best way to feed mineral to cows

[worthabit]

Our cows only get hay and we feed them a mineral supplement. Currently we put it out in a manger once a day but its not a very good way to ensure each cow gets some. Would we be better off to sprinkle on top of the hay bales, put out free choice or some other way.

Thanks

 

[Jill]

Don't have time to elaborate, but it needs to be fed free choice.

 

[CM Cattle]

I feed fee choice.

 

[aj]

I always just dumped a bag in a used crystalix tub. If it rains on it it will get hard. We went through a seven year spell without much rain so I dare mother nature all the time with this program.

 

[jackpotcattle]

feed it free choice

 

[Bulldaddy]

Feed it free choice and use a loose mix as opposed to a block.  We feed it in large rubber feed buckets.  Also, we have our mineral mix custom made using chelated copper and other trace minerals.

 

[Steer4Caddy]

Feed Purina's Wind & Rain mineral loose in an open feeder and it won't ever set up.  Take an old tub and drill a hole in the bottom center and hammer a rod with a washer welded to the end to secure it to the ground.  Then drill three small holes around the edges.  It can rain 10 foot on that mineral and it won't set up.  Can get the chelated trace in it as well.

 

[worthabit]

Thanks for the replies, keep them coming. This mix has extra selenium in it, is there a level at which it becomes toxic? The actual ppm escapes me right now, I will have to find a feed tag to check but I don't remember the nutritionist saying anything about this.

 

[CM Cattle]

Feed it free choice and use a loose mix as opposed to a block.  We feed it in large rubber feed buckets.  Also, we have our mineral mix custom made using chelated copper and other trace minerals.

Whay is that better, weve always used block.

 

[AAOK]

Feed it free choice and use a loose mix as opposed to a block.  We feed it in large rubber feed buckets.  Also, we have our mineral mix custom made using chelated copper and other trace minerals.

Whay is that better, weve always used block.

Most blocks contain only a small amount of mineral, mostly salt.

Buy a Moorman's Mineral Feeder, and feed free choice, year round.  (and if they were my cows, I would feed only Moorman mineral)

 

[M Bar]

Feed a free choice mineral year around.  get a decent tub, or mineral feeder.  the option of drilling holes into the bottom is excellent.  I will tell you that I oversee the manufacturing of wind and rain minerals at work and we supply 800,000 head of cattle mineral per day out of my facility.  make sure that your mineral is right for your soil/grass type.  I would also suggest altosid in your mineral for fly contol in the summer months.  If your area is high/low in selenium, ensure that you are supplying your herd with the correct mineral.  If you pasture on land that has chicken manure applied to it, make sure that your cal/phos ratio is correct.  I won't go on and on, and dont feel the need to plug my wind and rain mineral, but I will say that it is a very important part of your herd's nutritional focus to keep a well nurished mineral in front of them year around.

 

[Alscows]

Rangeland free choice in an open feed bunk or old lick tub.