Cafeteria minerals

[MtnCows93]

Does anyone use the cafeteria style mineral feeders? and if so where do you buy your individual minerals? Ive been wanting to use them but cant find anyone who sells it

 

[Bigfoot]

True cows know when it's time for minerals. Evidenced by running out in the feeder, and they load up for a few days, when it's refilled. There not going to be able to approach a buffet style mineral, and know which mineral and how much. By a quality mineral and feed it free choice.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Bigfoot, I agree. As much as we like to think our cows can "know" what they need. NO. You need to purchase an already well-balanced free choice mineral. "Cafeteria style" is just foo-foo dust - IMHO.

 

[Angus Rocks]

What happened when all the cattle were wild did the ground have more minerals or did they find what they needed?

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I imagine when they were wild,they had access to good grasses...and a lot of resistance..we put a lot of pressure on our ground..causing poorer soils low in minerals..commercial fertilizer like ammonium nitrate, will make the grass jump.. But makes the soil real acidic...

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Bigfoot, I agree. As much as we like to think our cows can "know" what they need. NO. You need to purchase an already well-balanced free choice mineral. "Cafeteria style" is just foo-foo dust - IMHO.

Yep cattle will wear white salt out giving the choice....though they need it to...but I don't give em free choice, I make the choice for em :cowboy:

 

[TexasBred]

What happened when all the cattle were wild did the ground have more minerals or did they find what they needed?

They lived with deficiencies. Maybe only bred occasionally, gave birth and raised unthrifty babies and died young. We can only guess but thats what happens to cattle with mineral deficiences these days.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Same way with a lot of the folks years ago.. Look at the pictures some of those folks in their thirties, looked twice their age.. and the tombstones show em maybe making it into their 40's..

 

[Dixie2542]

What mineral mix do you use? Seems like mineral prices are increasing lately..

 

[farmerjan]

I had 2 dairy farmers that went with the "cafeteria" style of minerals for about 3 years. Both said that they got more wasted mineral from the cows going through the different boxes and pushing some on the ground. Neither saw any benefits like increased fertility or more milk or better feed conversion or shinier coats or anything. Don't know if they did any blood samples. Both went back to feeding a complete premix mineral.
Now that is only 2 farms. But I feel there is some merit to it on a SMALL comparison basis.

And as far as the "wild cattle" years ago; it is true that they often did not calve yearly or in a timely manner if they got sick they just hung on or died. Predators took care of the unthrifty ones. Another thing, they did not graze the same ground over and over being able to move/migrate. And before we started using all the chemicals, and intensively farming the same ground over and over, there were alot more trace minerals in the soils. There are proven studies about how the vitamin and mineral content of the food we humans eat has lost a great deal of the nutritional value. Same as for the grass the cattle eat.

 

[MtnCows93]

dixie, i use hi mag mineral year round because thats all i can get thats decent

 

[Son of Butch]

I remember MNVB doing research on cafeteria style mineral feeding back in the 1970s.
They found it was not a cost effective delivery system of minerals for dairy cows.

 

[TexasBred]

What mineral mix do you use? Seems like mineral prices are increasing lately..

Vitamin prices have gone up tremendously the last couple of months, especially highly concentrated sources of Vitamin "A". Seems they had a fire at the primary production facility in China and supply is very limited. Haven't seen any large changes in prices of trace minerals.

 

[Dixie2542]

Thanks I figured something happened because I use a premix mineral with vitamins and it shot up quite a bit over the past couple months....

 

[circlebllc]

Offering white salt block to my loose mineral, has reduced mineral usage. They use more white salt during wet weather.

 

[TexasBred]

Offering white salt block to my loose mineral, has reduced mineral usage. They use more white salt during wet weather.

Were the consuming more mineral per head per day than was recommended.

 

[WalnutCrest]

I use a big orange covered station... one with salt and two with good balanced mineral ... letting them choose, but only a little.

A man I know with a successful cattle operation runs free choice mineral and has for a while. It's been at least a year since I've asked him about it, but he tracks costs and expenses pretty closely, so he could tell me how well he thinks it pencils.

 

[kilroy60]

Offering white salt block to my loose mineral, has reduced mineral usage. They use more white salt during wet weather.

Were the consuming more mineral per head per day than was recommended.

You should check the ingredients of your mineral but most loose mineral contain salt. Cows crave energy and salt. If the salt blocks are made available along with the loose minerals, they are bypassing the minerals and going straight to the salt block therefore missing out (probably) on the needed minerals. I only use salt blocks when I happen to use a mineral tub. The mineral tubs I use do not have salt added. I've always skipped the salt blocks and use only loose free choice minerals that have adequate salt in the mix.

 

[farmerjan]

I use a trace mineral (red) salt block in the mineral feeder. Keeps them from slinging the mineral mix out so much. And we find that the cows will consume the mineral before they consume the salt. They will run out of loose mineral before they get half the salt block done. As soon as I put more loose mineral in, they are there wanting it. I do have a couple of cows that don't seem to like the loose mineral so at least they are getting some with the block.

 

[WalnutCrest]

I've noticed there are times of the year they demolish the salt and don't do much with the mineral ... and sometimes just the opposite happens.

Since both are equally available all year long, I consider the odds are good the are telling me something about what they need.