Sulfer Salt Blocks?

[ctlbaron]

Some good info here.


http://www.speclab.com/elements/sulfur.htm

 

[jt]

i feed a free choice mineral with about 12% salt in it. when i put salt out with the minerals, they wont hardly touch the minerals. but when i dont put the extra salt out, they eat the amount of minerals that they are supposed to. it was a significant change with mine, i am now feeding a lot more minerals than ever before.

jt

 

[AAOK]

I was wondering if it were something like that.

I keep good minerals available all the time and a salt block. I was just wondering if I had been missing something.

Dropping the salt block will increase intake of minerals to proper levels.

But it can be dropped, only if there is adequate salt in the minerals. The minerals we use have an insignificant amount of salt, cows eat the minerals just fine and also work over the salt block

dun

You are correct dun. But why buy both salt AND minerals when you can get both in one package, along with the correct mixture.

Because they eat minerals as they need them, and they need salt all the time.

All of the "BEST" minerals contain all the minerals and vitamins necessary for cattle. The companies manufacture different blends/additives for every specific situation. If you keep the minerals out free choice, the cattle will consume sufficient amounts, and will not need any blocks.

 

[novaman]

I didn't think this would have to be said again on this thread but I guess I was wrong. Cattle need to have salt available to them all the time. The minerals aren't always a necessisity. You can go ahead and buy your "best" minerals expecting them to be content with it. Salt is much cheaper than mineral and I would rather have them licking pure salt rather than taking up larger amounts of mineral just to fulfill their needs in sodium. Put out free choice salt and free choice mineral. The cows know what they are lacking and they will ultimately go for what they need.

 

[rk]

Thanks for setting us straight. Now we can ignore all the research that can help us be more productive/profitable and assume that, unlike people, cattle are smart enough to balance their diets.

 

[msscamp]

Thanks for setting us straight. Now we can ignore all the research that can help us be more productive/profitable and assume that, unlike people, cattle are smart enough to balance their diets.

What makes you think all that research is correct to begin with? I distinctly remember all the hoopla about eggs being bad for people, I also remember the retraction a few years ago. People are smart enough to balance their diets, we just usually choose not to due to instant gratification and developed eating patterns involving 'comfort' foods. Cattle have survived in the wild for centuries, do you really believe they could have done that if they weren't smart enough to know what they needed and seek it out?

 

[MikeC]

Cattle will not balance their own rations. If you believe they do, then pour a big pile of corn on the ground next to a bale of hay and see if a bunch of hungry cows won't founder.

I have had better luck with salt in my minerals because they will eat enough of the necessary minerals with the help of the salt covering up the bitter taste of the magnesium and phosphorus. They will not eat enough of some minerals if it's not palatable.

Cows DO crave salt and I use that craving to my advantage.

 

[msscamp]

Cattle will not balance their own rations. If you believe they do, then pour a big pile of corn on the ground next to a bale of hay and see if a bunch of hungry cows won't founder.

I have had better luck with salt in my minerals because they will eat enough of the necessary minerals with the help of the salt covering up the bitter taste of the magnesium and phosphorus. They will not eat enough of some minerals if it's not palatable.

Cows DO crave salt and I use that craving to my advantage.

Mike, I'm not talking about grain, I'm talking about minerals and salt and that's it. Until man started row cropping cattle didn't have access to grain, they survived on grass and other edible greenery.

 

[MikeC]

Animals have specific requirements for minerals. These requirements are based on the type, weight and age, as well as the rate of performance (weight gain, level of milk production, pregnancy, etc.) expected of the animal.

Mineral imbalances and/or deficiencies can result in decreased performance, decreased disease resistance and reproductive failure which results in serious economic losses.

Mineral deficiencies or imbalances occur when the animal's requirements are not met because of low mineral content in the feedstuffs, low biological availability of the mineral, or another mineral or other substances interferes with the absorption of the mineral by the animal.

While animals may recognize the body's need for minerals, the concept of "Nutritional Wisdom" whereby the animal will eat the minerals that it requires and also consume the correct amounts of the required mineral has not been shown to exist. Mineral supplements are not uniformly palatable. Cattle have shown preference for bonemeal-salt mixtures over other (dicalcium phosphate or monocalcium phosphate) supplements. However, water quality, ration content and variability between animals are also factors influencing palatability.

Therefore it is necessary to provide the broad spectrum of frequently deficient minerals in the form that the animals will consume, in the quantity that satisfies the requirements.

 

[Texan]

I have had better luck with salt in my minerals because they will eat enough of the necessary minerals with the help of the salt covering up the bitter taste of the magnesium and phosphorus. They will not eat enough of some minerals if it's not palatable.

Cows DO crave salt and I use that craving to my advantage.

That makes two of us, Mike. Cattle eat what they want, not what they need. You take your One-a-Day vitamin because you possess the ability to reason, not because you crave it.

