The trace mineral salt blocks are just that - salt blocks with a trace of minerals. You will never get the minerals in a mineral block that you get from the bags. As you mentioned, as you put more of the loose mineral in, they are wanting it. Now you know why the block is still there.farmerjan":1qxfp0f3 said:
Cafeteria minerals
- Thread starter MtnCows93
- Start date
farmerjan
Well-known member
I also switch to the yellow salt blocks for the sulfur and they really will go for them. Helps with the pinkeye I think. I understand that trace mineral salt blocks means Trace, but it is still better than just plain white and if you have a cow that doesn't seem to like the loose, it is better than nothing.
JW IN VA
Well-known member
My opinion is the reason we use more mineral has several reasons behind it.
1/ Older stocking rates were much lower
2/Survival of the fitest
3/Slower growth of hay and forage
4/We knew something was wrong we just didn't know what
When I was small,I can only remember feeding loose TM salt.Later,Dad started mixing his own mineral supplement with TM salt,Ground limestone,steamed bone meal and magnesium oxide added in the winter and spring.Put in a little dry molasas or soybean meal to flavor it and the cattle did very well.We used a lower stocking rate and cattle were away from most summer pastures for the winter.
Today,I'm having to use mineral mix because I have to stock at a higher rate.
I seem to remember an old vet saying we saw more need for mineral today because of fast growth in hay.The old meadow hay took all summer to grow and had time to absorb minerals from the soil.
Most of what I said has already been discussed but I just put it in one package.
1/ Older stocking rates were much lower
2/Survival of the fitest
3/Slower growth of hay and forage
4/We knew something was wrong we just didn't know what
When I was small,I can only remember feeding loose TM salt.Later,Dad started mixing his own mineral supplement with TM salt,Ground limestone,steamed bone meal and magnesium oxide added in the winter and spring.Put in a little dry molasas or soybean meal to flavor it and the cattle did very well.We used a lower stocking rate and cattle were away from most summer pastures for the winter.
Today,I'm having to use mineral mix because I have to stock at a higher rate.
I seem to remember an old vet saying we saw more need for mineral today because of fast growth in hay.The old meadow hay took all summer to grow and had time to absorb minerals from the soil.
Most of what I said has already been discussed but I just put it in one package.
Jan, a cow would need to consume a whole block to get 1 days worth of mineralsfarmerjan":2bg25jfd said:
Fire Sweep Ranch
Well-known member
I went to a class the extension put on, and mineral supplementation was discussed. He had a good point about the cafeteria style; cows don't know what they need! Think about us, do we wake up in the morning and say "hey, I think I am low on sulfur, so I better go take a supplement!" NO!
We leave out a mineral (Vitaferm) that has no salt, and free choice salt, in the same mineral feeder; one on one side and one on the other. Cows seems do well on that.
We leave out a mineral (Vitaferm) that has no salt, and free choice salt, in the same mineral feeder; one on one side and one on the other. Cows seems do well on that.
farmerjan
Well-known member
I meant that I replace the TM salt block in the mineral feeder with the yellow salt block in the spring. I have a few cows that will leave the mineral there all summer and maybe lick it once. I measured it (weight) one year. So they will get their few minerals in very trace amounts as opposed to not getting any if they don't consume any. The Red Polls are not big on the minerals and they also are not big grain eaters. They will turn up their noses at grain and go to a leaf of alfalfa hay. You don't train them to come in the catch pen with grain, you offer them real nice hay and they will be there quicker than you can get in front of them.
greybeard
Well-known member
I do sometimes put out the red blocks just because they are cheap but put them in the same covered mineral feeder as the loose minerals. I'm guessing the blocks have so much salt the cows will lick them, but I figure @ $5/block if it gets them to come to the mineral feeder it's a cheap enough investment whether they actually get anything from the block or or not--other than wearing their tongue out.
Hi-mag is hard to find in this county. Related to a question I asked in the Horse section, here's another question......
So, if 'epsom salt' is used to change a min mix to 'hi mag' how would one know how much to add to any given quantity of mineral? General purpose mineral usually lists as a % with 2.5-4% being common. Hi-Mag seems to be in the 7% range, up to 15% and even 20% depending on brand.
Can you OD cattle in magnesium (give 'em too much) ?
Per 100 lbs of general purpose mineral, with a 3% mag content, how much epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) would you add to the 100lbs to safely increase the mag % to help prevent grass tetany?
Hi-mag is hard to find in this county. Related to a question I asked in the Horse section, here's another question......
So, if 'epsom salt' is used to change a min mix to 'hi mag' how would one know how much to add to any given quantity of mineral? General purpose mineral usually lists as a % with 2.5-4% being common. Hi-Mag seems to be in the 7% range, up to 15% and even 20% depending on brand.
Can you OD cattle in magnesium (give 'em too much) ?
Per 100 lbs of general purpose mineral, with a 3% mag content, how much epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) would you add to the 100lbs to safely increase the mag % to help prevent grass tetany?
Lucky_P
Well-known member
Was doing some googling for a friend on the 'cafeteria-style' mineral supplementation deal... I know this is an OLD post, but worth revisiting. I remember discussions of the cafeteria-style stuff from my animal science courses back in the 1970s, and it looks like it's another bogus deal that comes back around every so often... cattle really don't 'know' what they are missing, and will not pick and choose to consume only the ones that they need.
Our soils here in KY are particularly deficient in copper and selenium. The red trace-mineralized salt blocks are red because of iron oxide (rust) added as a filler/coloring agent. While cattle cannot utilize iron in its oxide form (and iron deficiencey virtually never occurs here), FeO will effectively block copper absorption sites in the small intestine, essentially making copper deficiency WORSE. And, the amount of selenium in the typical TM salt block is so low that the cattle can't lick/consume enough to approach a reasonable supplementation level.
We always fed a balanced mineral mix, which included salt. During the winter, when we limit-fed hay & DDG, cattle consumed their entire day's ration inside of a 2-hr period, for the most part, and stood around for the next 21-22 hrs waiting to be fed, and would seriously over-consume mineral, just because they were bored and had nothing better to do. We ended up having to cut our mineral mix 1:1 with white stock salt just to keep mineral supplementation from breaking the bank.
Our soils here in KY are particularly deficient in copper and selenium. The red trace-mineralized salt blocks are red because of iron oxide (rust) added as a filler/coloring agent. While cattle cannot utilize iron in its oxide form (and iron deficiencey virtually never occurs here), FeO will effectively block copper absorption sites in the small intestine, essentially making copper deficiency WORSE. And, the amount of selenium in the typical TM salt block is so low that the cattle can't lick/consume enough to approach a reasonable supplementation level.
We always fed a balanced mineral mix, which included salt. During the winter, when we limit-fed hay & DDG, cattle consumed their entire day's ration inside of a 2-hr period, for the most part, and stood around for the next 21-22 hrs waiting to be fed, and would seriously over-consume mineral, just because they were bored and had nothing better to do. We ended up having to cut our mineral mix 1:1 with white stock salt just to keep mineral supplementation from breaking the bank.
