Summer challenges for dairy herds often involve heat stress, which can trigger a spiral of reduced appetite, lower feed intake, dehydration and reduced milk yield and quality.
Summer-stressed pastures can reduce feed availability and quality, contributing to lower energy intake. Herbage testing highlights losses of key minerals and trace elements, reinforcing the need to prepare both lactating cows and young stock before summer pressures begin.
Injectable trace elements can provide a practical way to support animals before periods of increased demand, particularly where testing or the existing supplementation programme indicates a gap.
Lactating dairy cows
Every day, minerals and trace elements leave the farm with the tanker, so it’s important to keep supplementation front of mind. Feed conversion drives milk production and cow condition, while summer pastures can lack cobalt, selenium, iodine and magnesium, to name a few. We often also see cows’ blood status diminish during these challenging summers.
Depending on your trace element programme and current blood status, consider either CobalJect + Selenium 2000 (B12/Selenium) or InjectaMax (contains selenium, copper, cobalt, zinc and manganese) to boost cows after milk peak and hold before summer.
Young stock
Once heifers or beef calves are weaned and before they head off farm, InjectaMax can be a good injectable option containing five critical trace elements: selenium, copper, cobalt, zinc and manganese. Rapidly growing animals need support for growth and development, so InjectaMax at 1mL/50kg for calves or 1mL/75kg for 1-2-year-olds will support the daily liveweight gains needed to rear a productive animal.
If you generally inject with a B12/ Selenium, consider upgrading to InjectaMax to provide three additional important elements: copper, zinc and manganese.
Autumn cows
With drying off next on the plan for autumn-calving herds, now is the time to prepare cows for the next calving. After 275 or more days of lactation, blood testing is recommended to guide farmers for a dry-off and pre-calving trace element plan.
Just before drying cows off, consider giving the herd a boost with Horizon InjectaMax to help set them up for autumn and winter while supporting the later stages of pregnancy.
Feeding summer crops
When brassica crops such as turnips, kale and swedes, or fodder beet, form part of the cow’s diet, remember to provide an iodine source. The Horizon Iodine Injection provides a long-acting, slow-release iodine injection, administered two months before feeding.
Benefits of multi-mineral injectables
- Rapidly absorbed
- Chelated formulation
- Convenient to use and easy to administer just under the skin
- No milk or meat withholding periods • Dose range suitable for both young and mature animals
For more information, talk to your local Farm Source TSR or store member.
