cows don't eat mineral

[RAWCJW]

Hello does anybody have suggestions on how to get my cows to eat mineral? I have tried land o lakes, and right now mineral by cargill. I have even mixed the suggested amounts in there feed and they will leave part of the feed with mineral. I have a trace mineral block out and they seem to lick it some. Is this something to worry about or is there a mineral they prefer.
Thanks

 

[Aero]

i guess there is always a possibility that they dont have any deficiencies?

 

[RAWCJW]

i guess there is always a possibility that they dont have any deficiencies?

I was wondering about that would that be normal?

 

[Aero]

highly unlikely. have you done any testing of your environment and nutrition.

i would think it would take a lot of testing to determine they needed nothing.

others would know more about these specifics.

 

[polledbull]

try the sweetlix copperhead brand . It has a small amount of molasses and carmel flavoring in it accordiing to the label. My cows would hardly eat the cargill rite time at first , but the went to copperhead on day 1

 

[RAWCJW]

try the sweetlix copperhead brand . It has a small amount of molasses and carmel flavoring in it accordiing to the label. My cows would hardly eat the cargill rite time at first , but the went to copperhead on day 1

Thanks I'll try it is sweetlix the brand or is it made by someone else?

 

[DD RANCH]

What % is the phos. in it phos is bitter and is used as a limiter we just switched to Vigortone mineral's.From the info I have learned it's top notch if you need a phone number I can get it for you otherwise you can look them up on the internet.My old mineral was 18% phos this new stuff is 6% it has 6%salt as a liniter and they say to feed it straight no salt added.My neighbors feed it they do mix some salt with it in the summer to limit them eating too much but they say there isnt a problem with that in the winter..

 

[cowpunk'd]

The instructions on my bag of minerals say to top dress feed with it, but I don't feed grain. Instead I mix it with loose salt. I figured out how long it took the cows to eat a few kilo's salt so I knew how much salt per head per day they ate. Then I mix in enough mineral that each cow gets the recomended amount mineral in its share of salt. I think it worked out to around 150 ml. mineral per kilo salt.

 

[cfpinz]

I don't give the cows the trace mineral blocks, just the powdered minerals. The way I understand it, salt is the limiting ingredient in the minerals, therefore if they have an outside source of salt, they might not touch the minerals. Pull your salt blocks and see what happens.

 

[jt]

I don't give the cows the trace mineral blocks, just the powdered minerals. The way I understand it, salt is the limiting ingredient in the minerals, therefore if they have an outside source of salt, they might not touch the minerals. Pull your salt blocks and see what happens.

you are exactly right... i learned that a few months back from az on these boards.. the bag says... no extra salt. when i pulled the salt, they went to town on the minerals.

jt

 

[RAWCJW]

I'll pull the block tonight and see what happens thanks for the advice

 

[Scotty]

In a small amount i have mixed sweet feed in. About 25 % mix. They caught on really quick.


Scotty

 

[polledbull]

try the sweetlix copperhead brand . It has a small amount of molasses and carmel flavoring in it accordiing to the label. My cows would hardly eat the cargill rite time at first , but the went to copperhead on day 1

Thanks I'll try it is sweetlix the brand or is it made by someone else?

Sweetlix is a national brand name . It is carried by Bartlett Milling in My area. They usually have ads in most of the major cattle magazines or it can be found on the internet.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Try some Sweetlix Copperhead or their VMS-14 Mineral. Like polledbull stated, there's a little dry Molasses in it. Gives a little more palatibility, but not enough to cause over consumption.

 

[fitz]

I agree. Get rid of the salt blocks and I'll bet you see a difference.

fitz.

 

[jbar]

i tried the wind and rain and my cattle went right to the first i put out and then they quit never touched it again. i switched to the right now ,and they did fine never quit just backed off a little. but in fairness to the wind and rain product when i pulled it out of the feeders i pulled all my salt blocks too. so i would pull all my blocks first then think about changing. :cboy:

 

[rk]

Take away the other sources of salt. Also, you might try locating the mineral closer to water or any loafing area there might. Keep in mind that feeding other supplements/feeds will significantly depress mineral intake, which may be okay provided the other supplements/feeds are also providing minerals. Also, if you're feeding Right Now Bronze, chances are you'll get better consumption by using the Right Now Emerald, since it has less phosphorus.

 

[dun]

Not all minerals have salt as a limiter, or in some cases even a significant amount of salt. The lable on the minerals will/should advise if you should remove other sources of salt.

dun

 

[rk]

Most of the better minerals on the market do not use salt as a limiter, but to encourage intake. A moderate amount of salt (10-15%?) will help intake unless you're in an area of higher alkali in the grass/soil such as a coastal region. Cattle will eat much more salt than they actually need (same as most people). Speaking of central/south Texas, most minerals that give good reliable consumption have a higher salt level, so it helps to have it as the only salt source.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

always a possibility the cattle are getting enough miinerals in their diet already that they are not wanting any supplement. i see it happen a lot with cattle on wheat some places they go after mineral as soon as you put it out and other places they don't touch it.
bif