Page 11 - MWC 02-04-2021s
P. 11

Mineral Consumption:                                                                  The Midwest Cattleman · February 4, 2021 · P11



                          It Matters!                                       requirements.  Lab results will  Management Strategies for
                                                                            help identify deficiencies, toxic- Over-Consumption
                                                                                                                 Over-consumption of min-
                                                                            ities, and interactions to ensure
                                                                            the mineral supplement is pro- eral in the short-term is not of
                                                                            viding the appropriate level of  great concern. Consider wheth-
                 By Adele Harty, SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist   nutrients for the situation. Var- er or not cattle have had access
         Mineral supplement tags  overcome consumption issues.  ious factors can influence min- to mineral in the recent past.
      provide the recommended daily  Forage and water samples can  eral consumption including age  If mineral was not available
      intake based on specific prod- provide  valuable  information  and  experience  of  the  animal,  for a period of time, cattle may
      uct formulations. Recommend- in assessing whether or not the  type and placement of mineral  over-consume for a short period
      ed intakes can vary widely de- mineral  supplement  comple- feeders, composition of mineral  of time to make up for nutrient
      pending on the brand and type  ments the available forage and  supplement, and changing for- deficiencies. If over-consump-
      of product, with the most com- water to meet cattle nutrient  age quality and availability.                           continued on page 14
      mon being 1 to 4 oz. per day
      for loose minerals. Producers
      should always read the mineral
      tag to know how much the cat-
      tle should be consuming and to
      help determine if their herd is
      actually consuming that recom-
      mended intake. There are a va-
      riety of ways to accomplish this.
      Calculating Mineral
      Consumption
         For the big picture, calculate
      pounds of mineral fed during
      the year. Multiply total pounds
      fed during the year by 16 to cal-
      culate the total ounces deliv-
      ered. Divide ounces by 365 days.
      Finally, divide ounces delivered
      per day by the number of head
      in the herd to determine aver-
      age mineral intake per head per
      day.
         Example:
         •6,000 lbs of mineral per
           year × 16 oz per lb = 96,000
           oz
         •96,000 oz ÷ 365 days = 263
           oz per day
         •263 oz per day ÷ 100 head
           = 2.63 oz per head per day
         Another way to monitor con-
      sumption is to keep a record
      of mineral delivery. Record the
      quantity of mineral delivered
      each time and how many days
      that quantity lasts. Monitor-
      ing this closely will help iden-
      tify times when grass quality
      changes, which can influence
      changes in mineral consump-
      tion. For instance, cattle will
      consume  mineral  differently
      when grass is lush and growing
      rapidly compared to when it is
      dormant. The calculation is the
      same as outlined above, but the
      number  of  days  changes  based
      on frequency of delivery.
         Example:
         •150 lbs × 16 oz per lb =
           2,400 oz
         •2,400 oz ÷ 7 days = 343 oz
           per day
         •343 oz per day ÷ 100 head
           = 3.43 oz per head per day
         Once consumption is cal-
      culated, management strat-
      egies can be implemented to
   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16