Tip of the Month – March 2024

Tame cows or minerals?

When cows are very tame and keep licking your overalls, you have to be careful that this tame behavior is not confused with a sign of mineral deficiency.
Then the cows will not only lick your overalls but also everything else.
Even drinking urine or “eating” ground is then possible.

How is the mineral supply?
Sometimes the cows get enough, but utilization turns out to be disappointing.
This may be related to the use of groundwater: too much iron or manganese are examples of why other minerals such as copper and selenium are not used enough.
Land, meadow, location: close to (highway) road: sulphur; etc.

Or the cows can still select feed at the feeding fence so that the first cows always get more than enough and the last do not.

Even structure is important here again because of the rumen activity.
This also gives more cow activity and therefore more intake.