Copper is a heavy metal element which has very important functions in the cow’s body. These include building immunity, growth and reproduction.

Copper gets into the body mainly through the food the animals eat and the water they drink. Feeds from some areas have low copper content. Their intake results in what is called primary or absolute copper deficiency.

In some cases certain elements in the feed, if present in high concentrations, may interfere with availability of copper to the body.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/08/23/why-cows-turn-red-or-yellow-copper-deficiency-in-feeds/