Quaz
Member
I was wondering what kind of mineral everybody uses?? Just always looking too see what works for every body else.
Mineral??
- Thread starter Quaz
- Start date
Help Support Ranchers.net:
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
I use Vigortone because my cows eat it. 
CattleArmy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2006
- Messages
- 3,633
- Reaction score
- 0
We use a mineral that was developed by testing the grass of the area. Also testing hay put up. We have a neighbor that is massive in the ranching and feedlot industry that can afford to do those kind of tests. Aurora CO-Op makes it. There is a calving mineral that goes out two weeks before calving until mid may and then we go back to the regular. We've tried a lot of mineral and are satisfied. The cows clean well, the calves don't show signs of mineral diffeciences.
Our cows eat this.
Our cows eat this.
jodywy
Well-known member
Local vet and feed store tested grass, hay and bled cows and blended a custom mix that the cows eat..... Even after it's been wet.
In a really deficient area for Copper and Selenium
In a really deficient area for Copper and Selenium
leanin' H
Well-known member
We haul blocks of salt/trace mineral all over our summer range and put them on salt grounds that weve used for four generations. We try to chum the cows up on the high ridges away from the creeks and springs to utilize all the feed as best we can. All winter we supplement with protein tubs and tubs of mineral/protein mix. Our old desert sisters seem to do pretty well on our system and the muledeer love to visit the salt grounds too! One of my favorite things to do is load the pack saddle (Utah panniers) with 4 blocks of salt and take a couple pack horses across the high salt trail, dropping deliverys as we go. With the dry air out here and 9000 feet of elevation, you can see into Nevada which is 140 miles away. Some of the trails we ride across the crown of the mountain were built by mustangs when they were running our range. They mostly stick to the desert flats nowadays but thier great trails remain crossing the heads of draws and the tops of canyons. But i digress...... we use salt! :wink:
Shortgrass
Well-known member
Opticor by Moorman. I plan on using the fly control stuff in it about the first of the month.
gcreekrch
Well-known member
jodywy said:
Ditto word for word, ??? hundred miles north.
Quaz
Member
DO you feed salt with your mineral? White? Salt with Eddi? How much is mineral a bag in your area? How much do they consume? Thanks
per
Well-known member
When our cows hit their true salad bar whether tame or native we don't feed any mineral just salt. When we hit barley straw bunches somewhere in January to March they get Loves High Mag Mineral. They are in their 3rd trimester by then and extra selenium and ADE are mixed in. We have found, and there is research to support, that extremely high rates of vit E allows us to reduce the selenium. That greatly reduces sand cracking in hooves which is linked to selenium. No sand cracked hooves existed in our herd under that regime but I couldn't source the E this year and have a one cow with sand cracks.
Dick Diven offers a course on the subject that is well worth the effort. He is out of Arizona but travels to everyone's neck of the woods at some point.
Dick Diven offers a course on the subject that is well worth the effort. He is out of Arizona but travels to everyone's neck of the woods at some point.
Northern Rancher
Well-known member
We used to have sand crack troubles in our herd-the University vets came out and measured a bunch of stuff and got a bunch of numbers to crunch. Sand cracks made some chelated mineral companies alot of money about ten years ago. I found that when we quit pushing our replacement heifers so much that the problem kind of corrected itself-that might of just been a coincidence too. Has anybody on here fed that Redmond Salt and cattle Conditioner. Our local vet stocks it and claims some guys swear by it.
per
Well-known member
That is true too and selection is important. She and her calf will be culled.
I Luv Herfrds
Well-known member
We use Nurti-Lix 12-12 mineral free choice. All of our cattle get it. They really like it. Was put on it from a feed store I used to go to.
We also put out trace mineral salt blocks.
I would have to look it up, but I believe, don't quote me on this, but ours is $20-$25 a 50lb bag. Not too sure how much they consume per cow, but when the grass is dried up they start eating more, but when it is green they never touch it.
When we first introduced them to this mineral I would say we went through one bag in less then a week with our pairs. There were 40+ pairs out. We have 40 pairs out now and they might go through a bag in about 2-3 weeks. The entire herd has year round access to the mineral.
We also put out trace mineral salt blocks.
I would have to look it up, but I believe, don't quote me on this, but ours is $20-$25 a 50lb bag. Not too sure how much they consume per cow, but when the grass is dried up they start eating more, but when it is green they never touch it.
When we first introduced them to this mineral I would say we went through one bag in less then a week with our pairs. There were 40+ pairs out. We have 40 pairs out now and they might go through a bag in about 2-3 weeks. The entire herd has year round access to the mineral.
