Are Mineral Buffets Right For All Herds: Pros, Cons, and Thoughts

Many people are jumping on the trend of buffet-style mineral options for their herds—it’s slowly becoming more popular, especially within the natural community. As a natural goat care mentor and goat owner, I educate people on all aspects of goat health, and have a special focus on nutrition because as we all know, good nutrition is the baseline of good health! Mineral buffets are an important husbandry technique to discuss, and I urge people to fully think about the information in this blog post.

The most important value that I strive to lead with in all of my consulting is that everyone’s situation is different. Every farm is an individual ecosystem. Every well/water source, every stalk of hay, and every handful of soil, varies from farm to farm. And most importantly, every goat, down to their precise genetic material and cells, varies. For this reason, I will always educate with an individualized approach, and urge people to remember that what works for one may not work for another.

I have had some people come to me after using mineral buffets with seemingly poor results, wracking their brains as to why it wasn’t working like it did for the friend who told them about it, or a person who wrote an article about it. If you’re wondering why it didn’t work for you, or wondering if it would/wouldn’t if you happened to try it, it’s necessary to understand the goat body itself. 

Mineral buffets are a very cool idea: allow goats to naturally select what they need, when they need it, to be able to prevent and resolve deficiencies effectively. The common alternative to mineral buffets would be a free choice, loose mineral blend, which satisfies all the basic mineral needs for the average goat. You can read about what makes a loose mineral blend suitable as your baseline (as many loose minerals are far from suitable) in this blog post: Goat Minerals 101. Of course, a baseline loose mineral is just that, a baseline. Supplements are usually necessary, through boluses, gels, top-dressing powders, and more. It can get overwhelming to chase down symptoms with a ton of supplements—and really frustrating if you aren’t doing so under the advisement of an experienced mentor who can carefully identify your problems. So seeing mineral buffets as a potential solution to the issue of constant supplementation is easy to do. However, mineral buffets are not a one-size-fits-all solution (there’s no such thing!). In certain situations, it is possible that mineral buffets have the potential to worsen various problems. An optimal solution is fixing the root cause of deficiencies, which lies deeply in gut health, balancing mineral interactions (such as antagonists coming in through water and other sources), and in a large aspect, genetics. Yes, I am available to work through these root cause issues to help reduce your supplementation woes—but let’s say that we are going down a typical mineral supplementation path, so we have to determine the best options are for our goats… based on a combination of experience, science, and intuition! 

Let’s talk about it…

Salt Content:

I think one thing that concerns a lot of people about mineral supplements and buffets is the salt content of the mixes. Most loose mineral mixes contain between 10-20% salt, some a bit lower and some a bit higher. Any higher than 20-25% is not ideal for a standard loose mineral. Salt is added to loose minerals for both safety and palatability. Goats have a really strong natural instinct to consume salt when they need it. This encourages consumption of the minerals themselves. Not enough salt, and you may find your goat is barely consuming their loose mineral. But too much salt, and your goat may not be consuming enough. That’s actually a fail-safe put into place by nutritionists and chemists—because the switch that tells a goat they’ve had enough salt will likely go off (telling them to stop licking their mineral) long before they over-consume whatever other mineral is in there, that could have posed a risk for overdose. So salt is our friend, to keep things safe, balanced, and absorbed in proper ratios, when it’s used correctly. 

There is more than one brand of mineral buffets for goats, and they definitely do vary! You should always check the salt and filler content of any mineral supplement that you use to ensure the correct ratios are in place. The actual amounts of the minerals in most of the formulas with high salt are increased to reach a fairly similar ratio as to loose minerals. A loose mineral may have 20% salt and 20ppm selenium, and a selenium mix from one of the companies may have 75% salt, but 100ppm selenium. There’s still some disparity and imperfect ratios, for sure, but you can see that the general idea is that the high levels of salt are somewhat balanced out by the higher levels of individual minerals. There’s also a question of—while on paper the ratio is okay—is the consumption still skewed by the large salt content? I think about it like this: In a loose mineral blend, goats are encouraged to consume it through salt, and sometimes even palatable additives like herbs/spices or natural flavors. They’re encouraged to consume it at a rate that professionals want them to (with some variation allowed, of course). All in all, goats do self-regulate, and will consume more or less of a correctly formulated mineral based on how much they need it or many of its constituents, but the loose mineral blend concept is more regulated by humans than most people admit. And that’s okay, that’s our job. If goats raised themselves, they wouldn’t be domesticated livestock, farmers wouldn’t be farming, and husbandry wouldn’t be as valuable as it really is! 

The entire mineral buffet concept is seemingly based on the belief that goats will select what they need on their own. The minerals are separated for exactly that reason! But, one has to wonder how well the goats can select between similar blends when salt or fillers may be the leading taste on their tongues. I’m not saying goats don’t have the ability to self-regulate on mineral buffets, but having a buffet higher in salt and filler ingredients may prove to be correlated with poorer results, because the more salt there is, the less the animal is actually tasting the individual mineral. That is why I recommend people check the labels of any mineral supplement or buffet to ensure the right ratios are in place.

