| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Apr 07 2014 : 1:27:53 PM
I guess I asked about Kelp under another heading; but, I am wondering what sort of minerals you offer your Jerseys? And why? All free-choice? If not, then what is the dosage? |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Mar 31 2016 : 7:13:55 PM
I like the attachment in the photo ... hope it works well and we will see what Sally and Elsa think of it! |
| txbikergirl |
Posted - Mar 31 2016 : 3:59:00 PM
i have the bucket and the attachment, but we haven't had time to set it up yet. lover boy likes the idea, but we need to see it take a cow beating first. we'll fill it with free feed kelp or something and see how it lasts.
i'll keep ya posted for sure. |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Mar 31 2016 : 11:37:06 AM
Cindy, have you gotten the buckets yet? Any first thoughts on it?
I'm all about feeding from the back side because then children can safely help with the chores still ... who am I kidding?? Safer for the adults, too! |
| Shaina |
Posted - Mar 24 2016 : 8:57:55 PM
. |
| maryjane |
Posted - Mar 24 2016 : 07:56:23 AM
I'm all ears on this idea! |
| NellieBelle |
Posted - Mar 23 2016 : 1:35:19 PM
Interesting Cindy. I believe it was Charlene who suggested feeding from behind the buckets. ;) |
| txbikergirl |
Posted - Mar 23 2016 : 06:43:40 AM
keeley, great minds think alike! i was looking last night and found this flat back bucket that interested me, in black and the tough livestock plastic. its a little giant "better bucket". its long and narrow sides for the cow snout, but tapered on the bottom so the material inside naturally falls backward and doesn't just clump in the bottom. they also make bucket hooks for the walls to hold buckets, and this one holds the lip of the bucket as well as the handle.
this setup is more expensive than what i wanted considering we would need 13-16 depending on the setup, but i ordered one of each to try it out with just a treat and to start seeing what i like/don't about it.
and janet charlene, i am so with you on loading from the other side. my only issue with that right now is the barn/corral setup ;> but working on ideas with lover boy in that direction
 |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 9:00:39 PM
Flat-back buckets and a way to fill it through the wall or fence behind each individual buckets! |
| farmlife |
Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 7:20:38 PM
I can picture this system with heavy duty flat back buckets for sure. |
| txbikergirl |
Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 5:47:40 PM
so i have been reading more about the mineral buffet and doing research since our earlier discussion above, and i found this setup that i like the best so far. its individual buckets bolted to one long piece of wood, and the buckets have space between one another to assist with keeping the minerals not all mixed up.
there is a blog about the Elliot farmstead and their approach to it https://theelliotthomestead.com/2014/08/loose-minerals-for-dairy-cows/
i think i would use a stronger type of bucket, and so looking into that now. and i would use flat back buckets ;> but its a good place to start.
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| Shaina |
Posted - Feb 25 2016 : 10:54:05 AM
Did your goat kid? Funny, my sister called yesterday. They had a goat kid, (one doeling). They have 4 more due next week. We plan on taking the kids over to watch, and feed babies. Growing up we always had Nubians, but now my mom has Saanens. What kind do you have? |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Feb 25 2016 : 09:09:28 AM
Apple cider vinegar seems a simple solution and an easy thing to try to get more females, goat or cow. A lot less expensive than sexed semen, for sure!
Clover is a sweetie and it was such a blessing for me to get her as a calf so I could get used to her size as she grew. Remember I have several goats and I had never been around a cow and was nervous around horses.
Off to the barn as I have a goat possibly kidding today! |
| Shaina |
Posted - Feb 24 2016 : 07:51:09 AM
CloversMum,
My mom has done the same. Last year my mom made sure her goats had lots of ACV before and during breeding season. She ended up with 8 doelings, and only 2 bucks. That's 80% females. Even some sites offering gender selected semen (for cattle) say that with gender select you have a 90% chance of getting the desired gender. Only 10% chance difference in that case. Again, the 80% was with goats, and there is no guarantee that the ACV had anything to do with the outcome. Interesting though, and it might be worth a try.
Oh, and have read the same thing about PH in humans.
Why not cows?
Clover is adorable by the way. The cutest little calf I have ever seen! So petite, with the big Jersey eyes. :) |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 4:44:54 PM
I have also found that if I put apple cider vinegar in my goats' water, then I have a higher percentage of female babies. I'm wondering if that would do the same for cows? Again, the cider would be helping to change the pH balance of the goats. |
| Andrea0509 |
Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 2:29:44 PM
Interesting article, thanks for posting! |
| Mike |
Posted - Feb 21 2016 : 09:21:06 AM
Thank you. |
| Shaina |
Posted - Feb 19 2016 : 3:06:37 PM
I was just wondering about minerals. Currently my heifer only has a bloat block and is given about 1/2 cup of diatomaceous earth per week. I was told that the bloat block should take care of her needs, but I think I need to look into the contents.
Here is an interesting bit on minerals, body ph, and how it might determine the sex of your calf:
There is a better, and often more certain way to obtain the sex you WANT from your best cows. That 14 year old mother cow who calves every year on a 365 day cycle without a whisper of trouble, and gives you one of the biggest calves in your herd? Wouldn’t her bull make a great herd bull for your next generation? How about that beautiful family Jersey with the world’s creamiest milk- don’t you want heifer after heifer out of her?
With careful planning and a minimum of effort and extra expense, there is an easy way to achieve the desired sex of your upcoming calf.
It has to do with the HEALTH OF YOUR COW! A cow must be well mineralized and have a body pH that is moderately alkaline to conceive a HEIFER. If her body pH is more acid, she has a high likelihood of conceiving a BULL. Yes, the bull has a hand in it, but the cow is in control. Have you ever noticed that the majority of calves in the front end of your calving season are usually heifers? Those are the healthiest cows- they bred up, or bred back, the most quickly last year. Site: (http://saboranch.com/category/dairy-cattle/jersey-cattle-for-sale/) |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Feb 18 2016 : 09:20:09 AM
A quick note for Wick's Minerals: their website is down, but they are definitely still in business! Phone number is: 402-925-2475 (Personally I like to check things out on-line first, but they are easy to talk to about your concerns and needs!) |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Feb 18 2016 : 08:36:22 AM
Just a quick update: a few weeks ago I think I mentioned what our cows' diet consisted of and MaryJane reminded me about Wick's minerals which we had just forgotten about.
We now have the cows back on 1/4 cup of minerals/day mixed in with their dairy pellets. Both Flossie's and Clover's milk production increased! A definite result to the needed minerals in their diet. And, at the moment, it works for us to just give that mixture that is pre-mixed. |
| Andrea0509 |
Posted - Feb 12 2016 : 7:13:46 PM
Thank you Cindy, Mary Jane, Keeley and Charlene for each of your insight on this! It's not something I have looked into much and thought it was an interesting concept. What I do currently is kelp meal, DE, sodium bicarb, a Redmond rock, and a loose cattle mineral. Some great points brought up and makes more sense now! Thank you :) |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Feb 12 2016 : 2:47:25 PM
Sounds great and I'm still very much looking forward to our holistic management course! Where we have spread our compost and manure from the animals' shelters, the pastures look so much greener and the grass is taller and lusher (is that a word??). And we haven't needed to reseed too much, but I'm wondering about a variety of seeds so the cows and goats have a variety of choices.
I like Keeley's suggestion for the mineral boxes ... again, so thankful for this chatroom where all of us can bounce ideas off of each other and refine other ideas! |
| txbikergirl |
Posted - Feb 12 2016 : 11:59:41 AM
good idea! i gotta get lover boy on board and let his engineering hat take over.
charlene, we have been doing quite basic stuff really - but i think that is what is missing in most places now. mostly seeding various times a year but with crops that are cut/mowed and left on the ground - so green manure stuff. lover boy is in charge of that so i don't even know everything we have seeded, my mind can only handle so much. but a few times a year i spend a couple of hours with him hand broadcasting our pastures and we are always putting out about three different types of seed.
and then of course we have been walking them and eliminating any pesky stuff before it spreads. and working on drainage constantly, to ensure water run off doesn't stand and kill our pastures . and taking down dead lumber/brush and working on tree/shade/sun balance. i don't want an empty pasture, i have to have trees.
so just good old fashioned maintenance, nothing truly special. but it goes in line with our hollistic management course for next year !
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| farmlife |
Posted - Feb 12 2016 : 11:08:28 AM
If you are making the feeder, then you may be able to make the dividers go up higher so that the cow has to back out to get to the next supplement. That way if there was spillage it would go onto the ground instead of being mixed with the other minerals. In theory anyway... |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Feb 12 2016 : 10:06:00 AM
Cindy, you said that you had been working on the pastures the last few years ... what exactly did you do to them? Did you reseed some of them and, if so, with what?
And, yes, please lead the way with all of the mineral information and then share ... I just don't have the time that I'd like to put forth with all that research.
Love this discussion ... thank you Andrea for bringing it back up and posting your links! |
| maryjane |
Posted - Feb 12 2016 : 08:05:23 AM
Couldn't agree more. Cholesterol is the perfect example,
http://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/the-great-cholesterol-myth-zmfz15ndzhou.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11.17.15%20HW&utm_term=HW%20eNews
The only thing I'd change about the 20+ different minerals would be that they come in individual blocks the cows could lick. I fear the mess those trays are going to look like in no time at all. Even in the author's photo of her brand new set-up, you can see the mixing of them already starting to happen within a few minutes. Slobber and mighty tongues have a tendency to ...
Lead the way, Cindy! I have more questions than I have answers to when it comes to minerals and diet. I'm struggling with Eliza Belle's diet right now and just took a big helping of baking soda to her, free-choice.
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