John SD
Well-known member
I'm currently feeding Vigortone 3V2S. IIRC it was about $18/bag in ton pallet quantity a month or so ago before the price increase.
Been feeding it straight, year round, with no other salt. Consumption varies with the time of year and quality of the forage. Cows hardly touch it when the grass greens up late spring, early summer. Short, dry, mature pastures late in the fall while calves are still nursing they really seem to go through it.
If you do a search of this site I think you will find a lot of previous discussions on mineral.
Been feeding it straight, year round, with no other salt. Consumption varies with the time of year and quality of the forage. Cows hardly touch it when the grass greens up late spring, early summer. Short, dry, mature pastures late in the fall while calves are still nursing they really seem to go through it.
If you do a search of this site I think you will find a lot of previous discussions on mineral.
Faster horses
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Messages
- 30,240
- Reaction score
- 1,423
I was gonna let this thread go by, but now I have to say something. (anyone at all suprised? :wink: )
Mineral does no good if cattle don't eat it.
Quality and quantity of forage dictates mineral consumption; i.e. when the grass is green there are more nutrients in it, but also more moisture.
When the grass turns brown, the nutrients are diminished and cattle will eat more mineral. Cattle eat free-choice mineral in peaks and valleys.
I'm sure you have noticed that when cattle are ready to be moved, they eat more mineral. Then in a new pasture they will slack off their consumption, until the 'desirables' in that pasture are eaten down.
We figure mineral consumption on a per head/per year basis. You can't figure it on a week or a month, too much variation, even from year to year. We have found that cattle on Vigortone mineral will eat 3-4 oz. per head per day for 365 days. That is target consumption. At that rate, I can guarantee you that your cattle will see an increase in weaning weights, conception rates and herd health.
One of our customers has a Vigorbin that holds 7 ton of mineral. He drives under the bin with a cake feeder; goes out and fills troughs in the pasture as needed. We have figured it out from when the bin is filled, the amount of cattle supplemented and when the bin is empty. We have always come up with 3.5 oz. per head per day in that particular area.
Recommeded formulas from nutritionists, and John Patterson at MSU, who has dedicated a lot of time to mineral research--2 to 1 cal to phos or 3-1 or even 6-1; never 1 to 1 and absolutely never more phos than calcium.
When the grass is green we have our customers that are on a year-round mineral program feed a less phos mineral. It helps the cows consume more, so that they get the trace minerals at that time, and it is cheaper. Then when the grass starts to dry out (usually around Aug. 1) they should change to the higher phos mineral (3V2S--2 to one cal to phos.) As the grass dries out, so does the phos in the grass, so the cows will eat more of the lesser phos mineral trying to satisfy their phos requirements. Therefore, we have them feed the higher phos mineral at that time.
It has worked very well doing it this way.
Hope this helps!
Mineral does no good if cattle don't eat it.
Quality and quantity of forage dictates mineral consumption; i.e. when the grass is green there are more nutrients in it, but also more moisture.
When the grass turns brown, the nutrients are diminished and cattle will eat more mineral. Cattle eat free-choice mineral in peaks and valleys.
I'm sure you have noticed that when cattle are ready to be moved, they eat more mineral. Then in a new pasture they will slack off their consumption, until the 'desirables' in that pasture are eaten down.
We figure mineral consumption on a per head/per year basis. You can't figure it on a week or a month, too much variation, even from year to year. We have found that cattle on Vigortone mineral will eat 3-4 oz. per head per day for 365 days. That is target consumption. At that rate, I can guarantee you that your cattle will see an increase in weaning weights, conception rates and herd health.
One of our customers has a Vigorbin that holds 7 ton of mineral. He drives under the bin with a cake feeder; goes out and fills troughs in the pasture as needed. We have figured it out from when the bin is filled, the amount of cattle supplemented and when the bin is empty. We have always come up with 3.5 oz. per head per day in that particular area.
Recommeded formulas from nutritionists, and John Patterson at MSU, who has dedicated a lot of time to mineral research--2 to 1 cal to phos or 3-1 or even 6-1; never 1 to 1 and absolutely never more phos than calcium.
When the grass is green we have our customers that are on a year-round mineral program feed a less phos mineral. It helps the cows consume more, so that they get the trace minerals at that time, and it is cheaper. Then when the grass starts to dry out (usually around Aug. 1) they should change to the higher phos mineral (3V2S--2 to one cal to phos.) As the grass dries out, so does the phos in the grass, so the cows will eat more of the lesser phos mineral trying to satisfy their phos requirements. Therefore, we have them feed the higher phos mineral at that time.
It has worked very well doing it this way.
Hope this helps!
