Cow Supplement

During the colder weeks of the winter when not much is growing, the cows need supplemental minerals in addition to the hay bales that are set out.

In the past we used a supplement called 2-in-1, that our local feed store mixed up, which was cotton seed, molasses, salt and other minerals. Remind yourself here. They came in 50 pound bags that had to be put out, one a day, on most days. The cows love it. As soon as they saw us coming with it, they would almost stampede to get to the troughs. But it was labor intensive and needed to be purchased and picked up every week or so. Each bag cost about $11, so over the winter we might spend $1000.

This past winter we tried a new kind of supplement which was more of a "lick" in a huge bucket. Each bucket weighed about 250 pounds and had to be delivered to the house by the supplier, and then took two people to set them out in the field. The cows liked it, but were less anxious since it couldn't be eaten too fast and was always there when they wanted it. The buckets were pricey, at about $375 a bucket, but we only needed four to get us through the winter. So even though it cost more, it was a superior supplement and ended up being much easier.