Free choice minerals

[Amo]

If your feeding a mineral with salt included, Id still have salt out. Salt is dirt, dirt cheap compared to mineral. If they are craving salt, it would be cheaper for them to just eat the salt than mineral to get their salt.

With that said, to get my 2-4oz I usually have to add salt to my mineral with salt already added. You will just have to experiment.

 

[kjonesel]

I've been feeding Ragland Mills that I purchase from Rural King. I'm not impressed by it but I'm not dissatisfied. I just now have gotten enough cattle that I should be able to purchase in larger quantities and obtain a better price. I wish there was a McNess dealer nearby as their quality was always the top, even though it was pricey I felt it was worth it.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

Our area is selenium and copper deficient . Make sure you get what you need for your area. My :2cents:

 

[branguscowgirl]

My vet has me using the Bar Ale Western Sweet Goat Mineral. In addition, we put copper and selenium boluses in them. And I am back to injecting Muse every 6 months. I found out the hard way that my cattle were not consuming enough mineral. I had an extreme case of Selenium Deficiency....... (See my thread on "Surprise diagnosis- finally!".)
Getting ready to test again, to see where their levels are now.

 

[dun]

One got 2 bags of purina wind and rain as a door prize. The first bag sat for over a month cause the grils wouldn;t touch it, the second bag I dumped on the ground for the deer, along wqith thr stuff from the first bag that I scooped out. When I put out or regular minerals they went through a hundred pounds in a matter of days before they slowed down to the correct amount.
Our minerals run from 17-26 bucks depending on the time of year. The regular minerals are the cheapest the price goes up a bit for high mag then goes up a little higher for the IGR stuff. We only get 500 lbs at a time, if I bought more at one shot the price would come down a buck or 2 a bag.

 

[ChrisB]

One got 2 bags of purina wind and rain as a door prize. The first bag sat for over a month cause the grils wouldn;t touch it, the second bag I dumped on the ground for the deer, along wqith thr stuff from the first bag that I scooped out. When I put out or regular minerals they went through a hundred pounds in a matter of days before they slowed down to the correct amount.
Our minerals run from 17-26 bucks depending on the time of year. The regular minerals are the cheapest the price goes up a bit for high mag then goes up a little higher for the IGR stuff. We only get 500 lbs at a time, if I bought more at one shot the price would come down a buck or 2 a bag.

Do you think that eventually they would be craving the minerals and start eating the Purina at a normal rate?

Other than one brand just tasting better to the cows, do you think there could be environmental factors unique to your area that would cause them not to eat the Purina?

Just curious as I feed Wind and Rain and have not had a problem with consumption. And although I am satisfied with it, I did look into Vigortone as that seems to be the top of the line. But there weren't any dealers close by that would sell the specific formula I wanted unless I bought a whole pallet and I didn't know how well it would store over a humid summer.

 

[dun]

One got 2 bags of purina wind and rain as a door prize. The first bag sat for over a month cause the grils wouldn;t touch it, the second bag I dumped on the ground for the deer, along wqith thr stuff from the first bag that I scooped out. When I put out or regular minerals they went through a hundred pounds in a matter of days before they slowed down to the correct amount.
Our minerals run from 17-26 bucks depending on the time of year. The regular minerals are the cheapest the price goes up a bit for high mag then goes up a little higher for the IGR stuff. We only get 500 lbs at a time, if I bought more at one shot the price would come down a buck or 2 a bag.

Do you think that eventually they would be craving the minerals and start eating the Purina at a normal rate?

Other than one brand just tasting better to the cows, do you think there could be environmental factors unique to your area that would cause them not to eat the Purina?

Just curious as I feed Wind and Rain and have not had a problem with consumption. And although I am satisfied with it, I did look into Vigortone as that seems to be the top of the line. But there weren't any dealers close by that would sell the specific formula I wanted unless I bought a whole pallet and I didn't know how well it would store over a humid summer.

Mine would stick their heads in the mineral feeder and pull it out without touching it. I figured after a month they might eat it, never did. Could be that mine just like the Vigortone becuase that's all we've used for 15 years.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Mine became severely deficient with the Wind and Rain in front of them. So I am thinking no, they won't eventually eat it when they need to.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Oh I forgot, I called the lab after I had received results on the low Selenium level and had them run the Copper and Zinc from the same blood sample also.
Your vet is correct in that the Liver biopsy is more diagnostic, however the serum blood levels can be helpful also.

 

[Jessica06]

We have been feeding Purina Wind and Rain (Storm formula now) for years. We feed a plain 7.5 year round, and have no problems with over/under consumption. Naturally, mineral intake fluctuates constantly depending on forage quality/maturity. I would put what you have out, near water, without anything extra. If anything, they might consume a bit less since you have the Accuration tub out. Is it a mineral tub or a protein tub?

Austin inherently has a lot of minerals in the grass and water already...don't overthink it!

 

[Son of Butch]

Vitaferm or Purina w/ Avalia4 for conception. Remember you get what you pay for.

Paid $114 for 225# Purina/Avalia-4 mineral tub today.

 

[kerley]

My cattle did not consume the Wind and Rain. ( I ended up with some severe deficiencies.)
Keep an eye out, you may have to add something to make it tastier.

Same here.

 

[kerley]

My wife has been buying compressed Alfalfa hay for her two old horses at TSC for around $20. per package. We found a feed store in town that had Alfalfa two wire bales for $19. each that were shipped in from NM, it was nice leafed but the stems were dry and very hard. You just don't see the three wire bales of Alfalfa here in Montgomery, Alabama like in Nevada and California.
I do not like the salt and mineral from TSC, the last salt I bought there was a light yellow color and smelled bad and the Mineral looked like ceiling acoustic and was brown in color. The cattle did not eat the mineral so I replaced it with the local brand from the Ranch Supply and now all is well. I may be wrong but I suspect that TSC formulates their mixes with a lot of filler. I mix my salt and mineral together. As far as Hay, I have tried it all here and paid from $10. to $40. per roll. I recently found a Hay Farmer fifty miles south of me that sells to me barn stored 4x5 tightly rolled string tied rolls for $15. My trailer only holds eleven rolls but this Farmer only charges me for ten rolls and my cows love it and are very fat.

 

[Rafter S]

I'm not saying it's the right way as a lot of folks on here like to keep the two separate but I use a bagged co-op blended mineral with the salt mixed in. It's about 20% salt. I just dump it in the mineral barrels and let them decide what they want.

It's my understanding that when you use that you're paying a lot of money for your salt. That's why I buy them separately. And for the question about loose salt not being on the Purina website, it certainly is available at most feed stores, but I don't know if Tractor Supply or similar chains carry it.

I may have to backtrack on that a little bit. I went to my local feed store today to get some salt and mineral, and they didn't have any loose salt. They said there had been some problem at the Hockley salt mine and salt has been hard to get. They did have some salt blocks, but said they hadn't been able to get those either until recently.

 

[RoppFamilyFarm]

This last year I switched from feeding Purina Wind & Rain free choice to Vitalix #1 Conditioner CU Tub.
Vitalix contained all the same minerals (excluding salt) and some others that the wind and rain did not, and included extra magnesium and copper, much needed in my area. It also gave me 21% Protein and 6% Fat to help give my calving/nursing mamas, as well as my calves and finishing steers the extra boost they needed. They ate the tub consistently to the last drop, vs. wasting half of the Wind and Rain.

When I broke the cost down it was only costing me 4¢ more per head per day to feed the tub with little to no waste. Wind & Rain 16¢ per head per day. Vitalix 20¢ per head per day. At first my cattle consumed alot more of the Vitalix tub. It was new and tasted yummy But after a week or two, their bodies started to get a correct mineral balance, and the consumption dropped. 10 Cows go thru a tub about every 3 months now, so about .2 lbs a day per head.

I am no way associated with vitalix, I am just a happy customer that has seen a huge improvement in my cattle since switching, and I love to see others have the same success that I did!

Vitalix #1 Conditioner CU Tub info: http://www.vitalix.com/assets/products/ ... s/-1cu.pdf

 

[Big Cheese]

I cant think of the name of the mineral we use to save my life right now and I wish I could because it is good mineral. We keep free choice mineral out year round. It our cows primary salt supplement as well. We make them eat the mineral for their salt so that they will get it in their system. We use the protein blocks with the mineral during the winter. Our system working really well by doing this.

 

[Dsteim]

I bought the 24% protein tub and I threw one bag of the wind and rain in the feeder, it looks like they've eaten some of the tub and maybe 1/4th of the bag of minerals in a little over a week of me putting it out there for them.

 

[TexasBred]

This last year I switched from feeding Purina Wind & Rain free choice to Vitalix #1 Conditioner CU Tub.
Vitalix contained all the same minerals (excluding salt) and some others that the wind and rain did not, and included extra magnesium and copper, much needed in my area. It also gave me 21% Protein and 6% Fat to help give my calving/nursing mamas, as well as my calves and finishing steers the extra boost they needed. They ate the tub consistently to the last drop, vs. wasting half of the Wind and Rain.

When I broke the cost down it was only costing me 4¢ more per head per day to feed the tub with little to no waste. Wind & Rain 16¢ per head per day. Vitalix 20¢ per head per day. At first my cattle consumed alot more of the Vitalix tub. It was new and tasted yummy But after a week or two, their bodies started to get a correct mineral balance, and the consumption dropped. 10 Cows go thru a tub about every 3 months now, so about .2 lbs a day per head.

I am no way associated with vitalix, I am just a happy customer that has seen a huge improvement in my cattle since switching, and I love to see others have the same success that I did!

Vitalix #1 Conditioner CU Tub info: http://www.vitalix.com/assets/products/ ... s/-1cu.pdf

Have you calculated just how much of all these "goodies" your cattle actually got from consuming .2 lbs. per head per day when the recommended consumption rate is more than double that?? Not much !!!!

 

[Big Cheese]

I bought the 24% protein tub and I threw one bag of the wind and rain in the feeder, it looks like they've eaten some of the tub and maybe 1/4th of the bag of minerals in a little over a week of me putting it out there for them.

I think your doing the right thing there. That should help with your consumption.