minerals and etc.

[ivan.strilk]

a have a few calves from 200lb-500 (not on mothers). they are on the pastur and i was wandering what kind of minerals should i give them?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You should go to your feed store & buy LOOSE mineral designed for your area. Do not use a mineral BLOCK.

 

[CottageFarm]

You should go to your feed store & buy LOOSE mineral designed for your area. Do not use a mineral BLOCK.

Jeanne, I'm pretty new to cattle, so pardon a newbie potentially if this is a stupid question :help:
Why loose vs. block. Is it an age thing, or a better choice at any age?
Thank you!
J

 

[TexasBred]

a have a few calves from 200lb-500 (not on mothers). they are on the pastur and i was wandering what kind of minerals should i give them?

Most of the time a good 12-12-12 mineral will be fine. 50# bag should cost between $20 and $30...there are products out their called "Trace mineral blocks". Nothing but salt with a bit of calcium. Not what you need. There is no certainty the calves need any additional but put it out for them and let them decide if and how much they need.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Why loose vs. block. Is it an age thing, or a better choice at any age?
Thank you!
J

Read the contents of the blocks. Most are 97% salt. Hence, a 50 pound block has a pound &half mineral. That is not gonna work. A whole lot of folks go through the expense of learning the hard way. Loose mineral is cheap over the long haul. If I were going to skimp on anything, it wouldn't be mineral.

 

[dun]

And if you want stay ahead of the flys get minerals with IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) or Altosid (second choice)

 

[CottageFarm]

Why loose vs. block. Is it an age thing, or a better choice at any age?
Thank you!
J

Read the contents of the blocks. Most are 97% salt. Hence, a 50 pound block has a pound &half mineral. That is not gonna work. A whole lot of folks go through the expense of learning the hard way. Loose mineral is cheap over the long haul. If I were going to skimp on anything, it wouldn't be mineral.

Thank you! You're right, I wouldn't have caught that. Most of what I see in my feed stores are blocks, and I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.
This is why I come here

 

[dimestorecowboy]

You also run the risk of them chippin a tooth on the blocks . Some times the cows try to bite them .

 

[backhoeboogie]

I've got a cow in my herd now that was a downer. The owner had spent mega bucks with the vets. Everyone gave up. Two tubes of CMPK made a world of difference. Owner thought she would have to be buried and knew I had a hoe. Offered her up. Three weeks later she Calved. Got my second calve out of her two weeks back. Only bad thing about her is she's pure bred angus. I need to hold her calving until the fall in this climate.

That cow had been on mineral block her whole life. She was in a herd of 20 or so. Owner had never read contents of blocks. He has switched and can't believe the difference it has made in his herd. Cows are calving in less than a year. They had been stretching birthing.

When you first go to loose mineral they may consume a lot. Once they get regulated they'll taper off. Healthy cows have less health problems.

I place the value of mineral ahead of inoculation.

 

[TexasBred]

Why loose vs. block. Is it an age thing, or a better choice at any age?
Thank you!
J

Read the contents of the blocks. Most are 97% salt. Hence, a 50 pound block has a pound &half mineral. That is not gonna work. A whole lot of folks go through the expense of learning the hard way. Loose mineral is cheap over the long haul. If I were going to skimp on anything, it wouldn't be mineral.

Thank you! You're right, I wouldn't have caught that. Most of what I see in my feed stores are blocks, and I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.
This is why I come here

You also get zero vitamins from the TM Salt block...just as crucial as mineral. Some companies will make a pressed block highly fortified with vitamins and minerals but cattle have a tendency to overconsume them so loose mineral is still the best choice.

 

[CottageFarm]

Thanks guys. This is all extremely helpful.
So at what age should I consider putting it in front of them.
They're bottle calves, about 3-1/2 weeks old. They're on a 22/20 milk replacer, eating about 1/2 lb +/- of 32% calf starter mixed w/ corn & oats, with a little sweet feed trown in 'cause they really like it. Right now they also get an electrolyte every few days as well as yogurt for a probiotic. I don't have any decent pasture for them, so they'll spend their whole lives on purchased hay, alfalpha & grain (they're supposed to be holstein X, but the opinions I've rec'd say they think no X, just holstein).
Thank You,
J

 

[B&M Farms]

if you are feeding calves out of a sack, read the labels. Some have most the vitamins and minerals they need and they will consume very little straight mineral. If the calves are old enough to start on feed, they are old enough to start on mineral imo. You can buy blocks that are full mineral blocks (not trace mineral blocks), but i feel like cows consume loose mineral at a more adequate rate.

