Its Tetany and Bloat Lick Block time

Spring has certainly sprung, and the pasture has gone crazy.

It really does depend on what type of pasture and your area as to whether you need to put out blocks and what type to use.

For us, bloat is our risk because of our high clover and lucerne content in the pasture, but we find that blocks just don't cut it. They don't work well enough if there is a real risk of bloat, it requires every cow to consume so much block every day. It is leaving too much to chance. We find bloat drench in their water a much more effective method of preventing bloat, they drink multiple times each day so are treating themselves every time they drink. Once the water with the drench hits their rumen it works straight away.

If a pasture doesn't have much legume content or young rye grass, there is very little risk of bloat, so treatment isn't really necessary.

Also if you have a pasture high in legumes the risk of grass tetany is very low, the greatest risk is cereal forage or young actively growing grasses that are low in Magnesium content.

It's horses for courses, you use what is needed for your individual situation and the type of pasture you have.

We make up our own licks, a bag of coarse salt, a shovelful or 2 of lime, a box of Epsom salts, and then mix in just enough molasses to colour it up a bit and make it attractive to them.

And they just don't touch it ever. LOL

Doesn't matter what mineral blocks or licks we put out, they just get wrecked in the paddock, the cows never touch them. Obviously they can't be needing them.

Regards Louise