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Where freshly calved cows are going out to grass, it is important these animals are well covered for magnesium.
While conditions are much more favourable for grazing, temperatures are low and there is a risk of ground frost overnight.
Low dry matter grazing swards will be highly digestible, which increases the risk of tetany in lactating animals.
Avoid grazing freshly calved cows on swards that have received slurry recently
Where possible, avoid grazing freshly calved cows on swards that have received slurry recently or fertiliser containing potash for at least 12 to 14 days after application.
Magnesium
Magnesium can be offered in multiple ways, but the most common method will be lick buckets. As a rule of thumb, go with one bucket for every 10 cows.
Using a mineral bolus is also a good way to cover cows for magnesium, but will require additional handling of animals.
Magnesium offered in water troughs also works well. Feeding a high-magnesium ration is a good idea for additional supplementation, as is offers cows a small quantity of hay to provide more fibre in the diet, thereby slowing down the animal’s digestion.
SHARING OPTIONS: