Hand feeding minerals?

[Steve Banks]

The minerals I'm feeding says 2 to 4 oz/day.
I've started to mix 3 oz./head/day in my feed, which is ground ear corn, hay and molasses, I only feed 3 lb./head/day. They are on free choice hay. Is there any advantage or disadavantage to making sure that they get this amount of mineral per day??? I'm only planning on doing this thru the winter! Then I will go back to free choice.

 

[dun]

Sounds like unnecessary work to me.

dun

 

[TheBullLady]

No doubt that's a guideline.. so you know how much mineral to purchase. Most all bagged mineral is "designed" for free choice. They'll eat it as they need it.

 

[novatech]

Free choice with a limiter is the only way to go year round.

 

[ENNOT]

Free choice without a limiter is the way to go. Why use a limiter, if they need the mineral let them eat it. 3 oz is not very much. If you think they are eating too much for your pocket book, take it away, OR put salt out in a seperate feeder. Cattle need the mineral, you dont do any good by using a limiter.

 

[novatech]

Free choice without a limiter is the way to go. Why use a limiter, if they need the mineral let them eat it. 3 oz is not very much. If you think they are eating too much for your pocket book, take it away, OR put salt out in a seperate feeder. Cattle need the mineral, you dont do any good by using a limiter.

My mistake. Mine does not have a limiter in it either.
Thanks for correcting me.

 

[Steve Banks]

The minerals I'm feeding says 2 to 4 oz/day.
I've started to mix 3 oz./head/day in my feed, which is ground ear corn, hay and molasses, I only feed 3 lb./head/day. They are on free choice hay. Is there any advantage or disadavantage to making sure that they get this amount of mineral per day??? I'm only planning on doing this thru the winter! Then I will go back to free choice.

I'm not feeding by hand because they are eating to much! They are not eating enough (they should be consuming ~ 63 oz a day for 21 head) I'm just not sure that the free choice thing is as good as feeding by hand, it's not to much trouble for 21 head.
If there is anything to the need of minerals to reduce the effect of health problems, I want to support that!

 

[MikeC]

The minerals I'm feeding says 2 to 4 oz/day.
I've started to mix 3 oz./head/day in my feed, which is ground ear corn, hay and molasses, I only feed 3 lb./head/day. They are on free choice hay. Is there any advantage or disadavantage to making sure that they get this amount of mineral per day??? I'm only planning on doing this thru the winter! Then I will go back to free choice.

I'm not feeding by hand because they are eating to much! They are not eating enough (they should be consuming ~ 63 oz a day for 21 head) I'm just not sure that the free choice thing is as good as feeding by hand, it's not to much trouble for 21 head.
If there is anything to the need of minerals to reduce the effect of health problems, I want to support that!

But Steve, unless your are mixing it thoroughly (and I mean REALLY thoroughly) into the feed, they are still not getting the proper amounts.

Free choice is the way to go. If they aren't eating it, they don't need it.

Cows will go through spells of eating minerals. One week they will eat it vigorously and the next week they might not.

They will eat what their body requires if it is a good palatable mineral.

One thing to watch for is Phosphorus. Too much in a mineral will make it bitter.

The only true way to meet their needs is to take a forage sample.

 

[rkm]

By mixing the mimerals in the grain, your chance of some not getting enough minerals is greater. Boss cows will eat 4 or 5 lbs of grain and the more timid cows maybe only 1 or 2 lbs. It is better to make minerals free choice, so they don't have to compete for it. My thought.

 

[dun]

Free choice is the way to go. If they aren't eating it, they don't need it.

Cows will go through spells of eating minerals. One week they will eat it vigorously and the next week they might not.

They will eat what their body requires if it is a good palatable mineral.

One thing to watch for is Phosphorus. Too much in a mineral will make it bitter.

The only true way to meet their needs is to take a forage sample.

Magnesium also make it bitter, I'm assuming it's bitter. The cows won;t eat it as readily at first.
There are also some minerals that cows just don;t eat as well as they should. Kent and ADM are 2 that our cows won;t touch.

dun

 

[shorty]

I feed my minerals free chioce , if they tend to eat too much I mix salt with it then they don't eat quite as much

 

[Bullbuyer]

My experience has been the same as MikeC's. One week they will clean out the feeder and the next week they hardly touch the stuff. Just keep it out there - they'll get what they need.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

My experience has been the same as MikeC's. One week they will clean out the feeder and the next week they hardly touch the stuff. Just keep it out there - they'll get what they need.

Same here. Some weeks they chow-down, and other weeks, not so much. I keep it available free-choice. It seems to work for me and my situation.

Katherine

 

[Crowderfarms]

Went to fill up the Mineral feeders last week, figuring they'd need some. They had been filled 2 weeks before, and hardly eaten any of it.Almost seems that the colder it gets, the consumption slows way down.

 

[farmerjohn]

dun [/quote]

Magnesium also make it bitter, I'm assuming it's bitter. The cows won;t eat it as readily at first.
There are also some minerals that cows just don;t eat as well as they should. Kent and ADM are 2 that our cows won;t touch.

dun[/quote]

mine will only eat Pilgrim's Pride. When I bought Pilgrim's Pride with fly control last spring, they wouldn't eat it either. They also only like Big V range cubes.. :roll: