Last week I talked about mineral supplementation for the pre-calving cow.
A quality dried cow mineral is a very important element of a successful dry cow nutrition in preparation for the next lactation. Look at the quality of the ore, instead of just buying it for the price.
This applies to both breastfeeding and dairy production systems.
What minerals does your flock need?
If you’ve had a hard time getting a mineral analysis for your silage, get help matching the right mineral to fill your silage gaps. Dry cow minerals should always have a high level of magnesium and organic / protected trace elements to optimize the availability of minerals.
It is also important that you be fed enough vitamin E to promote the cow’s immune response around calving. Phosphorus should also be supplied in sufficient volume to ensure good saliva production for complete digestion and cushioning of the rumen.
Many suckling herds now use a bolus in the dry season as a means of mineral supplementation and this has been shown to work very well on many farms. However, it would certainly not favor this as the only method of mineral supplementation in a dairy herd.
Of course, use a bolus as an addition if you have identified a copper, selenium, iodine, or cobalt deficiency on your farm. In both lactating and dairy herds, additional mineral supplementation beyond a bolus would be a good idea this dry period.
A common trend in the results of returning forage minerals for silage in 2021 is that silage …
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