Good pasture and good hay do most of the work. Supplements cover what the forage misses. On the Western Slope that usually means minerals, vitamins, and salt, and sometimes extra protein when winter hay or dormant pasture comes up short.
This page walks through the three kinds of supplements we sell the most of at our Delta store: mineral tubs, loose minerals, and salt. It also covers when your herd needs them most: winter, breeding season, and weaning. Everything below is stocked on our shelves in the Delta Elevator, and it can ride the Wednesday feed truck to your place. Browse the full supplements, minerals, and salt category any time.
Mineral Tubs: The Easy Button
Mineral tubs are the simplest way to get minerals, vitamins, and often extra protein into cattle on pasture. Set the tub out, and cattle lick what they need. No bunks, no daily feeding, nothing to mix.
Tubs make the most sense when your cattle are spread out, when you cannot get to them every day, or when you want something that stands up to weather. Most tubs are built to take rain and snow, so they hold up in a pasture or a calving lot.
We stock several, each built for a different job:
- Vitalix #1 MOS Cattle Tub: an all-around cattle tub. MOS stands for mannan oligosaccharides, a prebiotic added to support gut health. A solid everyday choice for cows on pasture.
- Vitalix #10 Breeder Back Tub: built for brood cows, with the mineral and vitamin levels breeding females need to breed back on time.
- Vitalix Feedlot Tub: a higher-protein tub for cattle on a hotter ration, like calves being backgrounded or cattle in a feedlot pen.
- Keylix Pasture Pro Cattle Lick Tub with Joint Support: a pasture tub with added joint support for older cows or bulls that have some miles on them.
One tub usually serves 20 to 30 head. Put tubs where cattle loaf and water, and keep them back from fences the cattle will crowd. If a tub goes untouched for a week, move it closer to water. If it disappears in two days, add another one.
Loose Minerals: For the Breeding Herd
Loose mineral is the old reliable. It comes in a bag, you pour it in a mineral feeder or an old tire, and you keep it full. Cattle eat a few ounces a day, free choice, meaning it stays out all the time and they take what they want.
Loose mineral is the best pick when you want control over what the herd gets, especially for bred cows and first-calf heifers. Most of our loose minerals carry vitamins A, D, and E, which matter most when cattle are on hay or dormant pasture instead of green grass.
What we keep on the shelf:
- VitaFerm Concept-Aid Cattle Breeding Mineral: a breeding mineral, meant to be fed before and during breeding season to support conception and early pregnancy.
- Cattle Active Mineral: an everyday loose mineral for cows, bulls, and growing cattle.
- Wolf Livestock Mineral Supplement: a straightforward mineral supplement at a working-ranch price.
- Mono-Calcium Phosphate 21% Livestock Mineral: a phosphorus source for country where the forage runs low on phosphorus. If your hay test shows a phosphorus gap, this is the fix.
Keep mineral dry and keep it available at all times. Cattle eat more mineral when they need it and less when they do not, but they cannot eat what is not there. A covered mineral feeder pays for itself.
Salt: The Driver
Here is the part most folks underrate: salt drives everything else. Cattle crave salt, and they will walk to it. Put salt out with your mineral and they find the mineral. Let them run out of salt and intake of everything drops.
Plain white salt does the basic job. Trace mineral salt adds a little extra on top. On spring pasture, bloat guard blocks help manage bloat risk when cattle graze lush legumes. Ask us which fits your pasture.
We stock white salt blocks, trace mineral salt, and Bloat Guard Salt Blocks for Cattle. Keep salt out year round, in every pasture and pen. It is the cheapest supplement you will ever buy, and the one your cattle notice fastest when it is gone.
When to Supplement: Winter, Breeding, and Weaning
Winter. Hay and dormant pasture lose vitamin A fast, and protein drops as grass goes brown. Cows in late pregnancy need to hold body condition through the cold. Keep mineral and salt out all winter, and feed enough hay that cows do not melt off their backs. If hay is poor, a protein tub bridges the gap until spring grass.
Breeding season. Start your breeding mineral 30 to 60 days before the bull goes in. Cows breed back on body condition and mineral status, not on luck. Thin cows with no mineral in front of them settle late or not at all. This is the highest-return window for supplementation on most ranches.
Weaning. Weaning is the most stressful week of a calf’s life. Calves off the cow need familiar feed, clean water, and mineral in front of them from day one. A tub in the weaning pen gives calves something to lick while they settle, and it keeps them gaining instead of bawling the weight off.
A Worked Example: Mineral Math for 40 Cows
Here is how to size a winter mineral program, using typical intake numbers. Most loose minerals are built for cattle to eat 2 to 4 ounces per head per day, free choice.
Take 40 cows at 3 ounces a day. That is 120 ounces, or 7.5 pounds of mineral per day for the herd. Over a 150-day winter, that comes to about 1,125 pounds, or roughly twenty-three 50-pound bags.
Two things to know about that math. First, intake varies with the season, the forage, and the product. Use it for planning, then watch the feeder and adjust. Second, tubs pencil out differently: figure one tub per 20 to 30 head and replace them as they empty. Bring us your head count and your winter feeding dates, and we will size it with you at the counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a mineral tub and loose mineral?
A tub is a hardened block of molasses-based supplement that cattle lick as needed. Loose mineral is a dry mix you keep in a feeder. Tubs are more convenient and stand up to weather. Loose mineral usually costs less per head per day and gives you more control over intake. Both work. Pick the one that fits how often you see your cattle.
How much mineral does a cow eat per day?
Most loose minerals are formulated for 2 to 4 ounces per head per day, free choice. Tubs run a little higher depending on the product. If your cattle are eating far more or far less than that, tell us. It usually means something in the ration needs adjusting.
Do cattle need mineral in winter?
Yes, winter is when they need it most. Hay and dormant pasture are short on vitamin A, and cold weather raises energy needs. Keep mineral and salt out all winter.
Can I feed cattle mineral to sheep or goats?
No. Cattle mineral usually contains copper at levels that can poison sheep. We stock sheep-specific mineral with safe copper levels. Ask us before you buy if you run mixed species.
What is bloat guard?
Bloat guard blocks are salt-based blocks with an anti-foaming ingredient that helps prevent pasture bloat when cattle graze lush legumes like alfalfa or clover in spring. They are a tool, not a guarantee. Ask us how to use them on your pasture.
Do you deliver supplements?
Yes. Mineral tubs, bags of mineral, and salt ride the Wednesday feed truck with everything else. Order by Monday night for Wednesday delivery. Call (970) 874-7689.
Talk to Us About Your Herd
Tell us what you are feeding, how many head, and what stage they are in, and we will match a stocked supplement to the job. Call (970) 874-7689 or stop by the elevator at 551 W 5th St in Delta. Our feed truck runs every Wednesday if you would rather we bring it to you.