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Pre-calving minerals

  • 19-12-2015 2:51pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 349 ✭✭


    Where can I get a good pre-calving mineral at a good price. How should I compare products based on their spec? What's most important?


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,984 ✭✭✭Miname


    Everyone has their own opinion but find what's needed for your own system. I'm getting away with seaweed and a bit of rock salt and it's working . But if you're milking you might need something stronger.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    I use none at all


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,433 ✭✭✭Milked out


    I use none at all

    Will you blood again at end of winter or before calving to see if any difference frazz?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    Milked out wrote: »
    Will you blood again at end of winter or before calving to see if any difference frazz?

    We blood, dung and nasal Jan, June and oct.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 349 ✭✭dungfly


    Any recommendations for a spring calving dairy herd?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16 hedgebury


    at 23 euro for a good spec mineral,you might be as well to use it
    and spare the cost of blood/faecal tests which are unreliable anyhow
    especially for trace minerals according to best research


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 349 ✭✭dungfly


    hedgebury wrote: »
    at 23 euro for a good spec mineral,you might be as well to use it
    and spare the cost of blood/faecal tests which are unreliable anyhow
    especially for trace minerals according to best research

    What mineral do you use and why?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 97 ✭✭angusangus


    We blood, dung and nasal Jan, June and oct.

    Test blood and dung? What is nasal ? A test?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    angusangus wrote: »
    Test blood and dung? What is nasal ? A test?

    Nasal swabs, Will help detect and respiratory problems

    Bloods for mins and diseases

    Dung for worm burden


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    hedgebury wrote: »
    at 23 euro for a good spec mineral,you might be as well to use it
    and spare the cost of blood/faecal tests which are unreliable anyhow
    especially for trace minerals according to best research

    So just fork out for minerals regardless

    Blood and faecal tests are invaluable for worm counts etc

    No dosing last winter and no mins as a result of testing, massive savings.

    No retained placenta, record number of heifer calves weaned and 8% of cows empty after 12 weeks breeding with "0" intervention

    Complete waste of time bloods and faecal !!!


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,847 ✭✭✭Brown Podzol


    Got the results of dung samples back. Taken from the end of the scrapers. Clear of everything. Cydectin pouron, zanil and endafluke in stock and had been winding myself for a hard days work. Looks like all I have to do now is treat for lice.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 193 ✭✭Carrigogunnell


    dungfly wrote: »
    Where can I get a good pre-calving mineral at a good price. How should I compare products based on their spec? What's most important?

    Be careful of cheap minerals as they can be cheap to buy but the feeding rate could be up to 200grams per head when most are between 100 and 130. If compairing like for like look at the phosphorus iodine vitamin e and selineum. Minerals can be as cheap as €18 and as dear as €40


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 193 ✭✭Carrigogunnell


    Nasal swabs, Will help detect and respiratory problems

    Bloods for mins and diseases

    Dung for worm burden

    At least you blood test there are plenty of guys feeding no minerals no blood test chancing it away until the sh*t hits the fan.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 174 ✭✭oneten


    Find lifeline minerals very good , tried a couple of different brands but lifeline works best for me as regards cow health and calf health, maybe its down to the mineral content of the grass they graze and the silage during housing , but a blood test should point you in the right direction as regards mineral requirements for your cows, different farms having different soil types will have different requirements
    Lifeline retails around 18 -19 euro per bucket
    Agritech do a good precalver if you prefer a powder mineral


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 116 ✭✭howdee


    Bolus everything here, can't be bothered with buckets as the greedy cows gobble it up and the bags are just another job every day. I personally have seen huge improvement since moving to a bolus.
    I might blood next year and see can I get away without it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 65 ✭✭fanmanad


    Changed to bolus here last year too. Used to feed mineral bags but you were never sure all cows were getting them. Bolus about six weeks before calving starts. Would find calves livelier at birth and no retained cleanings


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    fanmanad wrote: »
    Changed to bolus here last year too. Used to feed mineral bags but you were never sure all cows were getting them. Bolus about six weeks before calving starts. Would find calves livelier at birth and no retained cleanings

    Which brand?
    Dad not keen on bolus I wouldn't mind giving them a try


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 116 ✭✭howdee


    Which brand?
    Dad not keen on bolus I wouldn't mind giving them a try

    http://www.mayohealthcare.ie/allguard.html
    Use these here, I wouldn't dare go back to buckets. Use two boluses for the big cows, one for everything else including heifers.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 65 ✭✭fanmanad


    Allsure bolus here. Normally give twice a year as they say they only cover for 6 months. It has 2 bullets with copper in one and trace elements in the other


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,954 ✭✭✭C0N0R


    Re bolus, was chatting to a nutritionist one day and he was saying the amount of minerals/trace elements they are getting are well below "recommended"


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