Mineral feeding isn't rocket science....and science can actually do more harm than good for this topic. Pay more attention to the animals and the habitat as they are not misleading! Relying on science based mineral offering ignores the animal's sense of 'nutritional wisdom' and infers a management style of a confinement without selection opportunity! IF you don't believe me, just simply ask some of the top mineral nutritionist about 'nutritional wisdom of ruminants' to meet mineral needs while you enjoy the reading the folks like Fred Provenza.
Our decision to change from Trophy Rock to Redmund DuraBlock had nothing to do with politics (I can't see punishing my professional friend contacts because of the ills of a no-profit sponsor facing bankruptcy...but like many of you I would like to see some justice be served...and it will in time be served). Cattle and deer are attracted to the Redmund product (I've seen cows eat a whole block in 2 days and destroy a rock in a half day). The dura block weighs 44 lbs vs 10 lbs for the rock.....block costs $10 which is 50% less than the rock and lasts 2-3 times as long. So I don't spend much money or time on year round mineral for deer and it is a great tool for getting deer pics (note some mature bucks won't eat from a feeder but will lick the block 5' away).
We also pay a lot of attention to the cow herd. When they consume Redmund salt, their intake of regular cattle mineral declines noticeably....so they are indeed getting more of what they need from Redmund product besides the salt content. I have seen the cow paw the ground where a rock once disintegrated...whereas they ignore the area where bags of top deer mineral were dumped. I can promise if a cow turns her nose up for a mineral product, then it probably isn't much good for your deer herd either...since both share the same habitat...and that habitat will have the same deficiencies for both...the comparison is correlated!
What we also note with the cows is that when forb and woody specie diversity/abundance are low in a paddock, mineral intake increases. I also see an increase in late summer mineral consumption if we mow weeds too aggressively this time of year in a paddock. Ironically, deer use will be lowest in areas which lack forb diversity or abundance....probably a reason for that related to minerals!
The majority of forages contain inadequate sodium to meet animal needs at certain times of year and why you will see variation in annual salt consumption and why offering salt in >20" rainfall zones is just good sense. Habitat can also be deficient in dynamic mineral accumulating plants (broadleaf, legume or woody) either year round or during certain times of year. These plants bring up certain minerals from subsoil and store them in their tissues...think of it as a living salt lick for the animal. Further some soils lack certain elements on a regional scale...not a great deal you can do there as it is likely that region also lacks a dynamic accumulator for that certain element. Rainfall amount and pattern also affect plant mineral availability and deficiency. Thus, the need and "preference" for a mineral is confounded by many factors. Dou you have the dynamic m
Mineral deprived animals may pound the hell out of a poor quality mineral when it is offered initially then ignore it a month later...that can skew preference ratings. That is why we look at long term use over years....Redmund wins there....but you may see different results.
The animal also adapts to mineral deficiency thought changes at the DNA level (epigenetic adaptation of time) and they have the ability to store some elements as a 'reserve for lean times' by remobilizing those elements from body tissues when demand exceeds intake.
The social aspect of Redmund block is that it is a livestock product and can be offered free choice as a normal ag practice on properties which have livestock in states where attractants for wildlife are illegal. Politics and disease concern may eventually seal the fate of wildlife attractants proper!
+
