Why cattle minerals matter: a simple guide for beginners

Minerals play a crucial role in keeping your cattle healthy, supporting everything from growth to reproduction. However, figuring out the right amount of dietary minerals for your herd is more complex than you might think. It’s not just about what your cow needs but also about the forage quality, the animal’s age, and even the production stage. Add to that factors like soil type, fertilizer, and rainfall, and you’ll see that ensuring your cattle get the right minerals is a balancing act.

While forages and water can provide some minerals, it’s rare for any region to always have all the minerals in the right amounts. Even if your forage seems sufficient, the balance between certain minerals can affect absorption. This underscores the importance of understanding mineral deficiencies and taking proactive steps to ensure your herd’s health. Simply offering mineral supplements is not enough; understanding what’s missing is key to empowering your herd to thrive.

There’s a common belief that cattle can instinctively seek the minerals they need, but that’s entirely true. Cattle, like people, tend to eat what they enjoy, and some necessary minerals have a bitter taste. This can lead to the consumption of vital minerals. However, with a solid settlement plan in place, you can reassure yourself that your cattle are getting what’s required for that matter, even when it’s not their favor.

Why provide minerals

As mentioned above, minerals are essential to cattle’s health and well-being. Picking the correct supplement here is vital for maintaining both healthy and productive animals. You will want to select one that will meet the animal’s needs while not breaking the bank. A good mineral program costs about $10-$20 per cow annually.

High-quality forages and even grains can provide many of the required minerals, but that can fluctuate. Harvested forages tend to have fewer minerals than ones in the pasture. The drying-out process that hay goes through is the cause of most of this loss. As forages mature, their overall quality will decline as most of their nutrients are transferred closer to the root system for winter storage.

Regarding minerals, there are two types,” Macro- and Micro-. “these are divided up based on the amount that the animal needs overall. As the name suggests, Macrominerals are required in large amounts, usually shown in % of the total diet. In contrast, Microminerals are needed in small quantities, usually listed in ppm. Some of your most common Macrominerals are things like Calcium, Phosphorus, and Potassium. If you want more information on this subject, check out Mineral Supplements for Beef Cattle by the University of Georgia.

The time of year can also influence what minerals are needed. One of the leading minerals cattle need supplementation for during the winter is phosphorus. In tandem with Calcium, Phosphorus is necessary for the animal to have good bones. Most forages are low this late in the growing season, so cattle are more likely to be deficient during this time. Supplements such as cottonseed and soybean meal can be used because they contain moderate concentrations.

Types of Minerals: Macro and Micro

Minerals are a vital part of the puzzle when it comes to keeping your cattle healthy and productive. Just like humans, cattle need a variety of minerals to support everything from bone growth to reproductive health. These minerals are often found in forages and water but are only sometimes present in the right amounts or balance. That’s where supplements come in. By understanding which minerals are most important and why, you can make better decisions to keep your herd thriving. For instance, calcium is essential for bone development and muscle function, while zinc plays a role in immune function and reproduction. Understanding these roles can help you appreciate the value of mineral supplementation in your herd’s health and productivity.

Your cattle need two main categories of minerals: macrominerals and microminerals. Macrominerals are required in more significant amounts and play a big role in daily bodily functions like bone development and muscle health. On the other hand, microminerals are needed in smaller quantities. Still, they are just as essential for things like immune function and reproduction. Don’t worry—while that doesn’t sound like a lot to keep track of, we’ll break it down, especially on the most important ones in each category, to keep things simple.

Knowing the top minerals in each group and their role, you’ll be better prepared to meet your cattle’s nutritional needs. This knowledge will help you boost their overall health, increase productivity, and, ultimately, save you time and money in the long run.

Macrominerals:

• Calcium (Ca): Essential for bone development, muscle function, and milk production.
• Phosphorus (P): Works alongside calcium for bone health and energy transfer in cells.
• Magnesium (Mg): Helps in muscle and nerve function and prevents grass tetany.
• Potassium (K): Important for muscle function and maintaining hydration in cells.

Microminerals:

• Zinc (Zn): Plays a role in immune function, reproduction, and skin health.
• Copper (Cu): Vital for enzyme function, red blood cell formation, and immune health.
• Selenium (Se): Helps protect cells from oxidative damage and supports immune function.
• Manganese (Mn): Necessary for reproductive health and bone formation.

Free-choice minerals vs hand-fed minerals

Two of the most common mineral delivery systems are free-choice or hand-fed. As the name suggests, free choice is putting the mineral in a bunk or tub and letting the cattle eat whatever they want. Hand-fed is where you pour the mineral out in the amount needed every day. Each has pros and cons, so looking at what works best for you in your situation is best.

Hand feeding can ensure a more uniform consumption because you are putting out the needed amount. A problem with free choice is that the more pushy cows will eat more than the others, leaving the more timid ones sometimes not to get the amount they need. Hand feeding allows you to space it out more evenly, giving every cow a chance to get what they need.

Where the cattle spend their time will play a role in which the system will work. When cattle spend most of their time in the pasture, free choice is better. Feeding the supplements can be challenging when getting out to certain parts of the pastures daily. If you miss a day or two, it is likely that when you put it out again, the cattle will overconsume the minerals, so there is that.

To control the amount that is being consumed, you will need to consider the salt. Despite the more bitter-tasting minerals, cattle will actually seek this out, so the amount you mix in can influence consumption. Since they seek it out, you can use it to make the supplement more palatable.

Salt is the key.

Every mineral supplement that is used in winter should contain salt. The fact that cattle will eat minerals with salt added plus forages being deficient in it is why all free choice minerals have it included. The mixed with smaller intakes generally have more salt than the ones with greater intakes. Mixed for smaller intakes is because they will consume less with more salt. After all, they get their salt “fix“ with less intake. I “go over the importance of this in more detail in a previous post, “Purpose of salt for cattle.”

If you are mixing salt into the mix at home, then leave it out of your calculation of reaching the target intake. The goal here is to ensure your cows get the target intake of the actual mineral. Let’s say that if the target is 4oz per head per day for a mineral mix, then for 100 cows, you want them to consume 25 lbs of the mixture daily. However, if you add 10 lbs of salt to the bag, you want them to consume 30 lbs daily.

Some people think that if they have the salt and mineral separate, then it will reduce intake of the mineral, but that is not the case. All that will happen is that you will have more variability in the intake among your herd. Some of your cows may eat the minerals, but others will only consume the salt.

Lick mineral tubs or Loose minerals

Regarding minerals, there are two choices: tubs or loose. There are differences in how they deliver the minerals. Which one will best provide for your needs will depend on your situation,

The wind can cause the loss of minerals in the loose form, but that is not the case with the tubs. Most lick tubs are made up of 200-250 lbs, so it is difficult for the wind to knock it over. Even if it was managed to get laid over, all you must do is stand it right back up. Depending on the size, the loose mineral is more likely to be blown away. I suppose you can call them kernels.

Another weather event that can create waste is rain. A tub may get some water on the top, but you will unlikely lose any of the product. The loose mineral will seep right into the ground if it gets wet. If it is in a bunk of some kind, the top layer will likely become crusty, making it unpalatable.

Labor is another issue you should consider when selecting which delivery method to go with; the labor cost of the tub can vary on some things, but one tub should last 50 head for about a month. You only have to change it about once a month or so. The weight of trying to haul it and placing the tub must also be factored into your figures. With loose minerals, you will likely be feeding multiple times a week, if not every day. Needing to feed numerous times a week can mean an increase in the amount of fuel that you will need, so…… plan accordingly.