Dairy cows require a diverse mix of minerals and vitamins for optimal performance, health, and reproduction. Even small imbalances or deficiencies can have detrimental effects.
Feeding your dairy cow the appropriate amounts of minerals and vitamins can help avoid these issues. A dairy cow mineral mix is one way to ensure your herd gets enough essential vitamins and minerals.
Contents
Calcium
Dairy cows require calcium and phosphorus in their diets for growth, milk production, and reproduction. Deficits in these minerals may lead to poor performance as well as disease issues.
In addition to major minerals, dairy cattle require trace minerals (microminerals). These essential compounds promote the health and development of your herd.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the second-most abundant mineral element found in cow bodies, with 80 to 85% of it concentrated in bone and teeth. This element plays a significant role in all metabolic reactions and energy transfer within the body, contributing to bone strength, density, and vitality.
Maintaining an optimal calcium and phosphorus balance in the diet is essential for efficient reproduction, high milk production, and animal health. A balanced mineral mix can be provided through feed or free-choice supplementation.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral for dairy cattle, particularly lactating cows. It plays a significant role in enzyme activity, carbohydrate metabolism and nervous system function.
A lack of magnesium in the soil or pasture can cause grass tetany. This condition is most prevalent on lush spring or small grain pastures that have high potassium levels both in soil and forage.
Two to four weeks before turnout, adding a high Mg mineral to grazing forages can help prevent this condition. The extra Mg can come in the form of magnesium oxide or an MgO combination with corn or oilseed sources.
Potassium
Potassium (K) is essential for healthy growth, nerve response and muscle maintenance. It also assists with regulating nutrient transport into and out of cells.
Na and K work together to regulate cell volume, pH and osmolarity of body fluids. Furthermore, Na encourages water intake.
Mineral balance is essential for dairy cow performance. Without adequate amounts of minerals, cattle may experience negative consequences such as reduced milk production or weak immune systems.
Iodine
Iodine is an essential trace mineral for dairy cattle nutrition. It helps maintain normal thyroid function and shields against goiter.
Supplemental iodine for dairy cows can be obtained in many forms, such as sulfates, phosphates, chlorides, carbonates or oxide forms.
Copper
Trace minerals are vital for increasing a cow’s disease resistance and production potential. While any deficiencies may not be apparent immediately, they will eventually cause decreased performance or health issues.
Minerals are absorbed through the small intestine and should be fed supplemental, mixed into grain or a total mix ration. They may also come in the form of chelates which bind deficient minerals to proteins for improved absorption.
Manganese
Manganese is essential for red-blood cell formation, immunity function and gluconeogenesis. Furthermore, manganese helps increase iron absorption as well as reduce liver abscesses in dairy cows.
Manganese deficiencies in cattle can cause reduced growth rates and decreased milk production. A supplemental source of 30 ppm manganese has been demonstrated to solve this problem.
Minerals are essential to the success of your dairy herd. It’s essential that you evaluate your mineral program regularly to guarantee your cattle receive adequate amounts of each nutrient for maximum performance and disease resistance.
Selenium
Dairy cows require trace mineral mixes for healthy growth, the maintenance of body tissues and reproduction. Furthermore, these nutrients aid in digesting forage and protein feeds.
A complete mineral mix provides your herd with the proper levels of calcium, phosphorus and selenium. Feed tags now require mineral concentrations of at least 0.9% calcium and 0.6ppm selenium in pelleted grain mixes for dry or milk cows.
