Mineral buckets

DJ98

Would sheep need mineral buckets out this time of year?

Willfarman

Depend s on your land type but if you generally need them then yes this time of the year grass is very watery.

IH784man

How long before lambing would you put them out?

Username John

Used to use the buckets here before, but started dosing with mineral supplement last year instead. At least you know very ewe is after getting some...

I dunno if this Is better or not?

What's people take on mineral buckets vs drenches?

tomwaterford

Username John wrote: »

What's people take on mineral buckets vs drenches?

To paraphrase robin Williams
It's gods way of showing you that you have too much money

Username John

tomwaterford wrote: »

To paraphrase robin Williams
It's gods way of showing you that you have too much money

Both? Not sure I'd entirely agree, but there is a tipping point all right...

I dunno, I think it's good to provide some level of minerals. I think they look better / healthier after em, but that's hardly scientific...

tomwaterford

Username John wrote: »

Both? Not sure I'd entirely agree, but there is a topic point all right...

I dunno, I think it's good to provide some level of minerals. I think they look better / healthier after em, but that's hardly scientific...

I prefer to mineral dose them myself...as I do find they just mad for the buckets as they are heavily made up with molasses any I ever got

Green farmer

I know their not the most cost effective option, but I find the mineral buckets handy at this time of year. I give the ewes one a week or two before tupping, not going to do lambing percentages any harm.

tomwaterford

Green farmer wrote: »

I know their not the most cost effective option, but I find the mineral buckets handy at this time of year. I give the ewes one a week or two before tupping, not going to do lambing percentages any harm.

When I get the place properly fenced into paddocks...il trial it

Green farmer

In an ideal world I'd prefer to drench everything every 3 weeks, but sometimes I don't get around to it, so the buckets are a convenient way out. Recently paddocked the place here. Finding it good so far.

DJ98

What are the key signs of a ewe lacking minerals

Willfarman

White dry looking wool. Dry scaly ears. There mineral buckets and there's mineral buckets too lads, some are a deer way of buying molasses

Bullocks

Willfarman wrote: »

White dry looking wool. Dry scaly ears. There mineral buckets and there's mineral buckets too lads, some are a deer way of buying molasses

Any types you would recommend or advise to stay away from?

Willfarman

Bullocks wrote: »

Any types you would recommend or advise to stay away from?

Crowd called shamrock in tipp doing a good quality seaweed based licks. I find them good. Lifeline in glanbia and a lot of coops wouldn't have a tenth of some minerals per kg.

razor8

Waste of time buying licks IMO unless you know you need them, I got grass analysised 2 years ago and found out that cobalt was on the floor and copper was locked up because of molybdenum

Spend the few euro on the test €75 I think it was and get a few blood tests done would be my advise

Green farmer

Your spot on razor. fixing the ph and the p&ks will get you 95% of the way , but how do you get around the cobalt ?

Bullocks

razor8 wrote: »

Waste of time buying licks IMO unless you know you need them, I got grass analysised 2 years ago and found out that cobalt was on the floor and copper was locked up because of molybdenum

Spend the few euro on the test €75 I think it was and get a few blood tests done would be my advise

Who tested the grass for you razor ?

razor8

Green farmer wrote: »

Your spot on razor. fixing the ph and the p&ks will get you 95% of the way , but how do you get around the cobalt ?

Until I tested I was never giving enough cobalt now I bolus and drench on top of that if they need it, bolus doesn't seem to give enough per day on its own for my land type. made a big difference here after that a lot of issues are down to genetics IME

razor8

Bullocks wrote: »

Who tested the grass for you razor ?

IAS labs, just google them

ganmo

Willfarman wrote: »

Crowd called shamrock in tipp doing a good quality seaweed based licks. I find them good. Lifeline in glanbia and a lot of coops wouldn't have a tenth of some minerals per kg.

Lifeline is a feed bucket with about ten times the intake of mineral buckets

ganmo

razor8 wrote: »

IAS labs, just google them

Hope to get the silage tested for quality and minerals this winter