do ye use licks for the cattle.

ordinary farmer

do ye have licks out in the field for cows heifers etc. i usually buy the calf to beef lick. purple lid on it but was in buying today and the man in the store said i was better off to buy salt licks 2 10kg bloks for 11 euro. anybody here use salt licks or have experience with them. or am i better off with the calf to beef one.?

hugo29

ordinary farmer wrote: »

do ye have licks out in the field for cows heifers etc. i usually buy the calf to beef lick. purple lid on it but was in buying today and the man in the store said i was better off to buy salt licks 2 10kg bloks for 11 euro. anybody here use salt licks or have experience with them. or am i better off with the calf to beef one.?

sometimes use mag lick buckets but usually the easi trace tablets in the drinkers

KatyMac

I buy licks, both mag and calf to beef. I had problems with my black angus calves turning reddish brown and lack of copper was blamed. Once I started with calf to beef I've nice black calves again! The mag is mainly for the cows.

Pharaoh1

I buy the purple calf to beef as well for store bullocks - bought one this morning but they are gone awful expensive at €18 euro.
I wonder if they are of any real benefit though - still the cattle seem to enjoy them.

ordinary farmer

KatyMac wrote: »

I buy licks, both mag and calf to beef. I had problems with my black angus calves turning reddish brown and lack of copper was blamed. Once I started with calf to beef I've nice black calves again! The mag is mainly for the cows.

dont get me started on my angus with the reddish hair :P i gave all last years weanlings the calf to beef licks but said id try somthing different this year so bought the salt licks and reading the info on the box now surprise surprise theres no copper in the salt licks :rolleyes: looks the salt are going to the cows :P

whelan1

ordinary farmer wrote: »

dont get me started on my angus with the reddish hair :P i gave all last years weanlings the calf to beef licks but said id try somthing different this year so bought the salt licks and reading the info on the box now surprise surprise theres no copper in the salt licks :rolleyes: looks the salt are going to the cows :P

whats the benefit of salt licks?

mikeoh

I use salt licks only when in shed on silage to encourage them to drink enough water I don't think they have any minerals in them only sodium and chloride.I use high mag buckets all year while cows on grass ( lost some to tetney yrs ago).I don't buy into this pre calver and fertility booster labels as long as I am getting high mag

PatQfarmer

Pharaoh1 wrote: »

I buy the purple calf to beef as well for store bullocks - bought one this morning but they are gone awful expensive at €18 euro.
I wonder if they are of any real benefit though - still the cattle seem to enjoy them.

I have high-mo soil, so have to supplement Copper. I use the purple bucket licks too. Gone dear at €18, but if I don't use them, they are gone off in the coat really quickly.

ordinary farmer

whelan1 wrote: »

whats the benefit of salt licks?

this is what it says on the box, how this compares with the buckets i don't know as don't have any of them at the moment.

magnesium 200 mg/kg
zinc 50 mg/kg
iron 1200 mg/kg
manganese 200 mg/kg
iodine 40 mg/kg
cobalt 10 mg/kg
sodium 38.0%

as i said all ready there is no copper in these which is a set back!

if any of ye have the info on the buckets post them up.