Minerals have a very important role to play in a cow’s diet all year round, but pre and post calving is when deficiencies will become most visible and so prevention is better than cure. We are now growing a lot more grass on farms than we were a decade ago, this additional off take will obviously remove extra minerals as well. Other factors include geographical areas of land being naturally high or low in minerals. There are many veins of land within our catchment area that are well known to be low in Copper and Selenium, and/or high in Molybdenum which can potentially cause a lock up of minerals and trace elements in the soil.  Imbalances present themselves in three forms, non-clinical, sub-clinical & clinical, Non clinical being the hardest to detect, and if left untreated will become sub clinical.

Liffey Mills Diamond Dairy & Optisaf Breeder Mineral contains full rates of standard pre-mix mineral designed for the exact feeding rate of the cube or ration, and also boasts of MAXIMUM inclusion rates of PROTECTED Copper, Selenium, Zinc, Biotin & Yeast with the Optisaf offering higher levels of Yeast for lower feeding rates.

• Protected Copper is essential for growth, white blood cell function, support for production and maintenance of the rumen function.
• Protected Selenium is essential for general cow health, immunity and most of all fertility.
• Protected Zinc is also essential for immunity, skin care and hoof health
• Biotin is essential for milk production as it regulates glucose production, it also plays a vital role in improving hoof strength and hoof health.
• Yeasts are important to stimulate bacterial activity in the rumen and keep pH steady.

For further information on our extensive range of feeds and protected minerals, contact your local branch or technical sales advisor.