Nicky
Well-known member
Just wondered what everyone feeds and why you like what you do. Price, success stories etc. Am thinking of switching and want to know all my options. Now everyone be nice about it :wink:
Mineral and protein supplements - Vigortone or otherwise
- Thread starter Nicky
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Nicky,
Funny you mention this. I use Purina's NW Beef mineral fro NW Farm Supply in Hermiston. Big on the high Selenium (120ppm). It is a premix because there are areas of the country ewhere this much is lethal. In our area, it is necessary. A lot of my problems have cleared since going to this.
The thread on Yeast has me looking and the discussions on ingredients to. I would like to see if a more Palatable product would lead to more consistent consumption through the year.
Is there a Vigortone dealer in our area that you know of???
Pat
Funny you mention this. I use Purina's NW Beef mineral fro NW Farm Supply in Hermiston. Big on the high Selenium (120ppm). It is a premix because there are areas of the country ewhere this much is lethal. In our area, it is necessary. A lot of my problems have cleared since going to this.
The thread on Yeast has me looking and the discussions on ingredients to. I would like to see if a more Palatable product would lead to more consistent consumption through the year.
Is there a Vigortone dealer in our area that you know of???
Pat
Nicky
Well-known member
I called Vigortone and they had a rep call me. He is from southern Idaho but said he covers washington too, so goes through here. Funny that Oregon isn't his territory? Maybe will be if there is intrest. Think I'll have him stop by sometime. His name is Kevin Schroeder, (208)670-0766
We use Right Now Beef Mineral from Cargill. it is blended for use on pasture ( Emerald) and for dry feed ( Bronze) and there is a third kind that you can get in the US. The rep told me why it was not in Canada but I don't remember. We also use Smartlic lic tubs around breeding and just prior to calving. Hope this helps
Tim
Tim
Faster horses
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You will find with Vigortone that the particle size is all the same which keeps it from clumping when it gets wet. Also a lot of research has gone into the particle size and what they offer is what is MOST AVAILABLE TO THE COW.
With Vigortone we use basically the same mineral all year round. We use a CTC product 2 weeks prior to calving and until we turn the bulls out. What is fun, is that you will be able to visually see the Vigortone difference in your cattle.
Vigortone is a mineral company. Just about every other company that sells mineral is a FEED company and their research tends to be spent on feed. Vigortone research is spent on mineral. There is a big difference. Vigortone is truly an industry leader. We went to this product in 1994 and my husband says he would not ranch without it; it has made that much difference in our cattle.
One thing, I will warn you. Your horses won't get used as much, because sickness is a thing of the past. My husband had to run and rope a calf after branding because he swelled up. We cannot remember when he has had to rope something to doctor it. 100% calf crop last year, no treatment to anything; 101% calf crop this year, treated one calf in the middle of the summer that had an intestinal problem and he is okay. I think that is the result of years on the same mineral program~every cow now in our herd was on it from the time of conception. What else could it be? We have not changed anything else.
We get no footrot (if we notice a sore-footed cow in the winter she always comes out of it in a day or so on her own). We have eliminated older cows with stifle injuries (this used to be a big problem. I think it was due to a shortage of calcium when the cows were young.)
We are on a very simple vaccine program and because the immune system is so good in our cattle, the vaccines just work better.
Our cows get hay, grass and mineral. That's it. No protein supplement unless it is very dry in the late summer and the calves are still on the cows. We then give them a Vigortone Soybean/mineral product called Forage Pro. We want to utilize what we grow on our ranch and we don't spend time at the feed store buying commercial protein.
I think you will find Kevin Schroeder very knowledgable and accommodating, though I don't know him personally.
With Vigortone we use basically the same mineral all year round. We use a CTC product 2 weeks prior to calving and until we turn the bulls out. What is fun, is that you will be able to visually see the Vigortone difference in your cattle.
Vigortone is a mineral company. Just about every other company that sells mineral is a FEED company and their research tends to be spent on feed. Vigortone research is spent on mineral. There is a big difference. Vigortone is truly an industry leader. We went to this product in 1994 and my husband says he would not ranch without it; it has made that much difference in our cattle.
One thing, I will warn you. Your horses won't get used as much, because sickness is a thing of the past. My husband had to run and rope a calf after branding because he swelled up. We cannot remember when he has had to rope something to doctor it. 100% calf crop last year, no treatment to anything; 101% calf crop this year, treated one calf in the middle of the summer that had an intestinal problem and he is okay. I think that is the result of years on the same mineral program~every cow now in our herd was on it from the time of conception. What else could it be? We have not changed anything else.
We get no footrot (if we notice a sore-footed cow in the winter she always comes out of it in a day or so on her own). We have eliminated older cows with stifle injuries (this used to be a big problem. I think it was due to a shortage of calcium when the cows were young.)
We are on a very simple vaccine program and because the immune system is so good in our cattle, the vaccines just work better.
Our cows get hay, grass and mineral. That's it. No protein supplement unless it is very dry in the late summer and the calves are still on the cows. We then give them a Vigortone Soybean/mineral product called Forage Pro. We want to utilize what we grow on our ranch and we don't spend time at the feed store buying commercial protein.
I think you will find Kevin Schroeder very knowledgable and accommodating, though I don't know him personally.
Manitoba_Rancher
Well-known member
FH,
Where can we buy Vigortone mineral up here? I want to try it but cant find it.
Where can we buy Vigortone mineral up here? I want to try it but cant find it.
Faster horses
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You know what? I really can't answer your question. Why don't you contact Big Muddy Rancher, he has a way of getting it. I know there are a few products cleared for Canada under the Provini name.
Nicky
Well-known member
Come on everyone, I know you all have your opinions 
. And I want to hear more of them, please. Is it because I said to be nice?lol Thanks to those (few) who replied.
. And I want to hear more of them, please. Is it because I said to be nice?lol Thanks to those (few) who replied.
A
Anonymous
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Nicky, Faster Horses and I had a big discussion (and others) a while back about this. If I could tell you how to do a search to find it I would. There was a lot of banter on the thread about feeding and minerals. Maybe FH would know how to find it.
the_jersey_lilly_2000
Well-known member
Saturday we went to the vets office, to pick up some lutelyce(sp) for daughters heifers. While standing there waiting we noticed they had vigortone mineral samples on top of a refridgerator.
This is all after I talked to the vigortone rep and asked where my nearest local dealer would be. The vets office wasn't mentioned. Maybe it slipped by him, or maybe it's supplied by a different rep, I dont know. But you might have some luck askin around at the vets offices near you that do large animals.
Just a thought.
This is all after I talked to the vigortone rep and asked where my nearest local dealer would be. The vets office wasn't mentioned. Maybe it slipped by him, or maybe it's supplied by a different rep, I dont know. But you might have some luck askin around at the vets offices near you that do large animals.
Just a thought.
