Driftless SW Wisconsin | Puff what are you using for a mineral program? I believe lack of a good mineral is the root of a lot of fertility/calving problems. Trace minerals are expensive but pay back many times over in my limited experience. I think for cow calf you need something with an ingredient list like this out probably year around. | Crude Protein, Min | 6.0% |
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| Crude Fat, Min | 3.0% |
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| Crude Fiber, Max | 3.0% |
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| Calcium, Min | 3.5% |
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| Calcium, Max | 4.5% |
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| Phosphorus, Min | 4.0% |
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| Salt, Min | none added |
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| Magnesium, Min | 3.0% |
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| Potassium, Min | 1.7% |
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| Cobalt, Min | 5 ppm |
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| Copper, Min | 500 ppm |
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| Iodine, Min | 25 ppm |
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| Manganese, Min | 2,000 ppm |
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| Selenium, Min | 8.8 ppm |
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| Zinc, Min | 1,500 ppm |
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| Vitamin A, Min | 100,000 IU/Lb |
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| Vitamin D-3, Min | 10,000 IU/Lb |
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| Vitamin E, Min | 100 IU/Lb |
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Consumption rates will go up and down as the forage changes but a good mineral out plus separate salt and good water full time are cost of doing cow/calf business. Look at the cost of AI. A good mineral program can have a pretty good ROI. Keeping a bull calf is a good idea but I would sure like to know something about the calving ease, etc of the sire before keeping a bull calf out of him... |
couple pics
