Summer Grazing & Supplements: 9 Essential Vitamins and Minerals Your Stock Need

Summer can be a challenging time for farmers in Australia for a number of reasons, grazing and nutrition for stock are high on the list. 

The availability of many vitamins and minerals changes dramatically when green feed is no longer available so your animals will need a helping hand over the summer months. While stock graze on dry feed over the warmer months, quality vitamin and mineral supplements will help keep them in premium condition, healthy and happy. 

The right supplements help stimulate microbial activity in the digestive system which helps stock better utilise dry feed, for example by making more digestible protein available through urea, or by making up shortfalls in energy through molasses, etc.

 

9 Essential Vitamins and Minerals Your Stock Need: 

Calcium

Supports a strong skeleton and correct functioning of the nervous and muscular system

Copper

Vital for immunity and reproduction

Phosphorous

Necessary for milk synthesis, building teeth and bones and metabolising macronutrients. 

Selenium

Important in supporting immunity and reproductive outcomes

Sulphur

Important for growth, affecting wool, meat and milk production

Urea

Optimises digestion

Vitamin E 

Critical for normal muscle function, immunity and reproductive performance

Vitamin B12 

Essential for protein synthesis and both carbohydrate and fat metabolism

Zinc

Supports healthy skin, hooves, gut linings and reproductive organs

   

What’s the best way to supplement vitamins and minerals for your stock? 

We recommend loose licks and lick blocks. These provide an ideal mineral, vitamin and trace element balance with the huge advantage is that they can be consumed by stock as needed.  

 

Our most popular loose licks and lick blocks include:  

1. The WA made Great Aussie Stock Aid loose licks, with Original Mix and Original Mix + 6% Urea options to support condition in sheep and cattle.
2. Olsson’s 007 Mineral Lick Block to keep your horses happy over summer. This supplies the essential minerals as well as a range of other trace elements and molasses.
3. Bio-John Superior Calcium Sulphur Loose Lick is a loose lick for sheep that supports immunity and reproductive performance.  It features high levels of calcium, sulphur and sodium and a wide range of minerals, trace elements and vitamins Including Vitamins A, B, D & E, selenium, iron, zinc and copper. 
4. WA made Morgan’s Feed Supplies loose licks and lick blocks.

 

All of these products include key minerals such as calcium, sulphur and phosphorous and a range of vitamins and trace elements.

 

Alternatives to lick blocks

FarmCo stock a number of other supplements that can be either administered orally or, for convenience, added to drinking water.  Some of these popular products include: 

1. Anitone Acts as a tonic and supports digestive efficiency.
2. Zagrosol AD3E which provides vitamins A, D and E.
3. Cobalife VB12 injections to manage vitamin B12 deficiency in sheep and cattle. 
4. Australian made Advanced Feeds Vitamin E Liquid Concentrate for horses which is conveniently mixed into food to maintain vitamin E levels when horses are on dry feed.  
5. WSD’s Keymin which provides selenium, cobalt and copper.
6. WSD’s Keyvit 600 which provides critical vitamin E.  

 

Remember to monitor your livestock’s requirements and supplement as required.  Talk to a vet if you’re unsure. For all your supplement product questions, contact the FarmCo team here.