Forms of Minerals:

This is where things get fun (or maybe stressful if you’re not a crazy goat lady like me… but really, I think it’s fun!)… learning about the in-depth relationships between minerals and the goat body! Woohoo! You can have the most perfect amounts of minerals, the perfect ratios, and perfect levels of consumption by your goats, but if the forms of those minerals aren’t right, you’re going to have very little success. I talk about the proper forms of minerals in the blog post I linked to earlier, but I’ll go into it a little bit more right here. Over time, throughout studies, and based on lots of experience, it’s come to our knowledge that certain forms of minerals absorb better than others. In discussing what I call The Vital Three (copper, zinc, and selenium), some of the most important examples of this can be explained. In copper and zinc, it’s found that chelated forms of these minerals are more readily absorbed into the body to prevent and correct deficiencies. Chelated forms are bound to one or more amino acids, allowing easy passage through intestinal walls for maximum absorption. When it comes to selenium, the more absorbable forms are selenium yeast and organic selenium (often referred to as selenomethionine). Selenomethionine is naturally bound to an amino acid, so it’s similar to a chelate. The other common forms of selenium are sodium selenite and sodium selenate. These are inorganic compounds, with selenium ions bound to sodium ions. Without bringing everyone back to grueling chemistry class days, I’ll simply explain that when these charged ions enter the rumen, the microbiome has interesting interactions on the chemical’s charge, this may result in the selenium being absorbed differently and far less effectively. Additionally, once absorbed through the digestive tract, different forms of minerals are going to create different compounds within the body, act differently once reaching the liver, and have varying degrees of safety, deficiency correction, and more. Mineral interactions aren’t as well-studied as they could be in goats, so there is still an aspect of speculation based on experience that comes into play. One theory (which makes A LOT of sense) by scientific researchers is that because minerals bound in organic complexes or amino acid complexes are already “tied up,” they are able to bypass the process of being bound to “antagonistic” compounds, which would therefore render them useless. I will be discussing that later on… keep on reading!

So looking at the forms of minerals (once again focusing only on The Vital Three to keep this short and sweet), there are a few key words to search for. Chelated forms may be written with the word “chelate,” or with the words “amino acid complex.” The selenium I like to see on a label is “selenium yeast.” I avoid formulas comprised of solely oxides, sulfates, and chlorides when it comes to zinc and copper, and steer away from sodium selenite and sodium selenate. The more bioavailable forms are often more expensive. When selling in bulk or in single minerals, using oxides/chlorides/sulfates is much more financially plausible. But quality saves goat owners money in the long run – when we have healthier animals, and can supply less of a given mineral with more absorption. Thus, you need to be aware of what forms of minerals are in any loose mineral, mineral supplement, or buffet that you offer to your goats. If I can avoid it, I would never put my goats or my clients’ goats on a supplement plan lacking in well-absorbed forms of minerals. Often I do a combination, as do most loose mineral mixes, because it allows for cost benefits as well as safety (too much of a super-well-absorbed mineral can pose toxicity threats, so it’s still all about balance).

So what about the people who have had reportedly deficient goats while on a loose mineral, and switched from a loose mineral to a buffet and seen improvement in copper, zinc, or selenium deficiencies? Well, we have to remember that minerals in any form are still going into the body. Let’s say someone has their herd on a loose mineral blend that has primarily basic, not-ideal forms of minerals (sulfates, oxides, etc), which is common amongst most loose minerals, and their goats are deficient in some things. Then they switch to a buffet, and see those deficiencies start to improve. The buffet may still be the same form of minerals, but maybe their animals are consuming larger quantities of one, or the ratios of the mix are better so there’s just an overall increased intake. Even if only 40% (random example number) of any sodium selenite is absorbed, if the goats double their intake, that’s still more selenium going in. So there’s absolutely a possibility that switching from one situation to another could result in changes, some quite positive, and some potentially negative. One thing’s for sure, I will always prioritize what forms of minerals are going into the body, and the best way to have consistent improvement of deficiencies that are deeply rooted, and adequate prevention of deficiencies, is to supplement with bioavailable forms of minerals. Good forms of minerals = happy gut = good absorption = happy goat = a very happy farmer!

Now here’s where things get really important, and please, if you only read one portion of this article (because I know it’s a long one!) read this one…

Should Certain Minerals be Excluded From Buffets?

