Too Mineral or not...

[Silver]

I think it is worth saying that one needs to know what is lacking in your specific environment before going ahead and spending a bunch of money and throwing out any random mineral to your cattle. If your serious about doing it right then do some soil, forage, or blood tests. Not every area is deficient of all nutrients in the same amounts.
I have stated here before (and been soundly criticized for it) that I don't feed loose mineral. I would, if I needed to. But my cows breed up on time (95% conception rate or better), very high percentage calved out in first cycle, calf mortality is very low, no retained placentas, excellent weaning weights, etc. It would be very difficult to justify the expense at this point, but if things were ever to change I'd change course in a hear beat.
In fact, just for an experiment I am considering feeding mineral prior and post calving this year just to see if there might be something I'm missing. I'm always open to learning something new.

 

[Dave]

It is interesting putting together these broken mouth cows. They come from different owners and different parts of eastern Oregon and western Idaho. There are minerals out there 24/7. Some new cows come in and don't touch the minerals. Another bunch comes in and attacks the minerals for the first week or two. Some are obviously short of minerals. Of course I don't know the history of where or who they came from and any minerals fed there. Looking up the brands I can tell the town and owner they came from but that is it.

 

[Banjo]

I think it is worth saying that one needs to know what is lacking in your specific environment before going ahead and spending a bunch of money and throwing out any random mineral to your cattle. If your serious about doing it right then do some soil, forage, or blood tests. Not every area is deficient of all nutrients in the same amounts.
I have stated here before (and been soundly criticized for it) that I don't feed loose mineral. I would, if I needed to. But my cows breed up on time (95% conception rate or better), very high percentage calved out in first cycle, calf mortality is very low, no retained placentas, excellent weaning weights, etc. It would be very difficult to justify the expense at this point, but if things were ever to change I'd change course in a hear beat.
In fact, just for an experiment I am considering feeding mineral prior and post calving this year just to see if there might be something I'm missing. I'm always open to learning something new.

i would guess that you have really good soil up there....probably a lot of of glaciers in ages past....am I right?
The soils here are low in selenium, copper, and phosphorus.

 

[Silver]

i would guess that you have really good soil up there....probably a lot of of glaciers in ages past....am I right?
The soils here are low in selenium, copper, and phosphorus.

You are correct, I believe. Our soil is thin but good. I think it also helps that the land is young in relative terms, so has not been depleted of it's minerals like older land.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

There is an old adage, " The value is not what something costs but what it is worth To You)
This being said the choice to feed or not to feed minerals and the resulting consequences thereof are on you the owner.
With that comes the responsibility of decision and you have to make that yourself. Of course you can abdicate your
responsibility to an internet forum, however; the consequence (or reward) will still be yours.

 

[Silver]

*deleted*

 

[jsully]

There is an old adage, " The value is not what something costs but what it is worth To You)
This being said the choice to feed or not to feed minerals and the resulting consequences thereof are on you the owner.
With that comes the responsibility of decision and you have to make that yourself. Of course you can abdicate your
responsibility to an internet forum, however; the consequence (or reward) will still be yours.

Thanks Lee, in making this post i was not asking anyone to make a decision for me; rather i was asking if the cost was/is worth the reward. I have only owned cows for a few months and have a ton to learn. So, if I can't ask people who have been raising cattle for decades to share there experiences both good & Bad what is the point of all this.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Silver: That was not directed at anyone in particular. When I do I will black label the name as I did here. From my point of view I see so
many living vicariously through the internet unable or unwilling to make a decision. It seems to me that people more and more are being
programmed to wait for somebody or entity to give them permission to think much less to get off their can and go do. While I am
thoroughly convicted by James 5:20 I am of the opinion those words apply to other areas of our lives as well. "if you hear horses hooves and
you are not in the saddle you are too damned late'' ''Motvation begets Momentum'' Best regards for the New Year lvr

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

this is the right place to ask questions. I have been at this cattle thing for nearly 50 years, and I still ask a question now & then. I love to be able to help someone out so that they don't make the same mistakes I MADE over the years. @jsully ask all you want!

 

[jsully]

this is the right place to ask questions. I have been at this cattle thing for nearly 50 years, and I still ask a question now & then. I love to be able to help someone out so that they don't make the same mistakes I MADE over the years. @jsully ask all you want!

Thank you Jeanne! i know that i am new and have Zero experience, the only way to learn is to ask lots of questions and by doing. I have sready learned alot from everyone in here. This is a great place grow. I hope i am help An up and commer some day.

 

[SBMF 2015]

If you have a lot of legumes in your pasture you might could get by without mineral in the growing season since legumes are more mineral rich than grass, but not in the winter. 32 bucks a bag? here the purina wind and rain is about 20 a bag

What wind and raining are you using? I think my winter wind and rain is $27/bag.

 

[Banjo]

What wind and raining are you using? I think my winter wind and rain is $27/bag.

All Season wind and rain....red bag. the high mag is about the same....unless you are getting the availa 4 with the chelated minerals....it is somewhat higher. Its hard to get here.

 

[SBMF 2015]

All Season wind and rain....red bag. the high mag is about the same....unless you are getting the availa 4 with the chelated minerals....it is somewhat higher. Its hard to get here.

I was having a mental block, lol. I use Availa in the winter. Have been using wind and rain w/ Altosid in the summer. Had some trouble with Anaplas last year so this summer it will be wind and rain with Availa, Altosid and ctc. It's cashy, but so are open cows. I think I have to take a ton because it's special order.

 

[TCRanch]

Yet more good info on minerals - and somewhat scary. This was in today's online edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin.

Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA

The commercial cattleman's Angus connection

www.angusbeefbulletin.com

 

[Muletrack]

I don't feed loose minerals either. Cows graze on alfalfa and grass hay regrowth before calving in September -- which is a new thing this year since I'm am converting a quarter of old alfalfa ground to pasture. This year I've noticed, my herd seems a lot less interested in the trace mineral salt blocks. I think if I start using my native pasture again (which is currently rented to a neighbor) I might put a loose mineral feeder out there.

 

[Muletrack]

I think it is worth saying that one needs to know what is lacking in your specific environment before going ahead and spending a bunch of money and throwing out any random mineral to your cattle. If your serious about doing it right then do some soil, forage, or blood tests. Not every area is deficient of all nutrients in the same amounts.
I have stated here before (and been soundly criticized for it) that I don't feed loose mineral. I would, if I needed to. But my cows breed up on time (95% conception rate or better), very high percentage calved out in first cycle, calf mortality is very low, no retained placentas, excellent weaning weights, etc. It would be very difficult to justify the expense at this point, but if things were ever to change I'd change course in a hear beat.
In fact, just for an experiment I am considering feeding mineral prior and post calving this year just to see if there might be something I'm missing. I'm always open to learning something new.

Great quote from Walt Davis in his book "How To Not Go Broke Ranching" -- "I have never met a salesman who thought that I did not need his product."

 

[Djm961]

I'm still pretty young into my cattle adventure but I noticed more pink eye and foot problems on the year I was building my house and didn't keep up with it well. I will say that I have a separate loose salt feeder and now that I have that out my cows barely touch the loose minerals. Loose salt is around $6 a bag at local coop so its really saving me money

 

[gcreekrch]

I'm still pretty young into my cattle adventure but I noticed more pink eye and foot problems on the year I was building my house and didn't keep up with it well. I will say that I have a separate loose salt feeder and now that I have that out my cows barely touch the loose minerals. Loose salt is around $6 a bag at local coop so its really saving me money

A good mineral should not contain expensive salt.