Mineral Licks

charolais0153

What do you lads find as the best . I have heard a lot about seaweed meal and himalayan rock salt , do any of you use them.TIA

Miname

charolais0153 wrote: »

What do you lads find as the best . I have heard a lot about seaweed meal and himalayan rock salt , do any of you use them.TIA

Feed seaweed most years, it's good stuff, I skipped it one year for budgeting reasons and seriously regretted it. I bought that Himalayan rock salt and I'll I can tell you is the cows are kicking away at it, the spring calvers will get seaweed as well from Christmas on.

tanko

Miname wrote: »

Feed seaweed most years, it's good stuff, I skipped it one year for budgeting reasons and seriously regretted it. I bought that Himalayan rock salt and I'll I can tell you is the cows are kicking away at it, the spring calvers will get seaweed as well from Christmas on.

Do you give the spring calvers anything else such as pre calver mineral or boluses along with the seaweed meal?

Miname

tanko wrote: »

Do you give the spring calvers anything else such as pre calver mineral or boluses along with the seaweed meal?

No, tried blouses one year and too many slack calves. Seaweed has them lively at birth. Tried them with and without the bagged precalver and found no difference. They should be fairly well covered with the seaweed and salt.

barnaman

I would recommend blooding them and testing to see what they need. Just do a few of each age group give idea of herd as whole. No point giving stuff not need. I recommend personally boluses as used licks cople years found no difference also licks mostly just sugar. Used boluses and did. Never tried seaweed or salt. Can see salt useful for cattle in shed maybe less so if outwintered.

Mad4simmental

Cows get two boluses on turn in and two on turn out. The odd pre calver bucket. Very hardy calves so far.

Thinking of giving a bit of oats this year as the first crop of sim calves from the new bull are landing, you'd be worrying until the first few land. Anyone else feed a few rolled oats pre calving for energy or is it only an old wives tale?

Kovu

Miname wrote: »

No, tried blouses one year

I CANNAE HELP MYSELF :D

Muckit

Gave the rock salt a go last year. Just threw a lump on the silage in front of each pen. Replaced as it was used. They knocked a good while out of it. Did it benefit the cattle? Well l couldn't say for sure they thrived better solely because of it.... but it did them no harm.

What I would say is that if you give min buckets anyway might be worth switching to these instead as buckets are all molasses and you'd be robbed trying to keep them in front of stock.

I had cattle one year licking the shed girders, chewing the timber plank under barriers and any uncovered water pipe to troughs. Were definitely lacking something they weren't getting in the silage.

angusangus

Muckit wrote: »

Gave the rock salt a go last year. Just threw a lump on the silage in front of each pen. Replaced as it was used. They knocked a good while out of it. Did it benefit the cattle? Well l couldn't say for sure they thrived better solely because of it.... but it did them no harm.

What I would say is that if you give min buckets anyway might be worth switching to these instead as buckets are all molasses and you'd be robbed trying to keep them in front of stock.

I had cattle one year licking the shed girders, chewing the timber plank under barriers and any uncovered water pipe to troughs. Were definitely lacking something they weren't getting in the silage.

+1 on that I even had one break out from the barrier and chew a hole on the back tyre of the diet feeder! Cost me 350

charolais0153

Miname wrote: »

Feed seaweed most years, it's good stuff, I skipped it one year for budgeting reasons and seriously regretted it. I bought that Himalayan rock salt and I'll I can tell you is the cows are kicking away at it, the spring calvers will get seaweed as well from Christmas on.

where do you get the seaweed meal

20silkcut

angusangus wrote: »

+1 on that I even had one break out from the barrier and chew a hole on the back tyre of the diet feeder! Cost me 350

I left a trailer parked in the cattle yard one time they licked it spotless clean all the grime and oil around the hydraulic ram came up spotless I thought someone had painted it.

Farrell

Miname wrote: »

No, tried blouses one year and too many slack calves. Seaweed has them lively at birth. Tried them with and without the bagged precalver and found no difference. They should be fairly well covered with the seaweed and salt.

That Frank's Seaquim?
Find it good with a bit of oats, better than the iodine & copper selenium caps.
Cows clean & go back incalf quick too

Miname

Farrell wrote: »

That Frank's Seaquim?
Find it good with a bit of oats, better than the iodine & copper selenium caps.
Cows clean & go back incalf quick too

Used to buy off frank, but it was costing too much on tea and biscuits

Sam Kade

Miname wrote: »

No, tried blouses one year and too many slack calves. Seaweed has them lively at birth. Tried them with and without the bagged precalver and found no difference. They should be fairly well covered with the seaweed and salt.

Does seaweed prevent retained afterbirth?

Farrell

Sam Kade wrote: »

Does seaweed prevent retained afterbirth?

It's high on natural minerals including iodine. Retained afterbirth is generally due to mineral deficiency

Sam Kade

Farrell wrote: »

It's high on natural minerals including iodine. Retained afterbirth is generally due to mineral deficiency

It won't substitute a pre calving mineral so.

Farrell

Sam Kade wrote: »

It won't substitute a pre calving mineral so.

I use it for 6 weeks pre calving.

Miname

Sam Kade wrote: »

It won't substitute a pre calving mineral so.

All I know is the one year I changed away from it I had a heap of sick calves and hassle calving. I've only had one held cleaning here in the last fifteen years

charolais0153

Miname wrote: »

All I know is the one year I changed away from it I had a heap of sick calves and hassle calving. I've only had one held cleaning here in the last fifteen years

Where do u get it, a co-op?

Miname

charolais0153 wrote: »

Where do u get it, a co-op?

Frank Ryan , drummonds or there's a place in Donegal and another in Galway that make it.

Greengrass1

http://www.grasslandagro.ie/animal-health-nutrition/mineral-blocks-2/

We use the high phos one of these. Savage stuff. Definitely couldn't go through s breeding season with out them. Gives our cows a great kick

Upstream

Anyone use garlic licks for weanlings at housing?
How do you find them?
Was looking for a way to avoid runny noses and coughs. The shed is airy but a little exposed.

Farrell

Miname wrote: »

Frank Ryan , drummonds or there's a place in Donegal and another in Galway that make it.

Go with Frank, he'll make his way to you.
Horrid nice man & a good character, the only thing is he could stay for a good chat & likes biscuits (like all Kildare men).
If you want I can pm you his number

Sami23

Anyone know where you can buy bags of Arramara Titan Seaweed meal around Galway.
25kg bags ?
TIA