While I have mostly discussed The Vital Three, I want to highlight a few other minerals that appear to be present in some mineral buffets: calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, and molybdenum. First, let’s take a closer look at sulfur and molybdenum. These two minerals are necessary for life, they’re so important—but thinking about these two can make us goat owners cringe. Why? Because both of these are considered mineral antagonists. This means, while they’re important, too much/the incorrect ratio of these, and you’ll be fighting to get members of The Vital Three to properly absorb. Excess of these are very common. Molybdenum might be in excess in your water or your soils, and sulfur is very commonly in excess in well water. In many areas, deficiencies of these two is unheard of, due to how much can be naturally occurring and, in fact, wreaking havoc because of how much there is! But let’s talk about what happens when there’s an excess. Sulfur toxicity on its own has the potential to cause polioencephalomalica, which is an acute thiamine deficiency and neurological illness. Excess sulfur and excess molybdenum will antagonize certain minerals. Together, they cause even more of a ruckus. When free copper reaches the digestive tract, excess sulfur and molybdenum can bind to that copper and cause what are called thiomolybdates. In short, it ties up copper in a form that is not able to be absorbed. Going back to when I said I would elaborate on chelates and amino acid complexes… the formation of thiomolybdates may be why certain forms of copper aren’t as well absorbed as the ones already tied up in beneficial ways. 

I really want to hammer in, though, that once again there is importance to the variation between farms. One farm may not have excess sulfur or molybdenum naturally, and therefore supplementation of these actually has some beneficial effects. Another farm may already have so much, that their goats become drastically mineral deficient after being on a buffet system with sulfur and molybdenum for a prolonged period of time.

Now, let’s look closer at calcium and phosphorus. In most loose mineral blends, calcium and phosphorus are present and carefully balanced in a 2:1 ratio. This is the ratio that has been determined to be both safe and ideal for goats. The entirety of the diet must be calculated in terms of the calcium to phosphorus ratio, and it is one of our main jobs as owners to ensure we keep that balance. Too much grain, too much alfalfa, and too much calcium in our water source… can all throw off the balance. Too much licking of free choice calcium or phosphorus supplements can throw off the balance, too. Now, I’m going to talk about self-regulation in the next section, but even if we assume that the goats are only taking as much calcium and phosphorus as they need, there’s another really big concern. The forms of calcium and phosphorus in feed or forage products get broken down throughout digestion, some absorbed, some excreted, and various compounds get formed. Usable calcium or excreted phosphorus varies greatly. In offering pure forms of these minerals, you are bypassing natural interactions that will occur in the animal’s body. Straight phosphorus going in quickly and being rapidly absorbed and excreted could create a phosphorus imbalance (and therefore stones in our males especially) very easily. Similarly, calcium can cause the same problem. Many stones in male goats are formed of calcium carbonate. One source of calcium that is often used in a variety of supplements is oyster shells. Oyster shells are compromised of around 96% calcium carbonate. Now, if we assume the goats naturally consume it in the right ratio to phosphorus, everything should be A-OK… but is it worth putting our trust in that?

This leads us to the burning question…

Can We Actually Trust Goats to Consume What They Need?

Mineral buffet systems are portrayed as a way of bringing goats closer to a natural, instinctual way of self-medication—allowing the animals to seek what they need, when they need it. Goats are notoriously adept at self-regulation for many things, and can instinctually select what they need in various situations. Much of the idea is correct, as goats are quite in touch with their trace and macro mineral requirements. However, they’re not perfect when it comes to highly concentrated, elemental minerals. Think about it like this: in the wild, goats select plants for mineral concentrations, they choose different life stages of forages for macro nutrients, and know to avoid excess quantities of potentially harmful forages. Their bodies, their systems, their minds, are entirely made to consume forage. So while they may do well selecting what they need when on that playing field, they may be much less accustomed, instinctually, to regulating the intake of pure minerals. Wild goats don’t just have piles of copper sulfate or zinc chloride laying around. And while yes, domesticated goats are far from wild goats, it is still important to consider that their bodies may not intended to take in pure forms of minerals in this fashion. Their very advanced and complicated digestive systems are based on generations of evolution to be browsers/foragers.

But let’s remember that even with forages, goats don’t have a magical sensor telling them what’s poisonous to them and how much to consume of something. A lot of self-regulation is learned behavior. Goat eats too much of “x plant,” gets a stomach-ache, no longer consumes too much (or any) of “x plant,” is often how it goes. Self-regulation isn’t a perfect process either, and when you think about how wild animals work, some even lose their lives if they aren’t quite smart enough to avoid the poisonous plant. The strong surely survive, and that’s simple natural selection. But the beauty of raising animals is that we get to prevent natural selection from taking a toll out on our animals—once again, that’s why we’re here. 

