Overview on minerals for dairy and dry cows.
The correct balance of minerals, trace elements and vitamins is essential to achieve maximum performance from high genetic merit dairy cows. Mineral nutrition requirements of the animal to achieve optimal performance with the ration being fed is often overlooked, limiting the ability of the cow to utilise other nutrients to their full extent. Modern rations require lower phosphorus but much higher calcium than traditional diets dependant on forages and straights fed. Supplementary calcium often required to balance the diet and herd performance.

TBA offer full technical support to help choose the most suitable product for your system. If required, we can design a custom made mineral to suit specific requirements. Forage mineral analysis is always used to identify current mineral status allowing us to design a mineral specifically for your farm. Where a requirement is shown, we can accurately amend our mineral nutrition to help address any areas of concern including:

• Fertility / milk fever / metritis / retained placenta
• Somatic cell counts / mastitis
• Lameness / foot health
• Acidosis / rumen function

TBA work with companies and professionals from across the world to ensure our mineral nutrition is at the leading edge. We also take pride in working with a range of manufacturers across the UK to ensure the correct solutions are produced for your cows. Manufacturers such as Premier Nutrition, pictured above, offer pharmaceutical manufacturing conditions allowing us to incorporate minerals and supplements at pin point accuracy making them as economical as possible without losing the quality product we pride ourselves on delivering.

Minerals Menu

Courtesy of Premier Nutrition.

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Outline of chelated technology.

Protected trace elements – Chelates
Why is there a need for protected trace elements? Protected trace elements are commonly known as chelates. They help provide the correct “balance” of trace elements which is essential for optimum performance of all livestock. Each element is required by the animal to a specific level. This can be upset by the presence of too much or too little of some other trace elements. Some “nutrients” are also known to be “antagonistic” (to lock up) to other trace elements e.g. molybdenum when combined with sulphur in the rumen will cause what is commonly known as a thiomolydate which is highly antagonistic to copper absorption. Because of these antagonistic elements, minerals supplied in the traditional form can become “locked up” before they can be absorbed by the animal, rendering them useless.

What are they?

Protected trace elements are mineral atoms encased by organic molecules (usually amino acids). They are often referred to as “chelated” or “organic” trace elements. Key trace elements in this area are:

• Manganese
• Copper
• Zinc
• Selenium