Whether you are raising cattle, sheep or goats, your animals depend on you to provide them with the protein and nutrients they need to stay healthy. To make sure they get what they need, you can supplement their feed with mineral augmentation, especially since winter is coming and foraging won’t be as plentiful as it is during other seasons.

Let’s look at the nutritional needs of your cattle. Whether your cows are beef or dairy cattle, supplements can be a great help. If your cattle have a protein deficiency, you’ll often see diminished appetite and weight loss, poor growth, lower levels of milk production, and even diminished reproduction performance. When it comes to protein supplementation, the most optimum time to offer it is during the summer, with July and August being the most crucial months.

You can supplement your cattle’s feed with the following minerals for optimum health:

Phosphorus – your forages diminishes in this mineral in late Summer and Fall and is lowest in the Winter.
Magnesium – lowest in late Winter and early Spring, and can result in grass tetany, a metabolic disease.
Salt (sodium chloride) – necessary for maintaining your cow’s nervous and muscular system function all year round.
Calcium – provides strong bones that resist breakage. If your cows are lactating, calcium will help maintain milk production.
Zinc – helps with male reproduction, immunity, skin and hoof health.
Copper – deficiency occurs in the late Winter or Spring, it can impact fertility, postpartum interval, or a depressed immune system.
Selenium – low levels can lead to white muscle disease in new calves, weakness, and lowered immunity.

Other minerals they need include potassium, sulfur, manganese, cobalt, iron, and iodine. The good news is, you can find mineral supplements in either a mineral block your livestock can lick or in a loose mineral form that you can add to their feed or in a separate mineral feeder. We’ve found that the most cost-effective way to contain loose minerals is in a mineral feeder. Our heavy-duty containers effectively keep your livestock’s minerals out of the inclement weather.

With D-S Livestock Equipment, you can rest assured we have a track record of providing quality equipment with a wide range of livestock equipment. We understand how important a mineral feeder with sufficient capacity is for healthy livestock, especially during all kinds of inclement weather.

We offer two kinds of mineral feeders; the MF1 and MF2. These mineral feeders are each a one-piece molded polyurethane feeder that comes in a round, 36-inch steel base which rotates with the wind to help minimize the feed’s exposure to rain, sleet, snow, and other forms of precipitation.

Our MF1 holds about 50 pounds of mineral supplement. The MF2 holds around 20 pounds of mineral. You’ll find that the feeder edge on MF1 is 15-inches while MF2 is 13 inches from the ground.

If you are in the market for a high-quality mineral feeder for your livestock operation, you can give us a call at 800-949-9997 to get the information you need. We ship throughout the United States as well as internationally, and up to 95% of our orders can be shipped within the first 24 hours after your order.