The average livestock grazing system targeted to produce and consume as much as 10 tonnes of dry matter per hectare (4 tonnes per acre). However, 50 – 80% of forage-producing fields are currently underutilised. The right livestock mineral block can make all the difference.
Whether grazed all-year-round or housed in the winter, ruminant animals hold the key to both dry matter intake and dry matter digestion – two intrinsically linked impactors on homegrown forage utilisation, as well as animal health.
Top tip: Keep in touch with the latest grass growth data from AHDB.
Lifting the lid on nutritional balancing
Put simply, ruminants (rumen bugs) fundamentally require sufficient sugar (energy) in the diet to be able to digest forage efficiently. The more efficiently ruminants can digest dry matter, the more dry matter they can physically intake. This helps to drive yields off homegrown forage.
However, even the lushest of forages can be imbalanced and frequently deficient in one or more critical nutrients required by the productive ruminant. This challenge is at its highest when, for example:
- Livestock are fed on autumn or winter grass that is typically lower in sugar and protein
- Prepartum animals have naturally compromised appetites, suppressing dry matter intakes
- Weaning youngstock with an underdeveloped rumen and immune system
- Turning out onto spring grass with ‘diluted’ levels of magnesium and other trace elements
Making forage go further through nutrition balancing doesn’t have to be pricey or complex!
A Crystalyx feed lick will top-up sugar in the diet to increase the rate and extent of digestion and dry matter intake. They also offer a full complement of minerals and vitamins essential to digestion, immunity, reproduction, and development. By putting out a few buckets in the shed or field now and again, you stand to balance forage and improve its utilisation.
Livestock mineral blocks are not all made equal
Feed lick bucket value performance hinges on two factors: nutritional composition and physical consistency.
All Crystalyx feed lick buckets are manufactured using a unique process that consistently drives moisture levels down to below 3 percent; up to 17 percent lower than traditional blocks. This process makes Crystalyx especially nutrient-dense, supplying animals with nutrients at the required levels for up to three times longer than some other mineral licks. Additionally, the hard consistency makes it difficult for the highly-palatable lick to be gorged on, and prevents degradation and breaking up in adverse weather.
Crystalyx offers an extensive range of feed lick solutions suited for different scenarios. Each formulated with specially selected ingredients to balance particular deficiencies or support a particular lifecycle phase at a particular time of year.
Which livestock mineral block to feed, and when?
Crystalyx Easy Breather
This calf lick features menthol and eucalyptus to naturally aid and maintain a healthy respiratory system. This helps to alleviate stress in calves and sheep during autumn/winter housing months. Crystalyx Easy Breather also stimulates dry feed intakes, helping to improve growth, strength, and vigour in young animals. The inclusion of a unique MOS (mannan oligosaccharides) also reduces the ability of performance-inhibiting pathogens to colonise the gut wall.
Research-proven: A trial conducted by Krakow University reported that calves supplemented with Crystalyx Easy Breather consumed 30.9 percent more starter diet during the first 34 days, resulting in an 8 percent increase in growth rates
Crystalyx Extra High Energy
This sheep lick tubs feature 16 ME of MJ per kg dry matter. Crystalyx Extra High Energy can be fed all year round for only 4-6p per ewe per day. If fed from tupping to lambing, ewes stay in top condition for ovulation, foetal development and milk production.
Research results: A study conducted by Newcastle University reported an 11 percent increase in scanning rates and a 12 percent increase in live lamb numbers, when feeding ewes with Crystalyx Extra High Energy.
Crystalyx Pre-Calver
This cow supplement features increased levels of magnesium. This helps to greatly reduce the risk of milk fever and slow calving’s. The energy, protein and trace elements also help to retrieve condition during the dry period prior to calving.
Research result: A study conducted by the University of Parma reported that dry cows fed with Crystalyx Pre-Calver produced significantly better colostrum and 14 percent more milk over the first 100 days. A study conducted by the University of Auckland reported a 5 percent reduction in the instances of mastitis, 8 percent less instances of retained placenta, and a 3 percent reduction in cases of milk fever.
