do your beef cattle need mineral & protein supplements?
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- Опубліковано 28 лип 2024
- Do your beef cattle need mineral & protein supplements? Many homesteaders and small herd owners use salt and mineral lick blocks; are these enough? Join me as I explain the supplemental mineral requirements for beef cattle and how best to provide them. I also discuss signs your cattle are not getting enough protein from their forage, and how to supplement it.
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email: peterelarson3@gmail.com
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I've watched some other videos about protein tubs and didn't learn anything from them. Your explanation of the mechanism of action makes sense and will benefit ranchers who follow your reasoning.
Thanks Rich
You seem to keep answering many of my questions I have as a small farmer! Great job!
I posted a question about this very thing a few weeks ago, not realizing you had already addressed the topic. Apparently I missed this video before. I want to thank you for this video, it was very helpful. I’ve always assumed that those changes in manure from summer pasture to winter hay were normal. I was wrong! I’ll be heading out tomorrow to buy a protein tub.
Hi Pete. This was a very good video in your series and one that resonates with me. When we took our farm over in 2005 the previous owner, my wife's uncle, only put on 1 bag / acre superphosphate. Same every year. So everything was out of whack. Lots of crazy, seemingly infertile, shaggy looking cattle.
We soil and grass tissue-tested every paddock and saw how bad the place was. Like anything you cannot just put more fertiliser ( moron farmer ) so we supplementary supplied mineral licks of what we were deficient in, mixed with molasses and gradually fed out soil.
After 5-6 years we cut back on the majority of the licks but still drench with selenium as its a very slow process to build this up in the soil. Thanks for the info and time you put in to help others.
Woow when i saw the picture of the manure i was like that is exactly what I see in the winter
Just got notified of the new video. I just watched your video about how and why you left your office job. I work night shift at a mental hospital and dream of having a small farm. Your videos and way of doing things are fascinating and make the dream more attainable. Thank you.
Hi Joseph, you're welcome!
Enjoyed how honest you were about the knowledge you had on it. Great video, shared it with a few friends, now I look smart.
Excellent video. You are answering so many of my questions. I plan on having my own small Dexter herd someday soon!
Pete you are such an observant person. This was another extremely excellent video.
I really enjoy your videos and would like to thank you big time!
I am in my initial steps in a small farm in Bowmanville, Ontario and your sharing has been extremely helpful. thanks again
My pleasure Rogerio; thanks for watching! Best of luck with your farm.
Love the content of ask your videos. This was very informative. Thank you
Well Pete, you just keep giving me more and more to put on my list. I don’t seem to remember all of the things I did on the farm when I was young. I guess it’s not like “riding a bike”! Thanks for all of the great advice and information. Your videos are over the top! Thank you! Jeff
My sister has cows this year and I shared your very informative video. Thanks so much Pete❣️👍
Love your videos, and have learned a lot already from them. I hope this channel continues to grow!!!!!
Thanks so much, Freddie!
Thank you for sharing, Looking forward to learning more from your other works.
Howdy from central Michigan 🤠 Thanx for all the helpful information. Keep on keep'n on. 👍
Thank you so much for this valuable information! I just got two calves to grow out for beef for my family and i want to give them the best nutrition possible. You’re helping me do that. I appreciate ALL of your videos…well, the livestock videos anyway…but no worries, my husband loves the tractor maintenance videos too! 😂
I wana start by saying I know nothing about raising cattle. But I watched a Dirty Job episode where he collected cow crap so the farmer could sent it off to have it checked to see what each cow may need of course I have no clue what that would cost but it seems to me to be a pretty accurate way to get the most out of your cattle. Just a thought.
Great information Pete. Thank you
I’ve been a cattlemen for over 30 years and I think you did a great job on this video. Protein Tubs in Canada are about $200 for 250lbs.
Same in ks for a smartlic protein tub, but they also have flax and lots of fat
Love watching your videos. Thanks very much
You're welcome Andrew!
Thanks for all the great information
Makes sense. Thank you for sharing
thank you so much for this video I'm very sure you will be of immense help to me
Another informative vid, thanks. Cheers
Awesome video, very informative. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You're welcome Juliann! Thanks for watching!
another great video! thanks so much!
Yes they do gust like us humans need vitamins and minerals
Great video, thank you.
Thank you! Appreciate
For Winter you could integrate the protein deficency with soy panel or with some urea for Animals.
Great video
I thought that was a very good informative video. As I currently have pigs, would you consider doing a supplement video for them? I currently don't give them any extras.
Hi Jesse, thank you! The minerals for our pigs and chickens are included in their grain mix that we buy from the mill. If you're feeding a homemade grain blend, you can buy mineral packs straight from the local mill. Pig nutrition would be a good video though...I'll put that in the hopper.
At first, right after I got the cows, I was itching to get a tractor with a brush hog, but then I saw the cows eating weeds despite having plenty of grass. I think the cows know which weeds contain trace minerals that are absent from the grass. I also catch them eating tree leafs. I still have a mineral tub in the pasture but it's been 3 months now since I have had 6 cows and the tubs still has 1/3 left in it. So i'm not sure how much they like that stuff.
I agree that animals instinctively know what plants will provide the nutrients they need. People do even if we aren't aware of it. Good observations!!
this was exactly what I was looking for. I still wonder what differences between sulfur and cobalt salt blocks are. I just sort of rotate them all now.
Hi Greg. I’m really enjoying your videos and getting a good background before I get into Dexter cattle ranching. I’m curious, this particular video was shot three years ago. Do you still believe the protein is necessary? Thanks for the service you’re doing to the industry. 10:04
You can also get mineral with protein now also
question? do you add clover and other seed to your loose mineral mix?i have known other cattle men that did/do. when asked bout this i was told that it helps in establish more of the forage plants that are good for the critters,plus it saves money on not having to have equipment to do the seeding as cattle dont digest the seeds, just asking, thank you for the video,, be blessed and safe
Hi Russ, never tried that, but it sounds brilliant!
