can a cow get to much mineral
- Thread starter plbcattle
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CattleAnnie
Well-known member
Try mixing loose salt in with your mineral. Works well for us.
ps. Take the salt blocks away from your cows when you do this.
Take care.
ps. Take the salt blocks away from your cows when you do this.
Take care.
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
Animals generally eat only as much mineral and salt as they need. (Sweet feed with molasses is another story....)
jkwilson
Well-known member
plbcattle":3dyvgi5p said:
My cows are reluctant to eat loose mineral too, but if I leave a block in the box they start with it and then switch to the loose. Why, I haven't a clue.
I ahve had some reluctant at first. Mixed soy meal with it or cotton meal. They usully take to it in a few days. HAd some go right to it and eat about 20 pounds in 2 days also. It was good mineral, my guese was they needed it.
Scotty
Scotty
Turkey Run
Active member
Try differant brands,my cattle won't eat some brands, but will eat others with basically the same formula.I like to use Purina's Wind@Rain ,it's kinda high but the trade off of a healthy herd is worth the extra expense.Go to a local feed store and ask someone who knows what your needs are for your area.It does make a differance.
Too much mineral?
Here is one for you - happened some years back.
In one of our more isolated wintering grounds we keep about 30 head of mature cattle on just hay and snow and mineral. Loose mineral. Well, I put out 15 round bales one day and sorta' glanced at the mineral box. There was a lot of snow in it - and it appeared to be heaped up - so, I thought there had to be loose mineral in it - under the snow - otherwise the snow would not have had that piled up look to it.
I did not check them for a couple of weeks and the neighbour threw out some hay for them while I was away on the road working.
I came back from being away and they had lots of hay in the field - thanks to neighbour - and the snow in that mineral box looked the same - so I walked over and kicked the box - just snow. I drove back to the house and picked up about 30 pounds of mineral - took it into the field - dumped it in the box and started a stampede. I watched them literally take bites out of the mineral pile. Then they would take a big bite of snow. They darned near ate the whole pile of mineral in about an hour.
Goes to show how important that stuff is - felt bad that they wanted it as much as they did. The amount they ate told me bunches. We always make sure the animals never run out after witnessing that feeding frenzy.
The amount they ate did not seem to do any harm - so I would say no - but as one can see - I have made the odd mistake in my day!
Bez
Here is one for you - happened some years back.
In one of our more isolated wintering grounds we keep about 30 head of mature cattle on just hay and snow and mineral. Loose mineral. Well, I put out 15 round bales one day and sorta' glanced at the mineral box. There was a lot of snow in it - and it appeared to be heaped up - so, I thought there had to be loose mineral in it - under the snow - otherwise the snow would not have had that piled up look to it.
I did not check them for a couple of weeks and the neighbour threw out some hay for them while I was away on the road working.
I came back from being away and they had lots of hay in the field - thanks to neighbour - and the snow in that mineral box looked the same - so I walked over and kicked the box - just snow. I drove back to the house and picked up about 30 pounds of mineral - took it into the field - dumped it in the box and started a stampede. I watched them literally take bites out of the mineral pile. Then they would take a big bite of snow. They darned near ate the whole pile of mineral in about an hour.
Goes to show how important that stuff is - felt bad that they wanted it as much as they did. The amount they ate told me bunches. We always make sure the animals never run out after witnessing that feeding frenzy.
The amount they ate did not seem to do any harm - so I would say no - but as one can see - I have made the odd mistake in my day!
Bez