Going further into my reminder that goats don’t have a “magical mineral sensor,” let’s think about loose mineral consumption. I have always been one to tell people that goats know when they need more of a loose mineral, and deficient goats will usually eat a lot of a mineral at first and slow down over time once the minerals levels in their body reach equilibrium. Focus on those two words: “over time.” In order for goats to use the process described above, to innately go through trial and error based on how they feel and what results occur, varying amounts of time have to pass. Salt is absorbed quickly into the body (ever been low on electrolytes, but had that quick sports drink fix you up real fast?), so it makes sense that a goat may feel a burning need for it, and a pretty quick satisfaction, making them really skilled at self-regulating salt consumption. Copper, on the other hand, would require a longer process to go through the body, to actually make enough of an impact to start working with the “switchboard” in the goat’s brain that’s making the right choices. The cause and effect information that goats receive which allows them to self-regulate properly is not going to happen immediately, and just like with wild forages, it isn’t going to happen perfectly in every goat either.

Not trying to belittle goats’ natural abilities in the least—but if playing devil’s advocate means reminding people that sometimes goats are dumb… I would hate to see the day that the dopey wether who likely has a few less brain cells than your other goats (come on now, we’ve all got one!), consumes too much of something before his body has the chance to catch up and relay the right signals, and suffers because of it. Many of us have also seen examples of our most deficient goat not wanting to touch loose minerals, our sick goat not wanting to eat garlic or herbs (even though that’s what their body needs!), or our entire herd deciding that the delicious, nutritional hay only tastes good once it’s been flipped over and fluffed up a few times (anyone else ever feel like they’re doing the ‘hokey-pokey’ dance to make hay seem interesting? Ha ha). I can’t explain the complex psyche of our goats, but I can say there’s still a lot that doesn’t make sense, and goats sometimes act in ways that are definitely far from knowing what’s best for themselves.

Now because we don’t have access to enough forage—nutritious forage—or a variety of forage, to supply goats with enough minerals naturally, mineral supplementation is necessary for domesticated goats (especially given the levels of antagonists present in modern diets). However, years of scientific research has gone into properly understanding and formulating nutrient interactions in ruminants, so that humans can provide a helping hand to balance diets. There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing a role in supplementation of minerals, it’s part of animal husbandry. Until our goats go to school, learn advanced chemistry, and conduct scientific studies…they don’t need to be left solely responsible for their nutrition. It’s okay to intervene!

I don’t want to end this post without talking about some of the benefits we’ve seen come out of mineral buffets. Even though some people reportedly have suffered from less-than-ideal results, there are also people who have seen mystery issues get resolved. I chalk this up in part to buffets containing certain minerals and vitamins that are forgotten about in common loose mineral blends, and in goat diets overall. An example of these may be boron (a super important mineral that many goats are deficient in—that is excluded from most blends), silicon (which is essential for proper bone health), magnesium (which is not in a large enough quantity in some mineral blends, and is necessary for proper calcium absorption), iodine (deficiency is common due to low amounts in most loose minerals, unless offering kelp), and Vitamin A, D, and E (deficiencies of these are often mistook for zinc and selenium deficiencies, and are common cause for continuous signs of deficiencies after mineral supplementation). Having these minerals/vitamins, and some others, available to goats has the potential to fix a lot of issues that stump owners. If deficiencies in a herd were caused by a lack of those things, as opposed to a common one of The Vital Three, it makes sense that a buffet would deliver improvements. It also makes sense that if deficiency symptoms actually are from copper, zinc, or selenium issues, a mineral buffet might potentially worsen those symptoms.

So there’s certainly a side of mineral buffets that can change and improve the health of certain herds. If trial and error is the go-to approach, there may be adequate reasoning to give a buffet system a try if you have been chasing problems with no success. However, I urge people to remember my concerns and questions from above, and perhaps consider a modified mineral buffet approach, removing certain minerals based on knowledge of your geographical needs and your herd’s needs, or offering a loose mineral blend as a baseline with possible additional free choice supplements of certain minerals you know you are lacking in. These are all techniques to experiment with, as most of goat raising is experimentation. Just remember to listen to your goats. Don’t just listen to me; don’t listen to a random person on Facebook; just listen to each goat. I assure you they tell you in one way or another what they need. We just need to be equipped to listen. I listen through observation (both visual and behavioral), and am always available to teach others how to hone in their senses to this as well. Because as long as you know what to look for, and how to identify symptoms of a problem or signs of improvement, you can try whatever methods you want to get your herd to reach optimal health. That is everyone’s goal, and it’s a respectable one to strive for.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a vet, nor am I a licensed professional. I am in no way a “goat expert” and my opinions are only that of personal experiences, and my insights shared are not medical treatment suggestions, care suggestions, or any directions for raising goats at all. I am simply sharing my own personal opinions. Any and all changes to your goats’ health regimen, care, etc. should be approved by a veterinary professional or licensed professional. I also believe that every goat owner has their own way of doing things, so just as my opinions are my own, and cannot apply to anyone else, your opinions are also regarding your individual goats, and I welcome you to share them in a kind, constructive manner.