Fertility lick buckets

Phil Iam

I want to get cows calving 6 weeks earlier next spring than this year, tried same last year by letting the bull with them as the went out to grass they would have been about a month or less calved but the seem to all calve around the same time this year and I am thinking of putting Fertility lick buckets out for them these are suckler cows so powder mineral is not really an option.

cristeoir

I used them for a few years when I was in suckling and definitely had a lot less cows repeating most seemed to have held to first bulling.

Mad4simmental

A shorter gestation bull for one year might help you also, not sure what the shortest one is but I'd imagine a handy Angus or similar,

slippy wicket

If they are quiet cows I couldn't recommend a bolus highly enough. A lot of work if you are doing a good few but job is done and you know they are covered for six months.
We got allsure bolus for 6€ of our vet and that does up to 500kg.

Genghis Cant

There's a lot of things coming into play with fertility, and missing out on one or more will lead to lesser conception rates than you'd like. Certainly address the mineral aspect, via bucket or bolus or however suits, but nutrition plays a vital part too, ie a rising plane of nutrition. Vaccines may have an effect, even handling cattle can increase stress and have an effect!
If you could set up twice a day suckling it may help too, but is labour intensive.
No matter what you do you will only cover 50% of the equation unless you're bull is 100%, so don't forget himself!

jimnea

I Personally would never use boluses again. I've used beef breeder from agri-lloyd and find it excellent. bit of a nuisance to get it into them but results are very good.

Mad4simmental

With the blouse you get exactly what you want into every cow for little money. Makes far more sence to me than a bucket of molasses.

charityboy

What's the difference between the bolus and the beefbreeder

micky mouse

jimnea wrote: »

I Personally would never use boluses again. I've used beef breeder from agri-lloyd and find it excellent. bit of a nuisance to get it into them but results are very good.

does it give same length of cover as the boluses

greenfield21

micky mouse wrote: »

does it give same length of cover as the boluses

I think it's a drench, so it probably gives a few weeks compared to six months from the boluses.

micky mouse

slippy wicket wrote: »

If they are quiet cows I couldn't recommend a bolus highly enough. A lot of work if you are doing a good few but job is done and you know they are covered for six months.
We got allsure bolus for 6€ of our vet and that does up to 500kg.

did you find that one bolus was sufficient for the heavier cows or did ya give the second one

Floody Boreland

charityboy wrote: »

What's the difference between the bolus and the beefbreeder

1060 posts

jimnea

Boluses generally dont have any Trace Elements. they will give you all the major minerals thats if they don't regurgitate it. the animals nature will tell it to try expell them from their rumen.
Boluses if they stay in the rumen dissolve at a constant rate so for example if a cow needs more minerals at a certain time of stress such as calving or bulling she wont get them. Beefbreeder is chelated so it is absorbed more efficiently and stored in the soft tissue of the body, at times of stress the animal can draw down as much of it as she needs.
Beefbreeder will last in the system approx 14 weeks but this depends on the needs of the cow and her diet. ie, the better her diet the longer the drench will last.

jimnea

Floody Boreland wrote: »

1060 posts

knowledge.

Count Mondego

Mad4simmental wrote: »

With the blouse you get exactly what you want into every cow for little money. Makes far more sence to me than a bucket of molasses.

I agree. Used Osmonds bolus last year and was happy with it. With a head scoop you can administer a bolus quite easily and safely, even with cracked bitches of cows.

Buckets attract badgers too. They smell the molasses from miles away.

Kovu

jimnea wrote: »

knowledge.

Can you impart some of this knowledge with us? I can't seem to find much about it online regards what minerals etc it contains. Also average cost per cow?

Used boluses for the first time this year ourselves and very pleased with results so far.

charityboy

jimnea wrote: »

Boluses generally dont have any Trace Elements. they will give you all the major minerals thats if they don't regurgitate it. the animals nature will tell it to try expell them from their rumen.
Boluses if they stay in the rumen dissolve at a constant rate so for example if a cow needs more minerals at a certain time of stress such as calving or bulling she wont get them. Beefbreeder is chelated so it is absorbed more efficiently and stored in the soft tissue of the body, at times of stress the animal can draw down as much of it as she needs.
Beefbreeder will last in the system approx 14 weeks but this depends on the needs of the cow and her diet. ie, the better her diet the longer the drench will last.

Very good product but the cost is just crazy considering that you have over fifty euro commission per drum that you sell , you are right about the bolus and it's trace elements but there are less expensive ways of treating animals for trace mineral imbalance

ganmo

jimnea wrote: »

Boluses generally dont have any Trace Elements. they will give you all the major minerals

there are many bolouses containg trace elements, normally one or two. However P(a major) is very important for fertility but I've yet to see a bolus containing P

jimnea wrote: »

Beefbreeder is chelated so it is absorbed more efficiently and stored in the soft tissue of the body, at times of stress the animal can draw down as much of it as she needs.

organinc minerals are expensive and widely varialbe in quality...I'm not arguing that they don't work but they work best when there's another element that bind the wanted trace element

jimnea wrote: »

Beefbreeder will last in the system approx 14 weeks but this depends on the needs of the cow and her diet. ie, the better her diet the longer the drench will last.

that 'trial' on the agri Lloyd website... there's no proper control

Bicki85

I done the whole herd on 14th dec, cows that are suckling calves are back in calf now , never had as much activity on the slats so I reckon the coseIcure bolus is working, calves on a twice daily suckling rotation, hard to keep cattle in good shape in shed when calves on them let alone get them bulling again but successful so far, maybe just down to better management I don't know but cattle were tested for deficiencies in November and vet recommended these bolus, expensive if you have big herd but a dry cow next spring be more expensive, worth a try, cobalt, selenium, copper and iodine in the bolus

jimnea

charityboy wrote: »

Very good product but the cost is just crazy considering that you have over fifty euro commission per drum that you sell , you are right about the bolus and it's trace elements but there are less expensive ways of treating animals for trace mineral imbalance

I wish. I studying nutrition in college at the moment.

Carrigogunnell

How much per cow for the beef breeder. Wat are the top 5 trace elements/ minerals associated with fertility. Would it be best to do soon after calving maybe help if she had a hard calving . I would be Tinkin that with all the difference minerals in it that if the cow was lacking something it wil supplement her

jimnea

Carrigogunnell wrote: »

How much per cow for the beef breeder. Wat are the top 5 trace elements/ minerals associated with fertility. Would it be best to do soon after calving maybe help if she had a hard calving . I would be Tinkin that with all the difference minerals in it that if the cow was lacking something it wil supplement her

Hi Carrigogunnell,
Beefbreeder costs approx €15 per cow this covers 2 treatments, one at 4 weeks pre-breeding and one at 6 weeks pre-calving.
copper, cobalt, selenium, iodine, zink, manganese, Vitamin E, K, B12 and all the B vitamins as well as many other.