Using salt to limit DDG intake in feeder cattle

[Faster horses]

A year-round mineral program is necessary because cattle can and do
eat mineral in peaks and valleys. If you remember one thing,
quality and quantity of forage dictates mineral consumption
that will help you understand why they don't eat mineral consistently.
And then other things come into play of course. Cattle
most generally won't eat high phos mineral
as readily because phos is bitter and used as a limiter. It's
also the highest priced ingredient in minera. Feeding a high-phos mineral
isn't totally the answer either, because cattle eat grams, not
percents. So if you have a 15% phos mineral and your cattle aren't
eating it, it's not doing any good. If you have a 7% phos mineral
and they are eating the required amount, you are meeting their
mineral requirements. So be careful of salesmen selling high-phos
mineral. The lower phos is what is recommended; higher phos is
usually an old formula or in places of exception. We have found
that a 3.5% phos mineral is more than adequate in this country in
the spring, based on grass samples. The grass is very good until
it starts to dry out later in the summer, and then we have our
customers go to a 6-7% mineral. The 3.5% is fine, except the cows
will overeat it later in the summer, trying to get their phos requirements.
Remember too, the INGREDIENTS used are really as important,
or moreso than the analysis on the tag. Many mineral companies
use inferior ingredients trying to keep the cost down, but those ingredients
aren't as available to the cow, so consequently, the cow won't
perform as well as she could.

Mineral is an exact science. It's very complicated, so be careful.
Feeding mineral is a fairly new concept, came around about around 15-17 years ago.

Here in Mt. MSU did a lot of work finding out that Montana is
basically short of copper and zinc and it was picking producers pockets. Based on their intensive reasearch, they advised supplementing mineral to livestock. There are feed companies who make mineral that really don't put the research into it that they should. They sell it, but they really don't understand about it
because mainly they are a feed store and that is what their time
and research goes into. Mineral is secondary.

Particle size is of utmost importance; yeast
culture is another thing to look for in a quality mineral, to name
a few ingredients that make a quality product vs a sorry one. Adding
grain to mineral for palatiblity and lower cost is very common, but
it's not something you want in a mineral product. Watch for mineral
that is coated. Some companies do that so it holds up in weather.
(Mineral that has a lot of grain by-product break down in weather,
so companies used a band-aid instead of getting rid of the grain).
When mineral is coated, it may hold up in weather better,
but it also doesn't digest
easily in the cow, so it has defeated it's purpose. It's the cow
being able to digest the mineral where the performance comes from.

We've had many conversations about mineral on this forum.
They are easy to look up, instead of going into it all once again.

Remember too, that big companies can buy salt much cheaper than
you can. Cattle have a salt requirement, but they can also build
a resistance to salt over a period of time.

Figure your cattles mineral consumption on a yearly basis.
Trying to figure consumption over a week or even a month
could drive you nuts, there are so many variables. If your mineral
is recommended to be fed at 3-4 oz. per head per day, figure
it out over the year and then you truly know where you are
with consumption. Remember too, salt is a diluter. When you add
salt, you are diluting the product you are adding it to. If you
think you need to add salt, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you put
it out free-choice, LOOSE, beside the mineral. Don't add it to
the mineral.

I'm getting too lengthy here, but if you think your cattle are eating
too much mineral, move it further away from water. Also, it works
best to have a station for every 50 head. Less than that and your
boss cows are getting most of the mineral. Adding feeders really
helps with consumption. If your cows aren't eating enough mineral,
move it closer to water and keep out enough stations.

Hope this helps!

 

[John SD]

I believe feeding mineral is a necessary practice and that cattle need more or less of it at certain times of year. At bare minimum, I try to keep mineral in front of the cows at least from the last tri-mester of pregnancy through calving for the benefit of both the vitamin and mineral package. Most of the rest of the year I admit I cheat a bit and just feed TM or Hi-Salt.

I have a couple neighbors telling me their cattle are absolutely nuts about salt this spring. Mine aren't. I have mineral alone out right now and they are consuming it, but not excessively IMO.

My neighbors tell me their cattle are eating so much salt they changed from loose to block to slow them down. I have no idea if it's the salt the cows are craving, or something that is limited or missing.

These guys are feeding the Hi-Salt with extra trace mineral and iodine included. It's the most expensive and inclusive salt there is before going to a regular mineral.

 

[Faster horses]

I guess if it works, John, don't change it. I will say that the calves
eat a lot of mineral in the summer and that's a good thing for
their health and immune system. Also the yeast culture helps the
rumen break down the forage more efficiently and the calves
can therefore eat more grass...and thus weigh more. We have
consistently seen an added 30 lbs calves weight when the mineral
is out all year round. And you'll see a real difference on
replacement heifers that are on a sound mineral program from
conception. It will show up from their first exposure to a bull
throughout their lifetime.

FWIW

 

[John SD]

I should add that I will cheat the cow herd on mineral before skimping on the calves. From weaning on to green grass time I aim to keep mineral in front of the calves. Their mommas only got salt last winter until before starting calving.

 

[Faster horses]

John, the most important time for a cow to have mineral is during
the winter when she is carrying a calf. It helps everything, plus
the colostrum is of such high quality, that is what makes the
calves so VIGOROUS :wink: when they are born and gives them
that great immune system to ward off scours, pneumonia, etc.
Quality colostrum is KEY. I say, if you are going to 'cheat' anything,
don't do it to the cows during the winter.