Mineral blocks and lick tubs: placement and daily intake
Free-choice mineral blocks with balanced calcium, phosphorus, salt and trace elements, set beside water troughs, give every animal a steady mineral supply. Keep blocks within 50 metres of loafing areas so the group licks evenly. Check how fast blocks go down and add the block to your HerdMobile ration to see whether mineral supply covers your animals' needs.
Compiled from open-access scientific sources.
Where should mineral blocks go for steady intake?
Put mineral blocks and weatherproof lick tubs 30 to 50 metres from the main water points and shaded resting areas. Cattle, sheep and goats come to the trough several times a day, so a block close by gets licked steadily. NASEM mineral guidelines put cattle intake at 50 to 100 grams of mineral mix per head a day when the block holds 20 to 30 percent salt. Allow one 20 kg block for every 15 to 20 cattle or every 40 sheep. Stand blocks on clean timber platforms or proper holders to keep them out of mud, dung and rainwater.
How do you check that animals eat enough mineral?
Weigh the blocks once a week, or note the day each new block goes into the pen, and you can work out daily intake for the group. Divide the kilograms eaten by the number of head and the number of days. For example, if 20 cows finish a 20 kg block in ten days, each cow eats 100 grams a day, right in the recommended range. Salt drives appetite for the block, while phosphorus supports strong bones and energy use. If intake drops below 40 grams, move blocks closer to the paths cows use most; if it climbs above 120 grams, put plain white salt blocks nearby to satisfy the salt craving.
How does HerdMobile count minerals across the whole ration?
Enter the mineral values from the block's label in the HerdMobile feed library. HerdMobile then adds up the calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and copper from forage, concentrate and the block in the daily ration. Rations are calculated for each species, which matters with sheep: they are very sensitive to copper, so a cattle block has no place in the sheep pen. Log block purchases and use in your feed stock, and HerdMobile warns you when stock runs low so you reorder before the tubs are empty. Animals, rations and mineral stock all sit on your phone and work fully offline.
Questions from the farm
How much mineral block should a cow eat each day?
Aim for 50 to 100 grams per head a day; the right figure depends on stage of lactation and forage quality.
Why should mineral blocks sit close to water?
Animals visit the trough many times a day, so a block close by gets licked regularly. Salt also makes them thirsty, and fresh water is right there.
How does HerdMobile help with minerals?
HerdMobile adds the block's minerals to your daily ration and keeps blocks in your feed stock, warning you before they run out.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
