required daily copper intake is according to NRC guidelines is 100mg (that is *milli*grams) for a 500kg horse, which would be supplied by less than half a gram of copper sulfate. More might be needed if the forage is very unbalanced/high in iron (as seems to be the case for ycbm), but that should be confirmed with forage analysis.


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## Casey76 (8 May 2017)

Chelated copper is more readily absorbed in the intestine than CuSO4.

Personally I wouldn't feed anything which is used as a bacteriocide (CuSO4 solution is used to treat thrush).


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## ycbm (8 May 2017)

Casey76 said:



			Chelated copper is more readily absorbed in the intestine than CuSO4.

Personally I wouldn't feed anything which is used as a bacteriocide (CuSO4 solution is used to treat thrush).
		
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Salt is a bacteria control, so is sugar. Copper sulphate is in many commercial horse foods and most balancers, it's perfectly safe in the right quantity.


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## ycbm (8 May 2017)

Sup sup I should have made it clearer that my horses are blood tested and 3g a day is what I require to overcome massive imbalance of iron and manganese in both my grazing and water supply. Thanks for pointing that out.

There is 400mg a day in the barefoot balancers though, so I think 100 mg is too low for most UK grazing.


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## supsup (8 May 2017)

ycbm said:



			Sup sup I should have made it clearer that my horses are blood tested and 3g a day is what I require to overcome massive imbalance of iron and manganese in both my grazing and water supply. Thanks for pointing that out.

There is 400mg a day in the barefoot balancers though, so I think 100 mg is too low for most UK grazing.
		
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Agreed. I just wanted to make sure that people don't take your example out of context when reading this thread. Not everyone knows about mineral balancing, and even 400mg (which would in all likelihood be fine as part of a balancer that also contains zinc in proportion) in isolation might be enough to upset the Zn:Cu balance.


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## tallyho! (8 May 2017)

supsup said:



			Agreed. I just wanted to make sure that people don't take your example out of context when reading this thread. Not everyone knows about mineral balancing, and even 400mg (which would in all likelihood be fine as part of a balancer that also contains zinc in proportion) in isolation might be enough to upset the Zn:Cu balance.
		
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Yes I agree, I think it's important to illustrate that copper can be ingested from other sources depending on what people feed their horses - some indeed require more than others (mine do) due to an imbalance elsewhere in the forage for example. 

I'd still like to know what the OP is using it for though, as I definitely would not add it to water - not without testing the water first at least. What would be best practice is to test that and the forage - might save all the trouble... might not but at least you know your baseline.


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## ashlingm (9 May 2017)

tallyho! said:



			I'd still like to know what the OP is using it for though, as I definitely would not add it to water - not without testing the water first at least. What would be best practice is to test that and the forage - might save all the trouble... might not but at least you know your baseline.
		
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Em...because their copper deficient? Appologies if I didn't make that clear ....

As for the water, I've heard of places doing it when dealing with large herds. It means instead of giving them a large dose of copper in one go they can have a lower dose over a longer period of time - which meant to be far better and kinder on their system and utilised better. Horses never had an issue, no overdoses (excess copper is usually excreted anyway) and horses bloods always came back normal.


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## ycbm (9 May 2017)

My understanding is that excess copper is not excreted, it's stored in the liver. When the liver is 'full'  copper uptake reduces but doesn't stop completely.  That's why a one-shot dose works in your large herd example. It's dangerous to overfeed it, though the margin for error is  high in a horse (but very low in a sheep).   I would not give it in water unless you measure what your horses drink. Just add the right amount to their feed. 2.5g of copper sulphate will deliver about what is in all the 'barefoot' supplements.


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