Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.
Salt Institute
Salt and Trace Minerals newsletter
Spring 2008 (Vol. 40, No. 2)
Salt is a proven intake limiter for grazing cattle. With the rapid expansion of the ethanol industry in the U.S. there is a plentiful supply of byproduct feeds, distillers grains, corn gluten feed, wheat midds, soy hulls and brewers grains. Because most of these byproducts are high in fiber and medium to low in protein, they are best suited to supplement high forage diets for ruminants. Hand feeding supplements is quite expensive, so producers need the most cost-effective self-limiting treatment. Options include a mixture with 16% salt, a mixture of 3% ammonium chloride and 2.25% ammonium sulfate, or 7% calcium hydroxide All are effective, but a recent two-year study found that steers fed the salt-limited supplement had gains that were equal to the hand-fed steers and 20 pounds per animal more than either the ammonium chloride-ammonium sulfate mixture or calcium hydroxide.