Minerals for Healthy Cows

We have struggled for years finding a mineral program that was not only affordable but effective. The bottom line in raising animals is keeping production costs as low as possible. What was working for us in Iowa was not working in Missouri. After moving to Missouri, we noticed that some of our cows were developing an arch in their back. They were not as thrifty and their haircoats weren't as shiny. We had purchased organic minerals that were expensive hoping it would prevent the problems we were having but instead our best intentions were making it worse. Sometimes, really difficult times of loss forces one to seek solutions.

Shiny coat cows drinking their mineral brine

We read a magazine called the Stockman Grass Farmer. It is a fabulous resource for grass farmers, new and experienced. This publication had advertised a class taught by Steve Campbell, which we had the privilege to attend in February 2020. Between these two resources, we have refined our mineral program to carry our cows through calving, breeding, and wintering with less health issues at a cheaper cost. We are still learning and felt like we were drinking from a firehose while at the class but here are the following four supplements as well as some take a ways from our class we attended:

The Top Four Supplements:

1. Kansas Gray Sea Salt. There is a reason this is number one on the list. They should not be without this supplement for more than 12 hours. Kansas Salt is a pure form of earth salt that is low in iron, which is important for the process of releasing toxins. Do not mix this salt with any other minerals or your animals will overdose on the minerals trying to get enough of this salt. We were able to buy it a pallet at a time at our local feed dealer for a much better price than a bag at a time. We have also priced buying it directly from the plant where it is produced, which may be an option if you live close for even more savings. It is a very reasonably priced salt for livestock. Currently our 200 head of cows/calves will go through approximately 50-75 pounds a week. Depending on the paddock of grass, the cows will use more or less of any given supplement. Kansas Gray Salt is given free choice in a portable mineral sled.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) and apple juice. We purchase the vinegar in 275 gallon totes and carry it to our mineral feeders in 5 gallon lidded buckets. ACV improves digestion and they will drink it as needed undiluted. Our 100 head of cows we overwintered consumed 10 gallons a day in March 2020. We saw improvements in body condition within two weeks. Now, in the middle of summer with almost 200 head of cows, they only consume 5 gallons a week. Apple juice is a more cost effective way of sustaining energy requirements for cows while feeding dry hay. We will pursue this option for next winter.

Adding Apple Cider Vinegar to mineral feeder. This mineral sled is moved to each paddock. We use canvas material to protect the supplements from the elements.

3. Redmond's Conditioner is a clay we use but there are others on the market. Clay's primary purpose is to bind the toxins, like cadmium, and excrete them. Many times an enticer needs to be used for them to consume enough clay to help with these health conditions. This is a mineral that needs to be used as prevention and there are times when having free choice conditioner would be unhealthy to the animals. For example, remove conditioner during weaning, two weeks before calving, six weeks after calving, and once an illness presents itself in the herd, like pink eye. This supplement can also be spread on the pasture or on the edges of ponds.

4. Sodium Bicarbonate from Rifle, Colorado. It is given free choice and the cows will eat it like candy if they need it. We have used the traditional baking soda you can buy at big box stores but it is expensive and has more of a soap like taste. This supplement will decrease the acidity in the rumen, which in turn will allow the animal better utilization of minerals.

From left to right: Sodium Bicarbonate, clay with molasses enticer, and Kansas Salt

Observe the cows physical symptoms to monitor if your mineral program is effective. It is best practice to keep a constant eye on your animals, spending time just watching and documenting. Remove the supplement if you are not seeing the desired results. The following are a few physical traits we observe if our minerals are working.

Hair coat should be slick, shiny, and with minimal flies. Haircoat is one of the easiest traits to see in your animals and the most indicative of their overall health. They should have a slick hair coat by the time you turn your bulls in, for us, that would be the middle of June. Those cows that do not have a shiny haircoat have other internal health issues affecting this process and will cost your operation time and money.

A producer should note watery eyes, which is an indicator of nitrate toxicity. After a rain, especially a thunderstorm, this symptom of nitrate toxicity may be seen. Why a thunderstorm? Lightening is the energy needed to convert nitrogen gas in the air to the usable form for plants known as nitrates.

Disposition is calmer. If an animal has a toxic load of cadmium, they will be flighty and nervous. Animals, like humans, when given the proper nutrition are easier to work with and handle.

Hopefully this helps get you started on a mineral program that will work for your herd. We have built and designed custom mineral feeders to accommodate theses specific needs. Supplements have been purchased pallets at a time from our local feed store but have had the ACV and Conditioner delivered directly to farm. Again, calling around for pricing is a vital part of the process. Saving a couple of dollars per bag by checking around adds up quickly when you are feeding a large number of animals.

Hope these minerals help your cows like it has ours and you can learn from our costly mistakes. It will not be an overnight fix, but patience, consistency, and observations will bring herd health. We are utterly thankful for the knowledge obtained in our class and want to share some of it with other producers.

Hopefully soon we can start the brine solution, which is even more effective in delivering the minerals that cows need. We first need to figure out how to make it work with our rotational grazing program. As soon as we do, we will share it with you.