Managing magnesiumm without compromising water intake

23 July 2019

Cows need magnesium daily to drive milk production and prevent metabolic issues like grass staggers and milk fever.

A two-pronged approach is ideal; e.g dusting and also adding magnesium chloride to stock drinking water.

It goes without saying water is an essential component of the animal’s diet and impacts their growth and development. There is a direct correlation between water intake and the production of milk and meat. Water maintains key bodily functions such as regulating blood osmotic pressure and helping eliminate the waste products of digestion and metabolism.

When your Dosatron or dispenser is delivering magnesium and other medication to your cows, it's important to remember to provide adequate, accessible and palatable drinking water. Grazing animals can drink two to three times the volume of food they eat each day. Lactating dairy cows need water to produce milk, stay hydrated and have access to critical trace element and minerals.

The problem is cows dislike the bitter taste of magnesium and often their water intake is reduced unless something is added to overcome this unpalatability. A reduction in water intake at this time of year could compromise the cow’s ability to have access to their daily magnesium requirement to prevent grass staggers and milk fever. Incorporating Caramillo into your Dosatron solution tank is a clever way to rectify this problem. Caramillo is both a masking and flavouring agent which disguises the smell and the taste of magnesium which creates unpleasant water. It encourages cows to drink and maintain water intake for health and production benefits.

The recommended dose is 20 to 40 millilitres (mL) of Caramillo per kilogram (kg) of magnesium used. So if you’re dosing a 20kg bag of magnesium per day you only need to add 400mL to 800mL of Caramillo Masking and Flavouring Agent to your Dosatron. If you are dosing at the highest rates of magnesium, use the 40mL dose rate of Caramillo per kilogram of magnesium. Remember, the more magnesium in the animal’s drinking water, the more bitter the taste!

Helpful hints when dosing magnesium

• Ensure your Dosatron solution tank is sized correctly. For every kg of magnesium, you require at least five litres of water to ensure full hydration. Therefore a 400 cow herd would require a 200L solution tank.
• Add Caramillo daily to the solution tank so cows always have palatable water.
• Look for Dosatron Approved Products, they carry the approved logo so you know you are buying products suitable for water medication.
• Don’t miss any days, cows need magnesium and other trace elements daily.

Article supplied by Bell-Booth Ltd