HIMALAYAN ROCK SALT: WHY WE SHOULD FEED IT TO OUR CATTLE
Many dairy s have long been giving their stock Himalayan Rock Salt, with many now following suit. But what are the benefits?
Many dairy farmers across the country have begun giving
their livestock Himalayan Rock Salt and are lauding the benefits, but what are
the benefits and what is Rock Salt?
Himalayan rock salt, mined in the Himalayas, is a great way of boosting your
animal’s efficiency. The benefits of rock salt were first noticed when sick
elephants were seen traveling miles to find it.
It is particularly important for cattle, as it provides them with a range of
vital minerals, with results showing it greatly improves the overall health of
cattle. The salt encourages saliva flow, which then helps increase the ph of
your animal’s rumen. Sodium, of course, is an essential element in the diet in
most animals, including cattle.
ANIMAL LICKING
HIMALAYAN SALT
Unlike artificially made licks, these Himalayan salt licks offer numerous health advantages to animals. These are as pure as was the ocean 250million years ago. It has been undergone through a longest natural manufacturing process spanning 250 million years. During this process, nature had added 84 precious minerals and trace elements in the right proportion, at right time and under right temperature and pressure.
This natural process started when primal ocean got dried up by the sun energy leaving behind the largest bed. With the passage of time, this seabed gets covered up by trillions of tons of rocks and earth and went completely hidden and unapproachable by living creature on the planet in that region. The site where all this happened is known as Himalayan foothills nowadays.
It was only in 326 BC when Alexander the great in his quest to conquer the world passed through this valley. He along with his soldiers and horses camped in this beautiful valley.One of his soldiers suddenly noticed that horses instead of grazing grass, licking the rocks and this is how they discovered these Himalayan crystal salt deposits.
These Himalayan crystal salt licks are more than a salt, rather these are complete health supplement both for human and other living creature including those of animals, horses, cows, buffaloes, cattle, sheep, camels & Pet animals licking salt.
Salt deficiencies is more troublesome in cattle, as they always need salt every day for: (Na) osmotic pressure maintenance, acid-base balance, body-fluid balance, nerve transmission and active transport of amino acids, as well as cellular uptake of glucose carrier protein, and Na, as a part of salt, is a major cation of extracellular fluid and provides the majority of alkaline reserve in plasma. Chlorine is necessary for activation of amylase, formation of gastric HCl acid, and is involved in respiration and regulation of blood pH. Deficiency of salt include muscle cramps, rough coat, decreased feed intake, licking and chewing various objects, as well as decreased production. Dairy cows get hit the hardest first with salt deficiency and may collapse and die if they have been salt deficient for a long period of time.
We select the food grade rocks of salt crystal to craft these natural licks. These rocks are hard and an animal cant bite the chunk off as compared to artificially made licks…These are weather resistant. Licks are made in different weights and provided with a handy rope for easy hanging on fences and branches of trees in the pasture. Himalayan Rock Salt Licks are literally ‘rock hard’, which means that animals are unable to bite chunks off, a problem that can occur with the softer ‘pressed’ salt licks. The licks are also much more weather-resistant and can be hung up in the field for animals to ‘self-dose’, exactly as nature intended.
BIRD & ANIMAL FEED MIX SALT
Most plant cells do not contain enough sodium to meet the needs of our domestic animals. Therefore all our animals should be fed salt to ensure their good health and best possible production and performance.
When given free access to salt lick it is difficult to know how much salt the animals actually get. Trials have shown that cows will lick about 30-60 grams, horses lick 20-40 grams and sheep licks 10-15 grams of salt lick per day. However the individual variation was evident. Most animals are able to avail themselves of its maintenance needs if they have free access to salt lick. Animals not able to support their salt need via salt lick must be fed with salt mixed into the feed. We recommend that all animals should have free access to salt licks all year. Animals with large salt needs should be fed with extra salt. When feeding salt the animals should always have free access to water.
INSTANT BENEFITS:
There are many benefits, the first of which is increased milk yields.
This is why dairy farmers are increasingly using the supplement, with trials
showing it can increase yields by almost 13%!
Another benefit is that it helps animals get more out of their feed. That is
when given Rock Salt, they are better able to digest the feed and make the most
of its nutritional value. In dairy cows, the salt actually helps balance the
sodium-potassium ration in their diets.
HEALTH BENEFITS:
There are also many health benefits connected with giving your cattle
Rock Salt. Rock salts contain over 80 different trace elements, with many
minerals of benefit to the bovine breed and their heatlh.
Rock salts help reduce Cud Ball, reduce the risk of Frothy Bloat, harden up the
hooves of your animal, Helpx improve blood formation - which helps improve
fertility, and it also helps stop cattle from drinking their own urine.
PROBLEMS WITHOUT SALT:
Should your animal have a sodium restriction in its diet for a long
period, it could cause serious damage.
A prolonged restricted period can cause permanent central nervous system
damage, can result in lower daily weight gain and usually results in a poorer
feed conversion rate. It also brings your animal down to a lower quality grade.
Sodium is vital for cattle, to prevent severe performance issues. An animal’s
fertility, milk production, and growth are all affected should it become
deficient. Cattle have a potassium-rich diet, as they consume a high quantity
of forage. This affects sodium levels in stock and their ability to absorb
magnesium. Grass fertilized with nitrogen and potassium may also result in your
animal developing a deficiency.
REQUIREMENTS:
Cattle only require approximately 10kgs a year of salt in their diets,
with prices varying from €0.45 - €0.60 per animal each month. As the mineral
comes in the form of a rock, all that is required is to let your cattle lick
the rock a few times. It can also be bought, quite conveniently, in the shape
of a salt-soaked silage pit cover. , This means farmers can have better control
of rations.
Rock Salt is not expensive, and could ultimately make farmers more money.
Increased daily weight gains, milk yields and better overall health of stock is
only a good thing for farmers.
Dairy farmers have begun to use it to great effect, now it’s over to the beef
industry!