anyone NOT use mineral?

[TexasBred]

I can see it taking forever to get enuf mineral from a block but Salt. Last time i looked it dissolves pretty readily. If they werehn't getting enuf salt I would have to think they would stand there and lick it till it was gone.

If other cows don't run her off she will stand there until she gets tired of licking anyway. Don't know if she gets all she wants or needs. They're just too darn hard.

[angus9259]

Loose mineral and loose salt is all I use . Your feeding protien tubs and they don't have enough mineral in it . I put out about 12 bags a year of salt and 12 bags a year of mineral on 50 head . Some times they go a month with out touching it and others I have to fill it 2 times in a month . Stop Useing tubs and go loose mineral etc . Cows can't get enough salt from a block .

Crystalyx rep says the do have enough mineral in it when taken at the correct intake rate - that said - he might not know what he's talking about.

Problem with loose - I lose too much to weather and don't have indoor feeding area. Will have to look at loose mineral feeder maybe.

[angus9259]

What about selenium? If you drop the mineral supplement how you gonna get enough selenium to them???

Good question. My question: do they need it? As mentioned - plenty of folks around here just put out salt or nothing and don't seem to have any more or less problems than I do.

[angus9259]

All the Crystalyx tubs we ever used said to keep plain salt out all the time. Did they not have salt also?

"ALL CONSUMPTION FIGURES STATED HERE ARE APPROXIMATE. PROVIDE FREE ACCESS TO CLEAN, FRESH WATER AT ALL TIMES. CRYSTALYX® BGF-30™ SUPPLEMENT CONTAINS NO SALT. PROVIDE SALT FREE CHOICE. "

Interesting. My tubs (containing IGR and Bovatec) when you put salt out they eat less than necessary to get the IGR or Bovatec to work. Need to look into that some more though. Adding salt free choice along with the mineral has certainly dropped the mineral consumption out here. Then how do you know they're getting all the mineral they need?

Seeing my feed guy today as I switch to the IGR tubs. Will see what they say.

[TexasBred]

Interesting. My tubs (containing IGR and Bovatec) when you put salt out they eat less than necessary to get the IGR or Bovatec to work. Need to look into that some more though. Adding salt free choice along with the mineral has certainly dropped the mineral consumption out here. Then how do you know they're getting all the mineral they need?

Seeing my feed guy today as I switch to the IGR tubs. Will see what they say.

Don't know what kind of mineral you're using but salt can be used both as an attractant and a limiter depending on how much is in the mix. If you're putting out salt free choice look for a mineral with "no salt". If the cattle still don't eat enough of the mineral add small amounts of cottonseed meal and/or dried molasses to it to encourage a little more intake.

[bse]

I use a middle of the road loose mineral during calving and breeding the other time which is summer i use a little lesser mineral with IGR my cost per yr on 30 cows is about $800 usually about $21 a bag yr round. I do give them 2 shots of MultiMIn which has the extra selenium and other things they need for breeding and calving which will cost me about $3.50 per cow per yr for the 2 shots which i think is cheaper than going to a high dollar mineral during those times.

[Galloway2]

We have trace mineral / salt blocks out all year. During calving until grass, Feb.- May 1(Grass), we put out 30% (REPROMUNE) protein tubs with chelated minerals.

$1,500 a year for 60 cow / calf pairs,10-15 replacement heifers, 2 herd bulls, 10-15 seedstock bulls, annually.

[angus9259]

Thanks all. Very helpful. My takeaways -

1. salt free choice no matter what.
2. bovatec on the whole herd is a waste - they won't eat enough to make it work or, if they do, it's too expensive.
3. overall, my mineral costs simply don't have to be as high as they are for good results.
4. I don't have to eliminate mineral altogether to run an economical program

[JSCATTLE]

Thanks all. Very helpful. My takeaways -

1. salt free choice no matter what.
2. bovatec on the whole herd is a waste - they won't eat enough to make it work or, if they do, it's too expensive.
3. overall, my mineral costs simply don't have to be as high as they are for good results.
4. I don't have to eliminate mineral altogether to run an economical program

Sounds like you have it figured out .

[hooknline]

Thanks all. Very helpful. My takeaways -

1. salt free choice no matter what.
2. bovatec on the whole herd is a waste - they won't eat enough to make it work or, if they do, it's too expensive.
3. overall, my mineral costs simply don't have to be as high as they are for good results.
4. I don't have to eliminate mineral altogether to run an economical program

I think you have all the fly shyt picked out now

[John SD]

If they're eatin 500lbs of mineral a month there's something going
On. Is It One of those minerals that has proteins in it too?

My 150 cows were eating 50 lbs of mineral a day through the winter months while grazing dormant winter grass. Vigortone 3V2s or 3V4S and some Payback Ultramin 12-6 Plus were the main entree, along with Ranch Hand 8% Phos mineral tubs. No protein in any of the above. Also kept lots of loose and block TM salt in front of them at all times.

The cows have slacked off mineral a bit now with green grass slowly coming.

[hooknline]

He only was reporting about 30 head. Not 150

[John SD]

He only was reporting about 30 head. Not 150

OK, put another way my 150 cows were eating 1500 lbs of mineral per month. Not quite as much on a per head per day basis as his 30 head, but still seems like a lot especially compared to previous years when I am feeding hay from Christmas on.

The guy at the feed store said he was selling a lot of mineral this past winter because of the extended winter grazing season.

[cow pollinater]

It could also be bored cattle. If you make it really easy on them they'll take advantage of it. I put out protien tubs in places that are conveniant for the cattle only when I want to suplement protien. They will stand there and lick it regardless of their need for protien and minerals.
The rest of the time its sack mineral in a waterpfoof tub so that even if it rains the mineral stays put. I place it at points where the cattle have to push out to new areas to get it. I'm a little easier on them with mineral but if they want white salt they have to travel to the areas they normally wouldn't go to. That way they'll use the feed more evenly rather than just eating in the same area all of the time.
Edited to add: I didn't use any mineral at all for awhile and I decided it was cheaper to put out a few sacks than it was to go rope sick cattle and pay for extra semen. a few doses of antibiotics and the time it takes to rope a footrot cow is more than a sack of mineral... Ever extra straw of good semen is worth a sack of mineral...

[TexasBred]

It could also be bored cattle. If you make it really easy on them they'll take advantage of it. I put out protien tubs in places that are conveniant for the cattle only when I want to suplement protien. They will stand there and lick it regardless of their need for protien and minerals.
The rest of the time its sack mineral in a waterpfoof tub so that even if it rains the mineral stays put. I place it at points where the cattle have to push out to new areas to get it. I'm a little easier on them with mineral but if they want white salt they have to travel to the areas they normally wouldn't go to. That way they'll use the feed more evenly rather than just eating in the same area all of the time.
Edited to add: I didn't use any mineral at all for awhile and I decided it was cheaper to put out a few sacks than it was to go rope sick cattle and pay for extra semen. a few doses of antibiotics and the time it takes to rope a footrot cow is more than a sack of mineral... Ever extra straw of good semen is worth a sack of mineral...

Glad to hear this CP. Location and relocation of protein and mineral in reference to water sources forces cattle to graze larger areas. Basically the same strategy used when using intake limiter feeds.