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Story: Diseases of sheep, cattle and deer

Copper deficiency in cattle

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Copper deficiency in cattle

Copper deficiency is likely to occur in winter on free-draining or peaty soils, especially when there has been lots of rain. Young stock suffer poor growth and loss of coordination of the hind limbs, and adult cattle get diarrhoea (scours).

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by Gary Clark

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How to cite this page

Gary Clark, Neville Grace and Ken Drew, Diseases of sheep, cattle and deer – Bush sickness and other mineral deficiency diseases, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/17537/copper-deficiency-in-cattle (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Gary Clark, Neville Grace and Ken Drew, published 1 March 2009.