Mineral Sources for Bovines

Abstract

Since grass tetany will be covered by a later speaker, I will confine my remarks primarily to our experience in reducing the incidence and severity of grass tetany (hypomagnesemia) under spring and fall green grass grazing conditions by force-feeding magnesium oxide. Magnesium oxide is preferred to magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salt) because of lower cost and better palatability of magnesium oxide compared to magnesium sulfate. Also, magnesium oxide contains approximately 54 percent magnesium compared to approximately 10 percent in magnesium sulfate and the magnesium is reported to be more available in magnesium oxide