Suckler cow boluses

[twizzel]

We are thinking about changing to bolusing our sucklers rather than using Lifeline and GP mineral buckets. Primarily because in the last 12 months we’ve spent over £1200 on the aforementioned buckets for 40 sucklers, which seems excessive to me? The calving pattern is v drawn out so to get the benefit from the lifeline, we are using it nearly year round. We do get a few retained cleansings and slow to suck calves. The growing cattle get GP buckets.

So, bolusing- what brand would people recommend? Do we do the cows plus calves and growing cattle, or just the cows? Or are we better just forking out for the sweetie buckets… I did wonder if we should do some trace element bloods but can we do that if they’re on mineral buckets, or will that give a false result?

 

[Woolless]

I use Mayo boluses. Everything gets them twice a year. Calves get them for the first time in Late January/early February when they are about nine months. Very tight calving here, 14/15 calved in the first four weeks for the second year running.

One thing to bear in mind is that you may still be best having a high mag or 'easy calver' type of bucket out from three weeks calving. My pal, a very good livestock vet and a farmer, is a big advocate of them for preventing calving problems. I didn't bother this year and had a couple of issues, nothing last year when there was a blue tub out.

 

[twizzel]

We could still put mag buckets out, to be honest they don’t plough through them as quick, and would definitely still need them out at grass. The £1200 doesn’t include mag buckets the cows just eat the lifeline and gp mineral buckets like sweets, especially in winter which seems to be a boredom thing. They do get rock salt too.

It would be nice to tighten the cows up but the older generation maybe don’t see the benefits. Probably because they aren’t on calving duty for 9 months of the year

 

[livestock 1]

Cosicure are the best

 

[Whitepeak]

Started bolusing the cows a couple of years ago, after we got through a few tonnes of gp mineral one winter!
Use All-Trace boluses. Cows get done 2mths precalving, bulling heifers done 2mths pre service and yearling heifers at turnout.
Still use Lifeline buckets 6wks precalving but only whilst the cows are inside. Started on the lifelines before the boluses and are a bit reluctant to stop tbh as they helped so much.
Cows are in better condition, calving has tightened up and cows are milking better. Can't put it all down to the boluses as we've changed other management factors as well but I'm sure they've helped.

 

[livestock 1]

Depends what you are aiming to improve or treat. We have a shortage of copper and selenium mainly. All the cows get a bolus once a year the calves get bolused when they are old enough to be done and every 6 months after that. Our vet did a trial on a few brands with bloods and Cosicure came out the best in every respect but the length of effectiveness was much better with Cosicure than the rest. They also do a high iodine one which I haven’t used yet but I have treated an iodine deficiency with the normal ones and they worked however we poured iodine on their backs for the short term in between. They are probably the dearest

 

[som farmer]

We could still put mag buckets out, to be honest they don’t plough through them as quick, and would definitely still need them out at grass. The £1200 doesn’t include mag buckets the cows just eat the lifeline and gp mineral buckets like sweets, especially in winter which seems to be a boredom thing. They do get rock salt too.

It would be nice to tighten the cows up but the older generation maybe don’t see the benefits. Probably because they aren’t on calving duty for 9 months of the year

look to see how much molassas is in them, they will eat some extremely quickly.

we use brinicombe min buckets, and boluses, for 25 yrs or more, tried other brands, and always go back to them.

 

[Whitepeak]

Depends what you are aiming to improve or treat. We have a shortage of copper and selenium mainly. All the cows get a bolus once a year the calves get bolused when they are old enough to be done and every 6 months after that. Our vet did a trial on a few brands with bloods and Cosicure came out the best in every respect but the length of effectiveness was much better with Cosicure than the rest. They also do a high iodine one which I haven’t used yet but I have treated an iodine deficiency with the normal ones and they worked however we poured iodine on their backs for the short term in between. They are probably the dearest

Cosicure has a different mode of action than other types of bolus. It prevents lock up rather than supplements. Most diets have adequate copper, however antagonists (molybdenum, iron etc) prevent it's absorption by the animal. Cosicure locks up the antagonists allowing the animal to absorb the copper already in the diet.
If you are in an area with very high levels of antagonists, most normal boluses still won't counteract the lock up so the animal will still show deficiency.

 

[livestock 1]

look to see how much molassas is in them, they will eat some extremely quickly.

we use brinicombe min buckets, and boluses, for 25 yrs or more, tried other brands, and always go back to them.

Our cows don’t take the DB buckets very fast. Mineral buckets

 

[livestock 1]

Cosicure has a different mode of action than other types of bolus. It prevents lock up rather than supplements. Most diets have adequate copper, however antagonists (molybdenum, iron etc) prevent its absorption by the animal. Cosicure locks up the antagonists allowing the animal to absorb the copper already in the diet.

