Anyone here use Seaweed feed supplements ?

tatoo

I was recently recommended to try giving seaweed supplement to a mare with hoof problems, and am told that dairy farmers use it for cows to boost their fertility and promote good hoof growth.
I gave a look for it - brandname, supppiers etc. online but couldn't find any references, it can be got in small tubs in equine shops €13 per 2kg tub, but yer man told me it comes in 20kg bags at around €25/30 a bag and is used by dairy farmers. That would work out considerably more economically and I'll probably give it to more than just the one horse.
Any details appreciated .

blue5000

Ya I get mine from Frank Ryan, pm if you want his no.

DMAXMAN

tatoo wrote: »

I was recently recommended to try giving seaweed supplement to a mare with hoof problems, and am told that dairy farmers use it for cows to boost their fertility and promote good hoof growth.
I gave a look for it - brandname, supppiers etc. online but couldn't find any references, it can be got in small tubs in equine shops €13 per 2kg tub, but yer man told me it comes in 20kg bags at around €25/30 a bag and is used by dairy farmers. That would work out considerably more economically and I'll probably give it to more than just the one horse.
Any details appreciated .

we use mineral/vitamins for sheep and cattle and they all have seaweed inthem, not sure how much though. we get them from BYRNE LIVESTOCK FEEDS(BLF). they are based in Ardattin Co.Carlow, think their phone number is 059 9155711 but you would be best to check it out first. boss is very knowledgable about minerals for all stock.

moy83

If I picked it straight from the shore , chopped it a bit with the old beet chopper and threw a bucket or two every day on top of silage for a few cows would they like it I wonder ? It would be interesting to see if it brought them bulling a bit easier

Bodacious

moy83 wrote: »

If I picked it straight from the shore , chopped it a bit with the old beet chopper and threw a bucket or two every day on top of silage for a few cows would they like it I wonder ? It would be interesting to see if it brought them bulling a bit easier

Funny you say that Moy but i was out and about today and i saw a cow chewing a length of what looked to be half dry red seaweed in a field by the sea.. she wasnt hungry but was getting some taste out of it


#Whenever ive a spare hour and the weed is clean (it has to be clean as you spend more time next summer picking up bottle tops and little bits of rope shreds fishing line)... its some juice to grow blue green grass and its free!:D:D

pakalasa

Bodacious wrote: »

... its some juice to grow blue green grass and its free!:D:D

How do you spread it on the land? Do you have to chop it up first?

Bodacious

pakalasa wrote: »

How do you spread it on the land? Do you have to chop it up first?

no pak i dont chop it, i wouldnt spread enough of it to justify an implement to chop it.

There is lots of weed on the shore but most is attached (i dont cut it) or there ages (dirty, full of twine, plastic bits etc, small stones.. i took this before and spend hours cleaning up land after it = never again.

At times, different tides bring in top notch clean seaweed in long rolls on the shore/stones/sand.. this area is accessible i fly down with quad and metal 6x 4" trailer.. and i single out a particular part of a field and tip it out and spread it with the hay fork... however when it dries out and is brittle ive often ran over it with chain harrow and it shatters the last of it!

i heard ole lads round here praising it so i tried it for the crack but its great stuff.. cows be licking the ground in paddock that was seaweed 2 years ago and longer grass in area of paddock that got regular 18-6-12, lime etc so there is something in it imo

moy83

Im going to go back to the shore tomorrow if the tide suits and get the two young lads to fill a couple of nut bags to see will the cows eat it on top of the silage
God help the young lads if the cows do like it

1chippy

blue5000 wrote: »

Ya I get mine from Frank Ryan, pm if you want his no.

Frank covers some area alright, make sure you put on the kettle and have a free couple of hours when he arrives.

We use it here and very good for fertility, never really noticed anything with the hooves though, good coat on the animals too.

Bodacious

moy83 wrote: »

Im going to go back to the shore tomorrow if the tide suits and get the two young lads to fill a couple of nut bags to see will the cows eat it on top of the silage
God help the young lads if the cows do like it

I'll try throwing a bit on some mesh in a shed and when it dries out i could chop it a little and throw it into the feeders on top of the silage and see would they eat it?! Ill keep the lifeline precalver bucket in the field also as a backup!

That being said i got an Arrabawn Co-op "own brand " precalver and i dont think they that keen on it or else they not lacking in anything, 2 years ago they sailed through the lifeline buckets, used the boluses last year and noticed cows bulling quicker after the lifeline buckets than the 2 boluses per cow!

manjou

1chippy wrote: »

Frank covers some area alright, make sure you put on the kettle and have a free couple of hours when he arrives.

We use it here and very good for fertility, never really noticed anything with the hooves though, good coat on the animals too.

Get it from frank also.Have been using it for 6 years and cow fertility and health have improved since using it.Calving interval back from 400 days to 366 last year and from 5 month calving spread back to 2.5 last year.Calves are up and sucking in minutes and they thrive from day one.Cows dont seem to have as much lameness problems on slats also.Frank does a good line in animal supplements also anyone else use the at birth tubes i think they are great.

adne

manjou wrote: »

Get it from frank also.Have been using it for 6 years and cow fertility and health have improved since using it.Calving interval back from 400 days to 366 last year and from 5 month calving spread back to 2.5 last year.Calves are up and sucking in minutes and they thrive from day one.Cows dont seem to have as much lameness problems on slats also.Frank does a good line in animal supplements also anyone else use the at birth tubes i think they are great.

Anywhere in sligo/ros that sells this wonder stuff??