Bovatec

[Steer15]

We have 6 steers that are a year old. They were eating an 11% feed steer grower from our local feed mill. There was a lot of powder left in the feed trough so the feed mill suggested we make our feed mix up. They suggested crimped corn and bovatec. We want to maintain a medicine free natural raising of the beef and a prime marbling quality. They said the bovatec was a vitamin that would help with the efficiency of corn absorption. My question is by feeding them bovatec am I keeping my diet natural and medicine/antibiotic free?

 

[cjmc]

Yes and no. Bovatec is TECHNICALLY an ionophore, in the eyes of the government cattle fed bovatec are not being fed an antibiotic. That being said, Bovatec kills specific bacteria in the rumen, which is a very "antibiotic" sounding if you ask me.. Bovatec is not used in human medicine though, so no worries about antibiotic resistance, probably the reason as to why its classified as an ionophore and not an antibiotic.