Salt Licks

ihatewinter

Hey does anyone use salt licks and if so do you find them any good.

I read somewhere online that says they will provide them with trace minerals as the buckets are costing me a fortune. They are grazed on the hill till middle of February and want to keep them ticking over

Username John

ihatewinter wrote: »

Hey does anyone use salt licks and if so do you find them any good.

I read somewhere online that says they will provide them with trace minerals as the buckets are costing me a fortune. They are grazed on the hill till middle of February and want to keep them ticking over

What buckets do you use?
I used the crystalix feed ones before, and whilst they were more expensive they lasted longer.
They are expensive tho, I think I worked it out before that I could feed 0.2kg oats / ewe / day for the same cost. But the blocks are handy, just throw em out and you're done...

ganmo

Are salt licks just salt?

Farrell

Username John wrote: »

What buckets do you use?
I used the crystalix feed ones before, and whilst they were more expensive they lasted longer.
They are expensive tho, I think I worked it out before that I could feed 0.2kg oats / ewe / day for the same cost. But the blocks are handy, just throw em out and you're done...

Would these be €40 for a 40kg bucket, bot have no molasses?

Username John

Farrell wrote: »

Would these be €40 for a 40kg bucket, bot have no molasses?

Yeah, I think that's about the price of em.

They're very hard, so the ewes can't chew through em as quick as a mineral bucket ( I found a mineral bucket could be gone in a day, if a few ewes had a taste for em)

ihatewinter

At the moment I'm feeding Uniblock Energy Ewe Licks. They eat them like sweets. I'm guessing the same few are eating them.

I had a ram here this year, who never left the lick. Stayed around the lick but still put about 27-28 in lamb. I think he used it as a food source as he is around 8. The younger rams came back thin and he was still very fat.

Farrell

Username John wrote: »

Yeah, I think that's about the price of em.

They're very hard, so the ewes can't chew through em as quick as a mineral bucket ( I found a mineral bucket could be gone in a day, if a few ewes had a taste for em)

Would you recommend them compared to the mineral lick for the next purchase

Green farmer

Username John wrote: »

They're very hard, so the ewes can't chew through em as quick as a mineral bucket ( I found a mineral bucket could be gone in a day, if a few ewes had a taste for em)

John,

Are you using the full size mineral buckets ? Some buckets are tiny. I get ones that are the same size as a cattle lick bucket.

Username John

Farrell wrote: »

Would you recommend them compared to the mineral lick for the next purchase

Compared to a mineral lick, definitely. But I still dunno if I'd recommend them against ration or some other feed - if you know what I mean.

They're handy, and they make me feel good that the ewes have something but I think a few nuts in a trough every day is still way better...

Edit : having said that, I do like the lifeline buckets for before lambing. But I find it hard to justify them, if you're feeding sheep ration (which in theory should have all the necessary minerals, etc)
Fed the lifeline buckets with oats and soya bean before, and was very happy with the results. Off the top of my head tho, not sure it stacked up cost wise.

Username John

Green farmer wrote: »

John,

Are you using the full size mineral buckets ? Some buckets are tiny. I get ones that are the same size as a cattle lick bucket.

I haven't used em in a bit now, but 'twas the 20kg buckets. And they could be gone in a day or two...

rangler1

ihatewinter wrote: »

Hey does anyone use salt licks and if so do you find them any good.

I read somewhere online that says they will provide them with trace minerals as the buckets are costing me a fortune. They are grazed on the hill till middle of February and want to keep them ticking over

As you say the salt licks have trace minerals, but they're not a food source,
The buckets like crystalyx are different in that they replace ration and so are more expensive....they're also more expensive than the same feed in rations, so you pay well for the convenience

ihatewinter

rangler1 wrote: »

As you say the salt licks have trace minerals, but they're not a food source,
The buckets like crystalyx are different in that they replace ration and so are more expensive....they're also more expensive than the same feed in rations, so you pay well for the convenience

Yeah that's true, they are not a food source. A few on this post have mentioned Crystalyx, so will go out the weekend and buy a couple and see how I go.

The hill wasn't grazed for 20 years before I took over, so I'm forcing the sheep to graze it. This is the first year it's been grazed. I have ewes and ewe lambs divided. The ewe lambs and cattle are in the worst of it. Can barely got through but cattle are great for making passages in it for the lambs

Farrell

Username John wrote: »

Compared to a mineral lick, definitely. But I still dunno if I'd recommend them against ration or some other feed - if you know what I mean.

They're handy, and they make me feel good that the ewes have something but I think a few nuts in a trough every day is still way better...

Edit : having said that, I do like the lifeline buckets for before lambing. But I find it hard to justify them, if you're feeding sheep ration (which in theory should have all the necessary minerals, etc)
Fed the lifeline buckets with oats and soya bean before, and was very happy with the results. Off the top of my head tho, not sure it stacked up cost wise.

Giving handful of Rolled oats with handful of nuts, but generally leave a lick with them from now (few week prelambing) till weaning in case of tetney etc, maybe I'm over spending

Username John

Farrell wrote: »

Giving handful of Rolled oats with handful of nuts, but generally leave a lick with them from now (few week prelambing) till weaning in case of tetney etc, maybe I'm over spending

Well, the honest answer Farrell is I'm the wrong man to advise.
Like the man who farmed the place before me - we'd have caused more problems with over-feeding than the ewes going hungry

ihatewinter

I bought the Crystalyx one as Username was talking about. They're lasting twice as long as the Uniblock Sheep lick so will keep them ticking over for another while.