No.

44/2005
Replaces Farmnote 7/92

Mineral requirements of the lactating dairy cow

By Chris Mayberry, District Veterinary Officer, South Perth
When a dairy herd averages over 6,000 L per lactation, understanding its mineral requirements and the possible need for mineral supplements becomes important. Lower producing cows should be able to meet their mineral requirements from well-fertilised pastures and fodder crops. Mineral deficiencies can cause a loss of appetite resulting in a depressed growth rate, reduced milk production, reduced fertility, metabolic disorders and, in severe cases, teeth and bone abnormalities. The minerals most likely to cause deficiencies under Western Australian conditions can be broadly classed into two categories: major elements and trace elements. Assuming an 18 kg dry matter intake for the cow per day, this equates to 0.6 per cent calcium and 0.4 per cent phosphorus in the total ration.
Table 2. Average calcium and phosphorus content of some feeds (% of dry matter) Species Maturity or part % Calcium % Phosphorus

Major elements
Calcium and phosphorus
A cows needs for calcium and phosphorus are generally considered together, since these major components of the skeleton occur in both bone and milk as dicalcium phosphate. The bones act as a reservoir from which the cow can supplement her diet for either element. Calcium is the most common mineral in animals and is required for bones, teeth and milk production. Phosphorus is important for bone formation and most of the metabolic functions in the cow. A deficiency in phosphorus can result in lameness and infertility. For high producing herds, a balanced intake of calcium and phosphorus is important. A ratio of between 1 to 2 parts of calcium to 1 of phosphorus is desirable. However, the actual amount of each in the diet is more important. Table 1 shows the need of each element for maintenance and production in dairy cows.
Table 1. Maintenance needs for calcium and phosphorus in lactating dairy cows Liveweight (kg) 500 550 600 Add (for production) Calcium 20 g/day 22 g/day 24 g/day 3.2 g/L milk Phosphorus 14 g/day 16 g/day 17 g/day 2.0 g/L milk

Clovers, pasture or hay Subterranean clover Mid flowering Subterranean clover Hay White clover Vegetative Grasses, pasture or hay Perennial ryegrass Vegetative Annual ryegrass Early flowering Annual ryegrass Hay Italian ryegrass Mature Kikuyu lush Kikuyu rank Paspalum Phalaris Oats Grazed crop Feed grains Wheat Grain Barley Grain Oats Grain Lupins Grain

1.10 0.90 1.10 0.43 0.32 0.30 0.45 0.34 0.45 0.19 0.30 0.23 0.05 0.05 0.07 0.23

0.26 0.24 0.34 0.37 0.26 0.24 0.11 0.29 0.25 0.22 0.31 0.09 0.29 0.29 0.34 0.32

Calcium and phosphorus supplements

For high producing cows, the phosphorus and calcium requirements may not be met from pasture, fodder or grains. A calcium and phosphorus supplement is required. You should determine the correct level of supplementation of these minerals for each herd and for each season of the year.
Example: Calcium and phosphorus intake for a herd with cows averaging 550 kg liveweight, each producing 25 L of milk and eating 3 kg barley, 2 kg lupins, 2 kg ryegrass dominant meadow hay and 12 kg of clover/ryegrass pasture Feed Barley Lupins Hay Pasture clover Pasture ryegrass TOTAL Weight 3 kg 2 kg 2 kg 6 kg 6 kg 18 kg Calcium 1.5 g 4.6 g 6.0 g 54.0 g 19.2 g 85.3 g Phosphorus 8.7 g 6.4 g 4.8 g 15.6 g 15.6 g 51.1 g

For a 550 kg cow producing 25 L of milk the dietary requirement is 102 g of calcium and 66 g of phosphorus.

Important Disclaimer
The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.