 

[rk]

http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore ... g02081.htm

Note the section on sodium and chloride in this article. According to this, sodium max requirement is .08%, which is 9-10 or so grams. 2 ounces of a 15-16% salt mineral will provide this.

I agree with MikeC and Texan, cattle do not have ability to eat per requirements. They will consume more salt than needed to meet sodium and chloride requirements. Salt is in most minerals to encourage consumption. A separate source of salt will discourage intake of the mineral and necessary elements in that mineral.

 

[novaman]

I use a mineral that contains 12% salt in it. Now after reading the previous posts I would be led to believe that if I put that mineral out for my cows they shouldn't need anymore salt. It has also been said that if I were to put out free choice salt the consumption of mineral would fall drastically. I have a salt block sitting by the water tank and I have a mineral feeder there. I put 25 pounds of mineral in that feeder every morning. There are 85 cows that have access to this salt and mineral. They will eat all of the mineral and finish off a salt block in about two weeks. I don't think your going to convince me that cattle don't need free choice salt. As for the overconsumption of salt, I really don't care. If my cows eat too much salt they will just drink that much more water. Not to mention I have had no problems whatsoever with excess sodium. You guys can believe what you want. I'll do what works for me.

 

[TR]

This has been a most interesting thread. However, I can't get mine to eat minerals to save my life....I don't care if I painted the stuff pink with purple polkadots and did a "consumption dance", they won't eat minerals.....I put loose minerals out, they won't eat them, I get a new bag with a new mineral formula in it and put it out, they won't eat them, I get a new bag of minerals mixed with salt, they won't eat it, I get another bag of minerals mixed with molassas, they wont eat it...........and while they're very plump and sassy, I do worry about reproduction ability without them.....any suggestions?

 

[Crowderfarms]

Try mixing some dried Molasses in with your mineral.Bet they'll eat it then.

 

[dun]

This has been a most interesting thread. However, I can't get mine to eat minerals to save my life....I don't care if I painted the stuff pink with purple polkadots and did a "consumption dance", they won't eat minerals.....I put loose minerals out, they won't eat them, I get a new bag with a new mineral formula in it and put it out, they won't eat them, I get a new bag of minerals mixed with salt, they won't eat it, I get another bag of minerals mixed with molassas, they wont eat it...........and while they're very plump and sassy, I do worry about reproduction ability without them.....any suggestions?

What else are they eating besides salt and hay/forage?

dun

 

[jt]

this has been interesting..

whether you put out salt or not.. think about this.. how much mineral does your cow need to eat per day? from what i understand, that amount should be around 2, maybe 3 ounces per head per day.

now if 2 ounces per day is correct, then that would round off to about 1 pound/head per week.

in novamans case, that would be 85 pounds/week, give or take a little.. i think the point that i and some others have tried to get across is that if you put out the extra salt, they will not eat a pound of mineral a week.

all this is based on the mineral having salt in it already.

a cattle nutrientist told me that most cattlemen feed their cattle way too much salt.

in my case, about 40 head were eating about 50#/month of mineral until i cut out the salt.. then they began eating about 150-200#/month.. or about 2 ounces a day.

just my observation..

jt

 

[longhorn314]

I have put out trace mineral blocks and sulfer salt blocks for 12 years now and I have never had a single problem with my cattle for anything,it's what I saw my father do so I just copied off him. I have tried minerals and they want eat them so I quit wasting my money a few years ago and I just keep salt out to them and occassional mag blocks and mine do just fine.

 

[novaman]

jt, as I have said earlier my cows eat plenty of mineral. At 25 pounds per day that comes up to roughly 175 pounds of mineral each month. That amounts to over 2 pounds per head per month. If I were to pull my salt blocks I'm certain that figure would jump dramatically. I don't want to be paying more to be feeding huge amounts for mineral when they could be licking on the much cheaper salt blocks instead.

 

[jt]

jt, as I have said earlier my cows eat plenty of mineral. At 25 pounds per day that comes up to roughly 175 pounds of mineral each month. That amounts to over 2 pounds per head per month. If I were to pull my salt blocks I'm certain that figure would jump dramatically. I don't want to be paying more to be feeding huge amounts for mineral when they could be licking on the much cheaper salt blocks instead.

:lol: novaman.. not sure i understand exactly how you came to the numbers, but i misread your original post.. that 2 weeks part in there had me thinking you were feeding 25# every 2 weeks.. and i am not trying to change your mind about what you do.. if it works for you, that is all that matters. :lol:

jt

 

[rwtherefords]

I keep my salt block within 50' of the mineral feeder. The cattle use the salt all year round, and eat mineral whenever their forage isn't supplying what they need. Sometimes it's hard to keep mineral in the mineral feeder, other times they eat both, and then others they consume just salt. Never have any breedback problems and the calves have always been vigorous.

I just never saw any need for a sulpher block and wondered why they sold them. Maybe for the same reason some fishing lures are sold; sombody will buy them.