Pics of my baby cows

[greybeard]

To expound...pay attention to the percentages:
The following is from a common bag of all season mineral sold at Tractor Supply:
Producer's Pride Range Mineral is a high-quality livestock supplement that provides magnesium and other essential nutrients to your beef and non-dairy cattle. This blend of minerals offers the perfect balance of critical vitamins and a taste your cattle will love.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 13.50%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 16.00%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) 6.00%, Salt (NaCl) (min.) 20.00%, Salt (NaCl) (max.) 24.00%, Sodium (Na) (min.) 9.50%, Sodium (Na) (max.) 10.50%, Magnesium (Mg) (min.) .50%, Potassium (K) (min.) .50%, Copper (Cu) (min.) 650.00ppm, Iodine (I) (min.) 50.00ppm, Selenium (Se) (min.) 12.00ppm, Zinc (Zn) (min.) 750.00ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 15,000IU/lb, Ruminant meat and bone meal free.
That, is .50% A half percent!!!

The following is from a spring mineral, also sold at Tractor Supply:
DuMOR Spring Mineral Bag is a high-quality livestock supplement that provides magnesium and other essential nutrients to your beef and non-dairy cattle. Designed to help grazing cattle avoid grass tetany - a potentially fatal disorder that"s common during the Spring season - this premium blend of minerals provides the perfect balance of critical vitamins needed to support optimal health, reproduction and growth in cattle.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Calcium(Ca) (min.) 11.00%, Calcium(Ca) (max.) 13.00%, Phosphorus(P) (min.) 3.00%, Salt(NaCl) (min.) 17.00%, Salt(NaCl) (max.) 19.00%, Sodium(Na) (min.) 6.70%, Sodium(Na) (max.) 8.00%, Magnesium(Mg) (min.) 13.50%, Potassium(K) (min.) 1.00%, Copper(Cu) (min.) 675.00ppm, Selenium(Se) (min.) 20.00ppm, Selenium(Se) (max.) 21.00ppm, Zinc(Zn) (min.) 1800.00ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 60,000IU/lb, Vitamin D3 (min.) 15,000IU/lb, Vitamin E (min.) 100IU/lb, Ruminant meat and bone meal free.
13.5%
Much better, tho I like to see it a bit higher for my area.

 

[Rammy]

I hear you and will correct the mistake today. I will be picking up some Hi Mag from the CO-OP today after work. I dont want anything to happen to these girls and if this is what I need to do, then I will do it. Thank you for alerting me to how serious this can be if it should happen to my calves. I will do everything necessary to prevent it.

Rammy

 

[Rammy]

To expound...pay attention to the percentages:
The following is from a common bag of all season mineral sold at Tractor Supply:
Producer's Pride Range Mineral is a high-quality livestock supplement that provides magnesium and other essential nutrients to your beef and non-dairy cattle. This blend of minerals offers the perfect balance of critical vitamins and a taste your cattle will love.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 13.50%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 16.00%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) 6.00%, Salt (NaCl) (min.) 20.00%, Salt (NaCl) (max.) 24.00%, Sodium (Na) (min.) 9.50%, Sodium (Na) (max.) 10.50%, Magnesium (Mg) (min.) .50%, Potassium (K) (min.) .50%, Copper (Cu) (min.) 650.00ppm, Iodine (I) (min.) 50.00ppm, Selenium (Se) (min.) 12.00ppm, Zinc (Zn) (min.) 750.00ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 15,000IU/lb, Ruminant meat and bone meal free.
That, is .50% A half percent!!!

The following is from a spring mineral, also sold at Tractor Supply:
DuMOR Spring Mineral Bag is a high-quality livestock supplement that provides magnesium and other essential nutrients to your beef and non-dairy cattle. Designed to help grazing cattle avoid grass tetany - a potentially fatal disorder that"s common during the Spring season - this premium blend of minerals provides the perfect balance of critical vitamins needed to support optimal health, reproduction and growth in cattle.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Calcium(Ca) (min.) 11.00%, Calcium(Ca) (max.) 13.00%, Phosphorus(P) (min.) 3.00%, Salt(NaCl) (min.) 17.00%, Salt(NaCl) (max.) 19.00%, Sodium(Na) (min.) 6.70%, Sodium(Na) (max.) 8.00%, Magnesium(Mg) (min.) 13.50%, Potassium(K) (min.) 1.00%, Copper(Cu) (min.) 675.00ppm, Selenium(Se) (min.) 20.00ppm, Selenium(Se) (max.) 21.00ppm, Zinc(Zn) (min.) 1800.00ppm, Vitamin A (min.) 60,000IU/lb, Vitamin D3 (min.) 15,000IU/lb, Vitamin E (min.) 100IU/lb, Ruminant meat and bone meal free.
13.5%
Much better, tho I like to see it a bit higher for my area.

I got the first one you mentioned on here yesterday at TSC. Since it doesnt say the higher percentage, I called CO-OP and they have a HI Mag at thier business. I was going to get that. I will just keep the other for later on when they dont need the higher magnesium supplement. Is that ok?