For more information visit our web site www.agric.wa.gov.au

Based on Table 1, the maintenance needs of each cow would be 102 g/day of calcium and 66/day of phosphorus. Therefore, each cow would need an extra 16.7 g calcium and 14.9 g phosphorus. Using a mineral supplement with 18 per cent calcium and 8 per cent phosphorus added to the grain mix of 3 parts barley to 2 parts lupins, this herd would need 35 kg to 40 kg of supplement per tonne of grain to meet the cows phosphorus requirements. Many commercial mineral supplements available have much lower concentrations of calcium and phosphorus than this.

ramifications such as low production, infertility, harsh coat and susceptibility to disease. Decreases in the incidence of milk fever have been associated with supplementation of cattle with cobalt or vitamin B12. However, visible signs of cobalt deficiency are rarely seen in south-western cattle. The international recommendation is for a level of 0.1 ppm in the overall diet. South-western dairy pastures vary from being deficient to being adequate. Marginal pastures may become deficient after liming. The addition of cobalt sulphate to pasture fertilisers at 250g/ha every second year should prevent deficiency. An alternative is to treat each cow each year with a cobalt bullet that the cow swallows. The bullet lodges in the reticulum or second stomach. Another option is to inject the cow every three months with vitamin B12 Cobalt can also be added to worm drenches; or cobalt can be added to the grain supplement as part of a mineral pre-mix.

Hypocalcaemia
Hypocalcaemia (milk fever), which may occur in early lactation, is a calcium deficiency brought about by the sudden demand for an increased amount of calcium because of lactation. The incidence of milk fever can be reduced by limiting the intake of sodium and potassium during the last month of the dry period. In practice, this means avoiding pastures heavily fertilised with potash, especially those receiving run-off from the dairy, and feeding supplements which contain anionic salts. Anionic salts are high in sulphur and chloride and may contain high levels of calcium, magnesium and ammonium. These help the cows system adjust to mobilising calcium rapidly from the bones and increasing absorption from the gut, but they are not very palatable. Earlier advice to simply limit the intake of calcium during the dry period has now been superseded

Selenium
The international recommendation for selenium is for a level of 0.1 ppm in the diet. South-western dairy pastures commonly have levels of 0.01 ppm. The classical sign of deficiency, white muscle disease, is rarely seen in cattle. However, research in eastern Australia has suggested that selenium deficiency may increase infertility, retention of foetal membranes and the severity and incidence of mastitis. These research findings have not yet been substantiated in Western Australia. Well managed herds with unexplained reproduction or mastitis problems may respond, at least in part, to supplementation with selenium as follows: selenium bullets (two per cow); or inclusion of selenium in a mineral pre-mix for addition to the grain supplement; or drenching with sodium selenate every three months; or application of selenium to the pastures with the fertiliser every second year.

Trace elements
Of the trace elements that are essential, only deficiencies of copper, cobalt and selenium have been implicated in cattle health in Western Australia. Other trace elements are regularly added to mineral mixes but the evidence for their inclusion is not available.

Copper
Copper is involved in a large number of important biochemical functions in the body. Deficiency can result in poor growth, anaemia, diarrhoea, fragile bones, lowered milk production, infertility and loss of hair colour. The international recommendation is for a level of 10 parts per million (ppm) in the overall diet of dairy cattle. However, both molybdenum and sulphur can influence the availability of the copper in the ration to cattle. Although south-western dairy pastures commonly have levels of 6 ppm to 8 ppm of copper, signs of copper deficiency are rarely seen in cattle. Copper can be incorporated into mineral pre-mixes and given to cows with the grain supplement. The overall ration should not contain more than 100 ppm.

Warning: Copper, cobalt and selenium must always be used with care, since they are very toxic in excess.

Other minerals
Other minerals commonly added to stock licks include iron, zinc, manganese and iodine. Fluorine usually occurs in the mix as a contaminant. There is no evidence that any of these elements are deficient in dairy cows grazing pastures in this State.

Cobalt
Cobalt is used in the rumen to make vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is essential for red blood cell production and is involved in ruminant energy metabolism. Deficiency can result in anaemia and depressed appetite with all its

1545/7/05-800 State of Western Australia, 2005

ISSN 0726-934X