best move, job sorted, next problemLiving on Exmoor is our problem, bad deficiency over moors, our soil tests have always shown very low iodine levels.
Iodine
- Thread starter Beef farmer
- Start date
organicguy
Member
- Location
- North East of the south west
We have had historic low iodine levels, going as far back as soil mineral analysis has been taken.
Organic milk had a low iodine issue which has been rectified by inclusion in cake.
We use organic bolus at drying off but still add potassium iodide to water troughs precalving. If we miss 2 weeks we get still births.
Just been told by our milk buyer that the iodine in our milk is too high! WTF.
June sample, no cake, bolused a year ago, no iodine in plant wash, only iodine teat spray which I think is not used enough. ?????
Organic milk had a low iodine issue which has been rectified by inclusion in cake.
We use organic bolus at drying off but still add potassium iodide to water troughs precalving. If we miss 2 weeks we get still births.
Just been told by our milk buyer that the iodine in our milk is too high! WTF.
June sample, no cake, bolused a year ago, no iodine in plant wash, only iodine teat spray which I think is not used enough. ?????
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
Before being on LMS we always offered as lib iodised salt in the yard.
Your simplest way will be do knock up a little trailer that holds rock salt and iodised salt and just move it with the cows.
Your simplest way will be do knock up a little trailer that holds rock salt and iodised salt and just move it with the cows.
Mixed up some 10% iodine 50:50 with water this avo ready for tomorrow morning as we run them through and read the test.
Thanks all.
Much appreciated.
Iodine stains skin real bad!!
Thanks all.
Much appreciated.
Iodine stains skin real bad!!
Princess Pooper
Member
- Location
- East Mids
We do use iodine post- dip on milkers, and an expensive dry cow bolus the Oligovet one which I think is sold exclusively by XL vets, but our colostrum quality improved as a result. Vets did quite a bit of research before deciding which one to go with and it lasts 12 weeks, we give them on dry-off day. We feed no other minerals to any cows although all except the dries and in-calf heifers get milking cow cake. We use a Lifeline pre-calver bucket for the heifers.
I thats it
Member
Donald trump would pay good money for the fake tan iodine gives you [emoji23]
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Should aqueous based iodine rather than spirit based which can burn the skin
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
If your cows are drinking from water troughs, is it an option to just mix some potassium iodide crystals in the water? I buy 1kg tubs from eBay suppliers for £62, and it wouldn't take much at a time (you'd need to work out a dosing rate though).
Instantly look like your a Benson &Hedges fan!Mixed up some 10% iodine 50:50 with water this avo ready for tomorrow morning as we run them through and read the test.
Thanks all.
Much appreciated.
Iodine stains skin real bad!!
Adam@Rumen
Member
- Location
- Nantwich/Rishton
You can, just watch out for badgers when out at grass though
put some in the yard so they could get it after they had been milked ?
- Location
- somerset
need to watch iodine levels very closely, if feeding rape/kale, we just pour on weak iodine mix, along there backs, cheap, easy, and highly successful ! Iodine tablets, were stockpiled by HM parliament, for use if attacked with nuclear weapons, very easily absorbed through the skin/gut. Why, for nuclear attack, no idea.
ollie989898
Member
Have minerals In a dry cow roll, or a bagged mineral spread on silage. Actual dairy cows put all required minerals in their cake or blend. Would think iodine and usual trace elements were put in formulated feeds the majority of the time.
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
It’s actually a difficult one to test for. Doing straight iodine on blood is fine and if it’s low then probably an issue. However to be correct you need to check thyroid function as it’s the thyroid that needs iodine. The thyroid function tests are expensive and not very reliable in ruminants unfortunately. Probably explains why your blood levels are ok but they respond to iodine supp. You must have goitrogens in the diet making the blood Iodine unavailable to the thyroid.That’s what I’m looking at doing.Just getting boxes ticked with my vets currently.
Do you import it yourself, or through a company making a very healthy profit for doing so?
I’m not convinced how much bloods tell me tbh. My sheep bloods are coming back as ok for Iodine after bolusing, but we are suffering from clinical iodine deficiency, which stops almost overnight when I give a KI drench. Testing the lambs has shown that antibody absorption from colostrum has been good, so not overdosed the iodine. It’s all taking a bit of sorting tbh.
Beames
Member
- Location
- South wales
I had the same problem a few years ago. Used an iodine based pour on from mayo. Link below.
ollie989898
Member
Living on Exmoor is our problem
Yeah, cripes knows what you have in that soil up there. Lead, tin, uranium...
About the only way to reliably ensure they get minerals is either from boluses or some kind of compound feed. I wouldn't trust funky fertilisers to do it, way too much interaction going on in a soil to be reliable in my view.
Silage? Cake? Blend? Dry cow roll? Don't think least cost dairying is your thing.
8% still borns last year was the 1st symptom. Then 1% slipped calf at 6 weeks pre calving this year, so took the bloods. Was ways told by vet that coastal farms don't do iodine deficiency....