grass tetany and minerals

[Mark Alley]

My cows have hi-mag year round, all the hay they want, and pro-lix liquid supplement along with plenty of grass (primarly KY 31 fescue and clover) when it is in season. People I trust say the mineral we are using is quality mineral. Yesterday the best first calf mama was found cold and stiff. 24 hours earlier she appeared to be ok. I think it was grass tetany. Do really good producers lose cows to grass tetany? I immediately mixed a little feed into the mineral feeders and a little mineral into the feed troughs. Unless I learn something different from this post, next March, April and May, I will start mixing a little feed into the mineral feeders.

 

[alacattleman]

really good producers lose cattle to grass tetany. just because you got all the bases covered don't mean she wasnt still not mag. deficient, sometime you have to strait feed um a high mag supplement to know their getting enough.course it could have been something else

 

[agdoc96]

If you own very many for very long, you will lose an occasional animal no matter the management. Good managers work to minimize the losses and try to learn when they do lose one. Your doing both.
First thing to consider, is the mineral bio-available or usable by the animal. Not all minerals are created equal. The different minerals can be in the form of carbonates, sulfates, oxides, or chelates. Each form is absorbed to a different extent. Some as little as 10%.
Second thing to consider is the consumption rate. If they are not cosuming enough, you may have problems. Hi Mag minerals are notorious for being unpalatable. I have had better luck with a custom mineral that was a little lower in Mag but the consumption was great.
Of course ths is all assuming that it was tetany. Around here, we see a lot of bloat this time of year if the weather is right.

 

[rk]

If you own very many for very long, you will lose an occasional animal no matter the management. Good managers work to minimize the losses and try to learn when they do lose one. Your doing both.
First thing to consider, is the mineral bio-available or usable by the animal. Not all minerals are created equal. The different minerals can be in the form of carbonates, sulfates, oxides, or chelates. Each form is absorbed to a different extent. Some as little as 10%.
Second thing to consider is the consumption rate. If they are not cosuming enough, you may have problems. Hi Mag minerals are notorious for being unpalatable. I have had better luck with a custom mineral that was a little lower in Mag but the consumption was great.
Of course ths is all assuming that it was tetany. Around here, we see a lot of bloat this time of year if the weather is right.

Most, if not all, mag minerals use magnesium oxide. MagOx is not palatable at all, so sometimes better to use lower % mag and get better consumption.