I didn’t know that. I do know we have high molybdenum due to lead and iron ore though. Not sure where the trials were done had high molybdenum but it was a known mineral deficient area

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I use agrimin smartrace 24/7

 

[livestock 1]

I use agrimin smartrace 24/7

I use them too they are good

 

[som farmer]

Our cows don’t take the DB buckets very fast. Mineral buckets

we find the same, but stock will only take what mineral they need.

add to much molasses, or two much salt, stock will devour them, not for the minerals, but for the sweet molasses.

we are dairy, where perhaps the mineral requirements are more important, because of the volume of milk produced.

We bolus at drying off, and again pre-service, conception rate is around 70% to first service.

we use 'dry cow' buckets, in the pre calving transition period.

 

[livestock 1]

we find the same, but stock will only take what mineral they need.

add to much molasses, or two much salt, stock will devour them, not for the minerals, but for the sweet molasses.

we are dairy, where perhaps the mineral requirements are more important, because of the volume of milk produced.

We bolus at drying off, and again pre-service, conception rate is around 70% to first service.

we use 'dry cow' buckets, in the pre calving transition period.

Have you tried their quick serve buckets? I bought 15 or so a couple of years ago but they didn’t really go at them at all so haven’t bothered since. They were £50 a piece so not cheap

 

[Whitepeak]

I didn’t know that. I do know we have high molybdenum due to lead and iron ore though. Not sure where the trials were done had high molybdenum but it was a known mineral deficient area

I did my uni dissertation on copper, so learnt quite a lot about it. Had a really good conversation with the cosicure reps at trade show one day.

 

[livestock 1]

I did my uni dissertation on copper, so learnt quite a lot about it. Had a really good conversation with the cosicure reps at trade show one day.

We can’t do anything with cattle here without copper

 

[Henarar]

We are thinking about changing to bolusing our sucklers rather than using Lifeline and GP mineral buckets. Primarily because in the last 12 months we’ve spent over £1200 on the aforementioned buckets for 40 sucklers, which seems excessive to me? The calving pattern is v drawn out so to get the benefit from the lifeline, we are using it nearly year round. We do get a few retained cleansings and slow to suck calves. The growing cattle get GP buckets.

So, bolusing- what brand would people recommend? Do we do the cows plus calves and growing cattle, or just the cows? Or are we better just forking out for the sweetie buckets… I did wonder if we should do some trace element bloods but can we do that if they’re on mineral buckets, or will that give a false result?

we stopped using buckets apart from a few for the calves when they are inside and have given the cows these twice a year for a few years now, calves seem more lively at birth

Home - Animax

For over 30 years ANIMAX has spearheaded the development of leading supplementation technologies for agriculture.

animax-vet.com

 

[som farmer]

Have you tried their quick serve buckets? I bought 15 or so a couple of years ago but they didn’t really go at them at all so haven’t bothered since. They were £50 a piece so not cheap

l think anything described as a quick thing, are of doubtful use.

we try and keep things 'right' all the time. We feed the transition diet, with a view for easy calving, no milk fever, or dirty cows. For us, its well proven, milk fevers are rare, retained cleansings, or dirty cows, pretty well restricted to twins, or hard calvings. And the good conception rate. Calving index is 390 days, from 9,ooo litre cows.

 

[Henarar]

we find the same, but stock will only take what mineral they need.

add to much molasses, or two much salt, stock will devour them, not for the minerals, but for the sweet molasses.

we are dairy, where perhaps the mineral requirements are more important, because of the volume of milk produced.

We bolus at drying off, and again pre-service, conception rate is around 70% to first service.

we use 'dry cow' buckets, in the pre calving transition period.

have you ever used agriwise buckets ? they make them in Chard, we use them for the sheep and the few cattle ones we do buy, not to dear and they don't go at them like sweets

Home | Molassed Mineral bucket | Cattle |Sheep - Agri-Wise

Quality mineral bucket feeds for cattle and sheep. In the South West of England, protect your livestock and increase profits.

www.agri-wise.co.uk

 

[livestock 1]

l think anything described as a quick thing, are of doubtful use.

we try and keep things 'right' all the time. We feed the transition diet, with a view for easy calving, no milk fever, or dirty cows. For us, its well proven, milk fevers are rare, retained cleansings, or dirty cows, pretty well restricted to twins, or hard calvings. And the good conception rate. Calving index is 390 days, from 9,ooo litre cows.

I can’t remember wether they are called easy serve or quick serve. We calve all year round use a lot of powdered minerals too.