 

[Kingfisher]

a have a few calves from 200lb-500 (not on mothers). they are on the pastur and i was wandering what kind of minerals should i give them?

Most of the time a good 12-12-12 mineral will be fine. 50# bag should cost between $20 and $30...there are products out their called "Trace mineral blocks". Nothing but salt with a bit of calcium. Not what you need. There is no certainty the calves need any additional but put it out for them and let them decide if and how much they need.

In a " drought" or poor feed conditions I suppose a " sucker " block just doesn't fill the gap? Did you get any rain? We did not get a drop!

 

[TexasBred]

Kingfisher I would hesitate to keep both out. Cattle might turn to the blocks for salt and not touch the mineral. I prefer a mineral with salt in it, not to control intake but to encourage it. Another problem with blocks is that it takes too long for a cow to get the amount she needs unless she learns to bite it off.
With loose mineral all she needs to do is give it a few flicks of the tongue and she's got her daily supply.

 

[Lucky_P]

Most 'trace mineral salt blocks' are, as others have indicated, mostly salt - but the majority I've encountered are red/brown, because the manufacturers incorporate a significant amount of iron oxide as a filler/coloring agent.
Most soils in this country have plenty of iron, iron deficiency is not a problem for cattle in most of the world - and while iron oxide is almost 0% absorbed, it will effectively interfere/block copper absorption sites in the intestine - so, if you're in an area where soils and forages are deficient in copper, a trace mineral salt block has the potential to make copper deficiency worse than if you were supplying only a white salt block.
Far better to utilize a loose mineral product suitable for the age or stage of production of cattle you're running.

FYI,
Altosid(methoprene) IS an insect growth regulator, and so far as I'm aware or can ascertain, all the commercially-available 'IGR' minerals contain Altosid as the insect growth regulator ingredient.

 

[TexasBred]

Noticed Mr. dun's "hiccup" but just figured he meant "Rabon". ;-) Altosid is the tradename of the IGR, active ingredient is methoprene. There are several generic copycat products out there with same concentration of methoprene. Some companies still manufacture mineral with Rabon...All work and I would encourage all to use them during fly season. Doesn't add that much additional cost to a bag of mineral.

 

[CottageFarm]

The calf concentrate does say its a complete ration when mixed to their recommedation with grain, which is what I'm doing. So it sounds as though I don't really need to be concerned about minerals until they start eating forage, which I figure won't be for a few weeks at least, with no significant amount of forage for at least a month or two. ?

 

[dun]

Most 'trace mineral salt blocks' are, as others have indicated, mostly salt - but the majority I've encountered are red/brown, because the manufacturers incorporate a significant amount of iron oxide as a filler/coloring agent.
Most soils in this country have plenty of iron, iron deficiency is not a problem for cattle in most of the world - and while iron oxide is almost 0% absorbed, it will effectively interfere/block copper absorption sites in the intestine - so, if you're in an area where soils and forages are deficient in copper, a trace mineral salt block has the potential to make copper deficiency worse than if you were supplying only a white salt block.
Far better to utilize a loose mineral product suitable for the age or stage of production of cattle you're running.

FYI,
Altosid(methoprene) IS an insect growth regulator, and so far as I'm aware or can ascertain, all the commercially-available 'IGR' minerals contain Altosid as the insect growth regulator ingredient.

What's the other product. There is one that is a larvacide (kills them rather then just preventing them maturing) rather then an IGR, thought that Altosid was it

 

[TexasBred]

dun you're thinking of Rabon. Old product...but works.

 

[dun]

dun you're thinking of Rabon. Old product...but works.

That's it...............Senility isn;t always a good thing