mineral question

[hillsdown]

Anyone else ever have a problem with calves consuming minerals like candy. They are eating them just to be eating them and I am going through over 50 kgs a week when normally the cows would only consume 10-15 kgs /week at the most. It is getting very pricey at 40 dollars for 25 kgs..I have never had this happen before.. :?

I guess I will have to change how I feed them minerals...

 

[alacattleman]

Anyone else ever have a problem with calves consuming minerals like candy. They are eating them just to be eating them and I am going through over 50 kgs a week when normally the cows would only consume 10-15 kgs /week at the most. It is getting very pricey at 40 dollars for 25 kgs..I have never had this happen before.. :?

I guess I will have to change how I feed them minerals...

ive had that problem... some of these minerals are more palitable.. calves hang out at the feeder like kids.........they aint given those high mag minerals away right now, and the momas need plenty of em. make you a swinging barrel feeder up off the ground so calves cant get too those. feed half in the regular feeder and half in the barrel so you will still have a supply

 

[TexasBred]

Anyone else ever have a problem with calves consuming minerals like candy. They are eating them just to be eating them and I am going through over 50 kgs a week when normally the cows would only consume 10-15 kgs /week at the most. It is getting very pricey at 40 dollars for 25 kgs..I have never had this happen before.. :?

I guess I will have to change how I feed them minerals...

Guess it's got to much of the good tasting stuff added to it for palatability. You might try adding some salt to it but if you have cows mixed in with the calves it will back the cows off a little as well.

 

[hillsdown]

Thanks guys. I have tried four different brands and they pig out on all of them. That is what p's me off the most though about minerals, they raise the price on them but lower the actual amount of minerals and vitamins in a bag by putting in stuff to make them taste better.. :roll:

That is a nifty feeder Ala. I will have to rig up a contraption like that. I have a mineral feeder attachment on my creep feeder but it is in the other pasture with the cows and calves. The minerals with that group last forever that why I know it is the calves being piggies..they do look great though very shiny smooth coats on them ..


Thanks again. :tiphat:

 

[alacattleman]

Thanks guys. I have tried four different brands and they pig out on all of them. That is what p's me off the most though about minerals, they raise the price on them but lower the actual amount of minerals and vitamins in a bag by putting in stuff to make them taste better.. :roll:

That is a nifty feeder Ala. I will have to rig up a contraption like that. I have a mineral feeder attachment on my creep feeder but it is in the other pasture with the cows and calves. The minerals with that group last forever that why I know it is the calves being piggies..they do look great though very shiny smooth coats on them ..


Thanks again. :tiphat:

it's cheap and easy..if you'r like me and wont to solve a problem, as cheap and easy as you can ive blew a whole day trying too come up with solutions to things. maybe someone on here has a better picture of one

 

[TexasBred]

Thanks guys. I have tried four different brands and they pig out on all of them. That is what p's me off the most though about minerals, they raise the price on them but lower the actual amount of minerals and vitamins in a bag by putting in stuff to make them taste better.. :roll:

That is a nifty feeder Ala. I will have to rig up a contraption like that. I have a mineral feeder attachment on my creep feeder but it is in the other pasture with the cows and calves. The minerals with that group last forever that why I know it is the calves being piggies..they do look great though very shiny smooth coats on them ..


Thanks again. :tiphat:

Probably got some really yellow urine as well. :lol:

 

[hillsdown]

Yep Ala, frugal is my middle name..

TB, I do not know about their pee but their poop is grey..you can literally see the minerals being wasted :lol2: Now if I could come up with a way to recycle them.. :cowboy:

 

[kdhansen]

Seems like when the weather is nasty here, the cows will stand and lick the tubs just to be doing something. We ended up dragging the tubs farther away from the hay feeders and the water (though we leave salt licks by the water trough)...that helped immensely. If they don't seem to be "traveling" much, I can drag them closer (they're in a homemade "bull-pushover-proof" holder and I can hook a chain to it and drag to different location...helps when it gets muddy around the tubs, too).

 

[1982vett]

Thanks guys. I have tried four different brands and they pig out on all of them. That is what p's me off the most though about minerals, they raise the price on them but lower the actual amount of minerals and vitamins in a bag by putting in stuff to make them taste better.. :roll:

That is a nifty feeder Ala. I will have to rig up a contraption like that. I have a mineral feeder attachment on my creep feeder but it is in the other pasture with the cows and calves. The minerals with that group last forever that why I know it is the calves being piggies..they do look great though very shiny smooth coats on them ..


Thanks again. :tiphat:

How ya like that, Alacattleman? A fine piece of artistic engineering, and it gets called a contraption

 

[hillsdown]

Thanks guys. I have tried four different brands and they pig out on all of them. That is what p's me off the most though about minerals, they raise the price on them but lower the actual amount of minerals and vitamins in a bag by putting in stuff to make them taste better.. :roll:

That is a nifty feeder Ala. I will have to rig up a contraption like that. I have a mineral feeder attachment on my creep feeder but it is in the other pasture with the cows and calves. The minerals with that group last forever that why I know it is the calves being piggies..they do look great though very shiny smooth coats on them ..


Thanks again. :tiphat:

How ya like that, Alacattleman? A fine piece of artistic engineering, and it gets called a contraption

OK smarty pants Vett ,,,,,,you are right. Now give me the plans for that "fine piece of artistic engineering"... :wave: .

 

[I luv herfrds]

HD we had trouble with calves eating dirt til we put out both lick tubs and loose mineral. We have both away from the feed ground.
Caught the grafted twin eating dirt in the pen and put some mineral in a tub with him, he went nuts for it.
Better they are eating the mineral then eating dirt. I know the cost just about drives me nuts.
Hope they slow down soon.

 

[hillsdown]

ILH try diatomaceous earth for your calves it is cheap and they love it. They will go for it before they will dirt. I have been using it for a few years now and what a huge difference..

They are eating the minerals because they taste good not because they need them and I cannot justify 80 dollars a week for 25 calves...I need to move the mineral feeder or build a new one asap and until then they can do with just their HI-boot blocks..For once I am putting my foot down... :nod:

 

[denoginnizer]

ILH try diatomaceous earth for your calves it is cheap and they love it. They will go for it before they will dirt. I have been using it for a few years now and what a huge difference..

Would you believe they sell diatomaceos earth in sandwich bags at the local country store down the road. People buy it to eat! They say it helps them with arthuritus.

 

[Aaron]

HD, what brand of minerals are you feeding and what is the ratio or calcium to phosphorus, 1:1 or 2:1? :cowboy:

 

[I luv herfrds]

Here's the little dirt licker getting his first taste of mineral. ;-)

 

[dun]

Barrel mineral feeder

viewtopic.php?t=21388&highlight=duns+mineral

 

[newrancher]

Don't mean to hijack, but what are the benefits of DE? How do you feed it? And thanks for the link dun. I cant get my cattle to eat any kind of loose mineral, have tried several type and quit buying it, they will lick the blocks though. Has anyone else ran into this? I'm thinking its the litter that I've put on that has had this effect, alot more in it than just P&K.

 

[CKC1586]

ILH try diatomaceous earth for your calves it is cheap and they love it. They will go for it before they will dirt. I have been using it for a few years now and what a huge difference..

They are eating the minerals because they taste good not because they need them and I cannot justify 80 dollars a week for 25 calves...I need to move the mineral feeder or build a new one asap and until then they can do with just their HI-boot blocks..For once I am putting my foot down... :nod:

Where do you purchase this???

 

[Aaron]

Don't mean to hijack, but what are the benefits of DE? How do you feed it? And thanks for the link dun. I cant get my cattle to eat any kind of loose mineral, have tried several type and quit buying it, they will lick the blocks though. Has anyone else ran into this? I'm thinking its the litter that I've put on that has had this effect, alot more in it than just P&K.

Someone else like Randi or RR can probably comment more on this. The main idea behind selling DE was to feed it to calves to get them from eating dirt as young calves. It doesn't seem to completely eliminate the problem, but it does reduce it a fair bit. You feed it straight. It's a very smooth white powder, with a clay-like feel. If I see a calf eating dirt, I go grab a handful (which is a lot considering my hands), grab the bugger by the scruff of the neck and shovel the handful of DE into its mouth. It coughs and chews and looks bewildered for a while....but it seems to solve the problem. If not, more handfuls.

ILH try diatomaceous earth for your calves it is cheap and they love it. They will go for it before they will dirt. I have been using it for a few years now and what a huge difference..

They are eating the minerals because they taste good not because they need them and I cannot justify 80 dollars a week for 25 calves...I need to move the mineral feeder or build a new one asap and until then they can do with just their HI-boot blocks..For once I am putting my foot down... :nod:

Where do you purchase this???

We get it at our local feed dealer. A 50 lb. bag lasts a number of years. It's called Star Lake Beef Diatomaceous Earth :cowboy:

Here is a list of dealers

http://www.storefood.com/Grain/faqs/vig2d.html

 

[CKC1586]

Thanks!!!