Nutrition
Managing Free-Choice Mineral Intake
By the Hubbard Feeds Beef Team
The “corner post” of any cow nutrition
program should be a year-round
mineral program. Every rancher
knows that to build a good fence,
you must have a good corner post.
In the same way, building a sound
beef cow nutrition program starts
with a sound mineral program.
Supplemental minerals are beneficial
because they are involved in
several biological functions, so it is
important to ensure proper intake
to get the maximum benefit. If the
cow eats too little, her performance
may suffer. If she eats too much,
extra cost will be incurred.
Mineral intake must be managed,
even when offered free-choice.
Hubbard Feeds mineral formulations
are very appetizing to cows, but there
is more to getting cattle to consume
the right amount of mineral than
delivering a palatable product. Many
18 | AUGUST 2018
factors enter into determining the
amount and frequency of free-choice
minerals consumed by a cow, such
as environmental conditions, pasture
topography, grazing patterns, location
of shade, number and placement of
watering stations, and soil fertility. Too
often, mineral feeders are conveniently
placed near the gate, rather than
considering ideal placement based on
cattle behavior and traffic patterns.
Reaching mineral targets
Most Hubbard minerals (e.g.,
Stockmaster® and Blueprint®) are
formulated with a target intake of 4
ounces, or 0.25 pounds, per head per
day. That is equivalent to 1.75 pounds
per cow per week (7 pounds per cow per
month) or 200 feedings per 50-pound
bag. We want to manage intake so that
free-choice minerals are consumed
at or near that target. The following
principles can help to achieve this goal:
1. A mineral feeder should be
provided for every 15 to 20 head.
• Feeders that are at ground level
will encourage mineral intake.
• Minerals fed in a feeder where
the tub is off the ground (12
to 24 inches) will lower intake.
2. The location and number
of feeding stations must be
adjusted to control intake.
• Moving a feeder as little as
50 yards can sometimes
make a huge difference in intake.
• Adjust for low intake (and
encourage increased intake).
Place feeders closer to shade,