>make the individual ingredients available free-choice.
Why on earth make the minerals free choice rather than combined
according to the accurate nutritional analysis of the feeds you are
using backed up with lab analysis of animal tissues from butcher
animals?
All the research I have seen shows that other than for salt, animals
will not balance their minerals to their needs accurately.
If I depended on my sheep to balance for our high Mo feeds I'd have
copper deficiency and other problems.
I know folks swear by the free choice method, but when pressed they
are usually feeding forages that are high in nearly everything and
overall fairly well balanced, IOW the animals can pretty much do
whatever they want and be ok. They are also rarely pushing
performance of their stock.
Certainly locally, even stock like bison cannot balance their needs
when on full free range forage with thousands of acres with different
types of stuff to choose from without impacting animal performance in
the form of lost calves and slow rate of gains.
In an intensive grazing situation like I am with my sheep, with no
grain inputs allowed, I have to really watch mineral balance and fine
tune it to keep everyone in good health.
Free choice cafeteria style minerals would be a sure recipe for a
complete disaster here and in most of the western US.
--
Eugenie (Oogie) McGuire - oogiem@desertweyr.com
Weyr Associates - Consulting Services
Desert Weyr - CMK Arabian Horses, Black Welsh Mountain Sheep and Pilgrim Geese
http://www.desertweyr.com/
Paonia, CO USA