@@JustaFewAcresFarm i,m sure glad they came out with these computers, now i dont have to have boxes of notes on things, just thought i would ask..be blessed and safe
My grandfather and Dad used that trick on ranch land and it works
So being almost a year later any answer results on the protein?
Hi Pete, thanks for you videos...very helpful. We're just about to jump into farming and have very similar ideas to you. Your insights have been a great help for many things. How did your calves go this season with the addition of the protein supplement? Did you see any difference?
Hi Clayton, the calves looked good but we just got our first steer of the season back from the butcher and he was no heavier than our steers usually are, so I would say feeding protein was not worth the money we invested.
Would growing winter forage, such as oats and rye, help with the protein deficiency? Is it not worth it to grow a winter pasture?
I'm still learning to be doing for years but can't read so have to lestin
Great video, as always! What's the ratio between grass and legumes on your pasture? I've read that you can use up to 50% legumes, or even higher when using non-bloating species like birdsfoot trefoil, sainfoin, and cicer milkvetch. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that with a high legume percentage in the sward it should be possible to produce hay with sufficient protein to avoid the need for using protein tubs or cake. Alfalfa is an excellent forage and I think you mentioned that you included it in your pasture mix, but if you re-seed at some point it might be worth including some of the other species I mentioned (still keeping the alfalfa, of course!). Some of them -- especially sainfoin -- have very deep taproots that can draw up minerals from the subsoil, and that might help reduce the need for supplemental minerals as well as reduce the risk of bloat, even using a much higher percentage of legumes.
Hi Andrea, we plant about 40% legumes; alfalfa and red & white clover. Birdsfoot used to be planted in our area on marginal soils where it seems to do better than alfalfa. I like alfalfa for the reason you mentioned with sainfoin. It is very deep rooted and cycles nutrients up from deeper in the soil, and will keep growing when other plants stop from lack of moisture. I have finished my little experiment on using supplemental protein; I saw no increase in dress weights in our steers, and it was expensive.
Whatever you do don't make the mistake of feeding to many legumes. Bloat is no joke
Did you notice a difference in the calves this year with the extra protein?
Another good video thank you. I went to get a protein tub and it only comes in a large size that I can not handle myself. Or move when we move our cows.
Hi ZaneyMay, thank you! Moving them is a pain. I have seen 50 lb tubs available.
@@JustaFewAcresFarm Not sure if I could move a 50 lb one either. Were I get my supplies they never said they could get a smaller one. Thanks
Education continues .....
Where did you buy your three compartment covered mineral dispenser?
How did it go? Did the increased protein help?
Where can I order or get some loose, free choice trace minerals? Thank you!
👍👍
Question... When I did a water test on my well, it has a lot of the minerals you mentioned, including the sodium. How do I know if its enough? Should I still offer the minerals to them? Is it possible for them to get too much?
I would still feed lose minerals, they will only eat what they need.
Where did you get your mineral feeder and what brand? I like that it has lasted 3 years for you.
Hi Donna, we got it through our local Fertrell rep.
I understand the part of using the protein tubs only in winter as they can gain protein from the field in summer. But do you still give them the other 3 free choice mineral in summer when on pasture?
We feed mineral year round. The pastures are lacking in some minerals, especially trace minerals. The protein tub experiment didn’t work out. We didn’t see any gains in dress weights and it was expensive.
@@JustaFewAcresFarm thanks for the quick reply. You are very knowledgeable and I am learning a lot through your videos. Thanks for all the great videos.
Never really thought about this as far as minerals . Where do you buy kelp minerals only place I found is online . I’m not far from you windsor New York east of Binghamton . I’d love too come visit you if possible
Hi Mac, we use Fertrell kelp and minerals. There have a distributor network in NY. Lots of organic dairies use their minerals.
Watch a video from Pete, spend money at Tractor Supply Co. - the neverending cycle 😂
Hey Pete aren"t those minerals the same as alot of humans need also, Question I once heard of place in China I believe that the people lived for an exceededly longer time from their water source. Seem that they lived in a valley of sorts and relied on the snow melting from a mountain, making water, and running into the valley. These people get all there suppliments from their water source?? Don't know if it's a fact but I remember a report about it many years ago from two reporters called Huntley and Brinkley,I'm 70 and maybe I got my cards wrong,
Hi Pete. Do you trim your cows hoofs? Thanks
Check out the latest video.
Have you ever add Grass seed mixed into loose minerals?
Hi Kberry, I have not tried that. It seems like a great idea.
@@JustaFewAcresFarm The grassie's pass through the cow's digestive system and it helps you reseed your paddocks in the wintertime you have the perfect
@@JustaFewAcresFarm This is the cheapest way to receive your field
Where can I get kelp supplement?
Hi David, we get ours from our local Fertrell distributor. I imagine you can also find it online although it would be expensive to ship.
How do you control flies on your cattle
Hi Barry, we haven't found a good way to control flies yet. Moving them every day while they're on pasture seems to help though.
@@JustaFewAcresFarm I'm not sure if there are tree swallows in your area, but that's one natural method that Greg Judy uses to control fly populations with his herd, seemingly with success. Barn swallows are another possibility, though they're more difficult to house.
ua-cam.com/video/-gCRMKhqKhk/v-deo.html
What have you found to be the best way to get protein in your cattle ?
Hi Pete where do you purchase your protein tubs?
Hi Michael, we were getting them at Tractor Supply. If you look at later videos, I was not satisfied with the results of our protein experiment. It cost a lot of money and I did not see a change in steer dress weights.
Thanks Pete will just stay with the mineral.