A really simple beginner’s guide to cattle salt blocks

Salt blocks are available to producers in a variety of different colors. This variety is something any trip to your local feed store can tell you. Each color represents different situations in which they are needed.

The specific color of the block will tell you two things about it. The first is what kind of nutrients are present in the block. The second is what kind of use it is intended for. Such as the yellow sulfur block or the basic white salt block; there are many different options to go with.

With the different varieties out there, it can be confusing as to which block is best for you. Not to mention, much information on the subject can be confusing and conflicting. The one that is best for you will depend on what mineral(s) are deficient in your particular option. Also, what you want to accomplish will also play a factor in this decision.

The importance of mineral supplementation

Minerals, including salt, are some of the most essential nutrients that your animal can consume. They control things like overall performance, health, and reproductive efficiency. In my previous post, “What you don’t know about minerals can hurt,” I went into more detail about the importance of minerals in your cow’s diet. When it comes to minerals, as with anything, it all starts with your forages.

Making sure that your animals get the correct amount of nutrients they need can be a daunting task. But as I have said before, the key to building any solid supplementation program is to begin from the “ground up,” if you will. Forages play a crucial role in the nutrients that your cattle take in, but they do have their disadvantages.

What your forages provide

Regardless of what you think, the forages livestock consume will only provide some necessary nutrients. Things like their growth stage, the soil they are grown in, and even the amount of rain they have received will affect what they provide. The amount that they provide can change from one year to the next, meaning what worked last year may not work this year.

This fluctuation makes having your forages tested of vital importance to make intelligent decisions on your supplementation program. While it may be unnecessary to do it every year, doing it enough times can give you at least a solid estimate of what your pastures will be providing. The table below can offer you a general ballpark figure of what your forages will provide. However, I recommend that you do the forage tests so you will know what yours provides.

Mineral output can change from one region of the country to another. In fact, there can be differences in pastures in the same local county. Things like soil type and time of year, rainfall, and the variety of forage can affect mineral output.

The only way that you can know for sure what you would be deficient in is to have your forages tested. Your local county extension agent can assist you with that.

Why do cattle need salt?

Now that we have gone over the basics of why cattle need minerals let us get more specific. Much like humans, cattle have a nutritional need for salt.

Salt is one of the few minerals that cattle will actually “crave“. What this craving means is that they will actually seek it out. Also, if they cannot get it from their regular diet, then they will try to get it in other ways. They will consume some very weird, and also potentially dangerous, stuff in order to get their salt fixed.

Despite this craving, their consumption of salt can vary greatly. Some studies have found that cattle will not go to a salt block for several days but then return to it and overconsume it. This type of fluctuation can make it hard to pin down a steady consumption rate.

Salt provides for the proper function of beef cattle’s nervous and muscular systems. It can also regulate the body’s pH as well as the amount of water that is retained in the body. Promoting water intake can help maintain or improve milk production and overall herd health.

A deficiency in this nutrient will cause a loss of appetite, which will, in turn, cause inefficient weight gain or body weight loss.

Cattle must consume 0.005% to 0.010% of their body weight in salt daily. Generally speaking, a mature cow, roughly 1,300 lbs to 1,400 lbs, requires between 35 and 45 grams of salt daily to maintain good health. You can expect a herd of 100 cows to go through a 55lb bag of salt/mineral in about a week.

Different types of salt blocks

Now that I have gone over some of the importance of providing a salt/mineral supplement, we can move on to the different types out there. Since they are also intended to fulfill different purposes, I have also included their designated use so you can have a better idea of which to use.

White Salt Blocks

• This one contains just regular table salt and nothing more
• Since it provides no other nutritional value, this one is not really recommended
• About the only use that this one has is using it to draw cattle into underutilized areas of the pasture
• This block is often used with another one, such as a trace mineral or sulfur block

Yellow Salt Blocks

• Along with salt, this one also contains sulfur (hence the yellow color)
• Developed for use in southern U.S. pastures that have a problem with insects and ticks

Red Salt Blocks

• Contains salt, iron, and iodine
• There is a need for this particular block in the Great Lakes, Midwest, Northeast, and Rocky Mountain regions of the U.S.

Blue Salt Blocks

• This one contains cobalt and iodine
• Canada’s British Columbia and Alberta regions needed it

Brown or Trace Mineral Salt Blocks

• It contains the trace minerals cobalt, iodine, iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and manganese.
• This block is an excellent all-around salt block to use
• Producers in the Western U.S. ranges should use this one

Black Salt Block

• It contains everything the brown trace mineral one does, plus it has selenium.
• You use it when your pasture doesn’t have enough selenium.
• A selenium deficiency can cause white muscle disease in cattle
• Word of caution: only use this if you actually have a deficiency because too much selenium can be very dangerous

There are many different resources out there where you can find more about what the mineral requirements for cattle are and how to best provide for them. I have discovered the one from the University of Georgia very helpful, and you can find it by clicking here.