Rammy

 

[greybeard]

Only you and those nearby that have the same forage types as you can determine your specific mineral needs. Hi-Mag is a preventative step. Generally speaking, cattle nearing breeding age or of any age with a risk of any kind of lameness will need only about 4oz/day each of a good chelated general purpose mineral supplement.
'Chelated'...maybe a new term for you to look up.
It's not enough for a min supplement to have the trace elements..they have to have a good rate of bio-availability, and of course palatability..taste good. Bio-availability simply means the body can easily absorb and make use of something, usually in the rumen.

Not everything that is in that bag is always declared on the tag.
If you are going to raise cattle, learn which minerals are a positive move and which may cause problems.
Usually tho, following the directions is pretty much bulletproof unless you have a forage that is high in a specific mineral..such as iron or calcium. Iron 'can' be a "rumen antagonist", meaning too much iron can interfere with the rumen's ability to absorb certain elements. Iron is a problem out in the Western states..too much in the grass, because there is a lot in the soil.
Something to read:
http://www.cattlemineral.com/unintended-consequences-and-chelated-trace-minerals/
http://www.cattlemineral.com/just-say-no-to-cheap-fillers-in-range-minerals/

Like many older cattlemen, I once thought lick blocks were enough. I learned tho, that it takes a heck of a lot of licking to get 4oz per day out of one of those rock hard red blocks, and that's time the cattle should be out turning grass into muscle and milk.
You can make a pretty weather proof loose salt/loosemineral feeder from a plastic drum. Mounted on a fence or a wall, but I prefer to hang them from a rope or chain at an angle. The wind turns them so that the hole is away from the wind and the angle keeps most of the rain out of the drum.
(salt and minerals should be reasonably close to a water source, but not right next to water...cattle will go from feeder to water and back again repeat..repeat..repeat.. if the salt is too close to water and too much sodium is as bad as not enough)

This one isn't mine and I prefer the hole not be that large. I have @ least 2 in each area of pasture so I don't have to be moving a feeder around as I move the cows.

 

[Rammy]

How to raise cows 101 by @greybeard ....looks like I have alot of homework to do. I will do my best to make you proud .

Rammy

 

[Rammy]

P.S. I mean what I said previously in the most respected way. I am taking everything you say seriously, but sometimes teasing online is hard to make come across.

Rammy

 

[Rammy]

Only you and those nearby that have the same forage types as you can determine your specific mineral needs. Hi-Mag is a preventative step. Generally speaking, cattle nearing breeding age or of any age with a risk of any kind of lameness will need only about 4oz/day each of a good chelated general purpose mineral supplement.
'Chelated'...maybe a new term for you to look up.
It's not enough for a min supplement to have the trace elements..they have to have a good rate of bio-availability, and of course palatability..taste good. Bio-availability simply means the body can easily absorb and make use of something, usually in the rumen.

Not everything that is in that bag is always declared on the tag.
If you are going to raise cattle, learn which minerals are a positive move and which may cause problems.
Usually tho, following the directions is pretty much bulletproof unless you have a forage that is high in a specific mineral..such as iron or calcium. Iron 'can' be a "rumen antagonist", meaning too much iron can interfere with the rumen's ability to absorb certain elements. Iron is a problem out in the Western states..too much in the grass, because there is a lot in the soil.
Something to read:
http://www.cattlemineral.com/unintended-consequences-and-chelated-trace-minerals/
http://www.cattlemineral.com/just-say-no-to-cheap-fillers-in-range-minerals/

Like many older cattlemen, I once thought lick blocks were enough. I learned tho, that it takes a heck of a lot of licking to get 4oz per day out of one of those rock hard red blocks, and that's time the cattle should be out turning grass into muscle and milk.
You can make a pretty weather proof loose salt/loosemineral feeder from a plastic drum. Mounted on a fence or a wall, but I prefer to hang them from a rope or chain at an angle. The wind turns them so that the hole is away from the wind and the angle keeps most of the rain out of the drum.
(salt and minerals should be reasonably close to a water source, but not right next to water...cattle will go from feeder to water and back again repeat..repeat..repeat.. if the salt is too close to water and too much sodium is as bad as not enough)

This one isn't mine and I prefer the hole not be that large. I have @ least 2 in each area of pasture so I don't have to be moving a feeder around as I move the cows.

View attachment 46574

I just read these attachments you added. Very informative. Thank you for attaching these. I thought also that I would contact the local AG office and see if they can give me some information about minerals, forage, types of grasses good for cattle, and any other information they think would be helpful. I think also I may take a soil sample in to see if it can tell me what minerals may be in the soil or what needs to be added.
I found a barrel online Im going to get this evening to make into one of those you showed me in the pic. I will have to hang it under the over hand since I dont have any trees in the pasture. That way it will be out of the wind and rain but available to the ladies.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post all this information for me to read and to consider when it comes to raising cows. Im going to look into either finding info online or find some books, talk to other cattle farmers, get as much info and learn as much as I can so I will as informed as possible.

Rammy

 

[Rammy]

Ok. Got the Dumor hi mag from CO-OP, got the barrel set up. Dang cows better appreciate all this!
Rammy

 

[greybeard]

Good mineral isn't in-expensive is it?

 

[Rammy]