Since using a bolus for cows …
“Cattle make better use of what they eat.”
…the very words of beef and sheep farmer – Roy Magowan from County Down in Northern Ireland.
Feeding cows is expensive. In fact, feed costs can account for around 60% of total variable costs. Feeding cows is also time consuming, with plentiful hours spent on growing, storing and distributing it. Ensuring animals are equipped to make use of every ounce of bought-in and homegrown forage, is vital.
Even if forage is plentiful enough to supply all energy and protein needs, most is deficient in one or more of the trace elements. These are essential to a ruminants’ ability to utilise nutrients in forage fully. That literally means that feed will come out the back end rather than valuable productive output!
Much of Northern Ireland’s grass, silage, and hay are deficient in essential trace elements. Without supplementation, a deficiency is likely, and digestion, reproduction, and immunity will be compromised.
Bolus for cows put to the test
To put ANIMAX Tracesure to the test, Roy Magowan bolused a batch of smaller continental-cross heifers and left a batch of bigger heifers without. By the time the bolused heifers were finished and sold, he says the originally better batch “were still miles behind, despite getting extra meal.”
Since then, Roy boluses at spring turnout and again at housing and reports “a massive difference” as a result.
“They work really well for me,” Roy says. “Animals not only gain more weight, their coats look better too. These boluses clearly allow cattle to make better use of what they eat.”
Check out the AHDB trace element study
With a single hit of the ANIMAX Tracesure bolus for cows, cattle have a consistent trickle of trace elements for up to 6 months. It’s a mode of supplementation you can count on, because every animal counts.
Feed efficiency is relevant on any beef, dairy and sheep system. Feed efficiency is perhaps the most critical in the winter when animals are housed. At this time, they are dependant on forage and feed which is more expensive than grazed grass. By bolusing at a time that coincides with other tasks – such as worming – animals have enough trace elements to digest expensive feeds effectively.
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