When it comes to managing cattle, you might not think of salt as a big deal—but it’s actually one of the most essential tools in a rancher’s toolkit. Like us, cattle need salt for crucial body functions, from digestion to muscle movement. Without enough salt, cattle can experience health issues affecting their growth and productivity, which is why salt management plays a crucial role in keeping herds healthy.
Consider salt a ‘cattle magnet‘—cows are naturally drawn to it and actively seek it out, even if it means munching on tree bark or licking dirt. This natural behavior not only connects us to the animals we care for but also presents an opportunity for producers. Salt can be used to encourage cattle to eat other essential minerals or supplements they might otherwise ignore. In this way, managing salt intake becomes a clever strategy for regulating what and how much cattle consume, saving on feed costs, and supporting balanced nutrition.
But while salt can be a handy management tool, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. The right amount of salt varies based on factors like age, diet, and stage of production, and too much salt without water access can lead to problems. In this guide, we’ll cover why salt is so essential, how to manage it safely, and how it fits into the big picture of healthy, productive cattle.
Introduction to salt in cattle management
Salt is a crucial component in cattle management. It is one of the essential minerals that cattle need daily for overall health and productivity. Unlike many other nutrients, cattle actively seek out salt to satisfy their natural urge, making it a vital part of their diet. By providing the right amount of salt, cattle producers support healthier herds and ensure that animals get an essential mineral that can sometimes be lacking in pasture forage alone.
Incorporating salt into a cattle diet offers numerous benefits. It helps regulate bodily functions like digestion, milk production, and blood flow, which are essential for reproductive health and overall vitality. This reassures us as producers that we are contributing to our herd’s health and productivity. Additionally, salt encourages cattle to drink more water, improving hydration and supporting metabolic processes. Since salt also aids in absorbing other nutrients, maintaining a balanced salt intake can boost the effectiveness of a broader feeding program.
For cattle producers, managing salt intake is a practical tool for meeting cattle health needs and controlling feeding behavior. By adding salt to feed, producers can help regulate how much cattle consume, making it possible to balance diets more precisely and reduce costs. Effective salt management helps ensure cattle are well-nourished, contributing to growth, weight maintenance, and efficient production, all of which are essential for a profitable operation.
Is salt necessary for cattle?
Without going into too much detail, the answer to this question is a resounding YES. It is an essential nutrient needed for the general functioning of cattle. In this way, it makes them not that much different from us people.
Salt is a necessary mineral for cattle and one that they need to consume daily. This need does not mean that you will have to force feed this or anything since most of what they usually eat contains it. They can derive it naturally from things like the forages they consume in the pasture. Depending on where your ranch is located, they could even get a small amount from the water they drink.
Since they will need to consume it daily, it is a good idea for you to monitor the amount they are eating. Monitoring will ensure that they get the amounts they need. A deficiency in this can lead to things like a loss of appetite. Once they get that, it can lead to weight loss and decreased production. As responsible producers, it’s our duty to ensure our cattle’s salt intake is monitored and maintained at the right levels.
Salt benefits for calves
It’s not just the cow that benefits from salt-calves; they also need it for their growth and development. As I mentioned earlier, salt is essential for milk production. The sodium found in salt helps both cows and calves with the absorption of calcium, a crucial mineral for bone health. By ensuring your cattle have access to the right amount of salt, you’re not just supporting their immediate health and productivity, but also laying the foundation for their long-term well-being.
The fact that they will seek it out can also be helpful to you, the producer. You can use it as a top dressing or in a mixture to get them to consume other necessary minerals.
What are their requirements?
The amount of salt your cows will need to consume will depend on their age and stage of production. For example, a dry, mature cow will not need as much as one that is in the early lactating stage.
But how much exactly do they need? Research conducted by the University of Missouri says that the maximum level advisable is 0.08% of the dry matter intake for dry cows and 0.1% for lactating cows.
A general rule of thumb is that cattle must consume 0.005% to 0.010% of their body weight as salt daily. A 1,200-lb cow needs to take between 0.06 and 0.12 lbs of salt daily.
The type of feed cows eat can also affect the amount of salt they need to take in from other sources. Cows tend to eat more salt on a high-forage diet than on a high-concentrate one.
It should also be noted that they will consume more when the grass is “green and succulent“ vs. when it is in the mature growth stage. This difference is due to there being less available in the younger forages.
Salt toxicity
I would be a bit negligent if I discussed salt requirements without at least mentioning toxicity. Now, toxicity is rarely seen in cattle because of their high tolerance for salt. Salt is rapidly absorbed from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream. After that, it is excreted by the kidneys through urine. The cow will have no problem eliminating any excess if plenty of clean water is available. However, the lethal dose for a mature cow is 4- 5 lbs of salt.
There are 3 cases where salt toxicity is likely to occur. One scenario is where cattle have been deprived of salt for an extended period of time and then suddenly have salt readily available. The next is if cattle are forced to overeat salt with an inadequate amount of water available. In addition, cattle are forced to drink saline water.
Using salt to control the intake
As mentioned earlier, using salt to control intake isn’t an exact science. Factors such as age, what is provided by forages, and the cow’s tolerance for it will play a role. You will need to use a particular amount depending on the amount of supplement you are taking.
For cattle not used to self-feeding, use a 50:50 or 60:40 salt-to-meal ratio to prevent overeating. Once that has gone on for a while, you can reduce the amount used. You can do this until you get the intake you want. Unless they have been fed supplements before, they will need a training period of about a week without salt.
It would be best if you cracked or coarsely ground your grain before taking this supplement. This action will be to match the grain size of the salt you are feeding. Matching the grain size will prevent the cattle from separating the two and overeating. Providing forages such as grass or hay during this time is also good. Use plain white salt also.
Some considerations
When using salt to limit intake, you will need to consider the following:
- The amount of salt to use can vary from 5-60%
- To increase supplement intake, then decrease the amount of salt. To reduce the amount of the supplement, increase the amount of salt.
- It will be necessary to add more salt as the animal grows accustomed to it in order to limit its intake.
- The feeder should be portable and able to protect the feed from wind and rain.
- Do not place feeders next to water sources because it will affect grazing distribution. If you want more ideas on improving grazing distribution, check out my previous post, “Better grazing with supplements.”
An example
Let’s say you have a self-fed protein supplement, soybean meal, or cottonseed meal that you want to feed a group of 1100 lbs cows at 2 lbs per head per day. According to the table below, those cattle will need to average 1.1 lbs of salt per day to limit intake. A self-fed supplement composed of 35% salt and 65% protein supplement would meet both of those requirements on average. As I said, you will likely need to adjust those numbers to meet your needs.
For fun, let’s try a scenario. Let’s say that in addition to that 2 lbs of protein supplement, you also want the cow to eat 3 lbs of grain. This addition will bring the total amount to 5 lbs. In that case, the supplement will only need 18% to meet that need.
Leave a Reply