Heifers from six months of age, dry cows and slaughter calves are typically grouped in pens, and should of course have their feed ration balanced with minerals:

  • Mineral feeds can advantageously be offered through a Pitstop feeder. It means labour saving compared to giving mineral feeds as top dressing. The method also respects that animals are biological creatures with different needs. After all, in a group of seemingly similar animals, there are still big differences in their daily growth and other things influencing their nutritive needs.
  • It is a good idea to place a Pitstop feeder with, for example, slaughter calves or small heifers that may not be accustomed to receiving mineral supplements because they are expected to be well supplied via their feed ration. This ensure everyone gets minerals and vitamins in accordance with their individual needs.

It is important to use free-choice minerals in a Pitstop feeder, meaning mineral mixtures with a slightly higher salt content. This avoids an excess intake of mineral feeds and ensures at the same time an intake that is sufficient for the animals to be able to utilize their feed ration optimally and maintain good health, production and reproduction. Read more about our recommendations for the composition of free-choice mineral feeds here.

Typically, the intake of mineral feeds is 30-120 grams per animal per day, least for calves and most for cows, but highly dependent on the content of minerals in their feed ration. In groups of transition cows at the beginning of their lactation, we have recorded an intake of 50-100 grams of extra mineral feeds per cow per day, in addition to the intake of minerals via their feed ration – read our previous post on this here and read more about Pitstop here..

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