salt licks....what to do with them??

[mrjohnniesue]

Hope I'm on the right board here.......

is there a better way to put out salt (or mineral) blocks than just throwing them on the ground?? that's how I see most people put them out....
is there a down side to this.....and also if not on the ground then what would be a better way??

a trough? on some type of stake?

I'm sure they would last longer on or in something to keep them out of the weather and off the ground...

also.....is there a ratio of cows to a number of blocks?? or just replace as they go thru them??

thanks.....
Johnny

 

[1982vett]

I use a loose salt. Put it in a trough with the mineral. If I did use blocks, I'd still have them out of the weather.

 

[jkwilson]

Forget the blocks and go with a loose mineral with salt. Put it out in a plastic barrel mineral feeder. http://www.cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11867

 

[makemfat]

What I did is I put a very large post in the ground, cut off just short of waist high, put sides on it from scraps of 2 x 6's. Block sits up at a nice comfortable height. My dad put our first one like this in about 1970, and it is still in use. I had a brainstorm a while back about drilling a hole through one and hanging it from a tree....but I haven't got around to trying that yet!

 

[TSR]

Hope I'm on the right board here.......

is there a better way to put out salt (or mineral) blocks than just throwing them on the ground?? that's how I see most people put them out....
is there a down side to this.....and also if not on the ground then what would be a better way??

a trough? on some type of stake?

I'm sure they would last longer on or in something to keep them out of the weather and off the ground...

also.....is there a ratio of cows to a number of blocks?? or just replace as they go thru them??

thanks.....
Johnny

We have always used old tire rims. They keep the salt off the ground and let the rain go through and last a long time.

 

[tytower]

Dairy farmer this way puts all the lick blocks in a kind of barrow with a roof over it to stop them getting wet and softening up.

We get a lot of rain and when the cows are on really fresh green grass they get the runs.
Best treatment for this is a couple of handfulls of Dolomite mixed in with the molasses . Firms them right up and keeps the weight piling on

 

[agmantoo]

I only use loose salt and minerals. Being the cheap person I am I just make the dispenser.

 

[tytower]

Bloody good job and on slides too . Hope you don´t mind if I steal the design!