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Cattle eating dirt?

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IaGary

07-13-2006 04:14:07

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Yesterday I dug in a new water line to water cattle on a grass lot.

When I finished and let the 500# calves back in the lot they started eating the fresh dirt.

They are holstens on a self feeder of 11% protein corn mix.

Are they lacking minerals or is this a fluke?

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van robinson

07-13-2006 19:29:42

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

Gary, I asked my granddad about this ( he was a large animal veterinarian for the fed gov, very knowledgable bout cows). He said they are probably after the dirt for minerals or salt. If you put out some free choice minerals,not block minerals, and loose salt, they should stop eating the dirt.

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Leland

07-13-2006 13:37:49

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

Poured some deer cocain out in a pasture 1 year to attrack some bucks closer and the cows had a hole 2 foot deep within a week I guess they loved the minerials in the stuff .

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Loren TN

07-13-2006 12:12:07

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

Back in the 60's I worked for an old cattle feeder in Central Illinois who insisted that I keep about a 5 gallon bucket of clean dirt in one end of the feed bunk right next to the loose salt.I thought he was a little bit off of it, but 60 head of cattle would eat about 5 gallon a week.

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RM in Va

07-13-2006 10:47:14

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

Before I fenced off the woods, every year I'd have a few cows that would over eat acorns. They'd stand around looking like they had a fever for a day or so. Had a tree get blown down and the stump pulled up white dirt. After that tree went down I noticed all the cows that ate to many acorns would go to that tree and eat the white dirt for hours at a time and the next day they'd be feeling better from to many acorns. Always figured it was like eating rollaids to a cow. LOL Anyway I have the oak trees fence off now and don't see them eating dirt around stumps. I do keep free choice mineral out for them in several mineral feeders for the last 10 years.

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730virgil

07-13-2006 09:57:50

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

i have a spot in cattle lot where cows have licked a hole about 6 - 8 " deep about same area around . i had a plastic tub with a slat block in tub after a rain i poured the salt water out of it the cows didn't pay much attention to salt block
, but they sure like licking spot where i poured out water

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JMS/MN

07-13-2006 09:38:11

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

It might have been out of curiosity that they went after the fresh dirt, but if it persists, it is a mineral deficiency. Not uncommon, just like if you see cattle chewing on their pen boards- indicates a lack of phosphorus. Especially in the winter when the ground is frozen. Clay is sometimes found as a filler in mineral products. DiCal is a common, inexpensive mineral supplement. (Dicalcium phosphate)

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marlowe

07-13-2006 07:46:12

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

i'm in the excavating bizz and cows do this all the time DON'T let them eat a lot they can not pass a lot of it and have had some farmers loss cows from it

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souNdguy

07-13-2006 06:47:43

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

Ditto on the minerals.

I have both the 'brown' multi licks out and the yellow ones.. The horses prefer the brown, and the cows prefer the yellow.

Soundguy

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Nebraska Cowman

07-13-2006 04:52:37

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

I keep salt and mineral out all the time but critters will still eat dirt. I even saw my dog eating dirt the other day. And in the spring a calf that has been real sick if seen eating dirt is a sure sign he will recover. I wonder if it works as a buffer in their stomach?

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4010guy

07-13-2006 05:01:35

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to Nebraska Cowman, 07-13-2006 04:52:37

I dont mind the black dirt but that darn clay binds me up.

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Rauville

07-13-2006 06:03:38

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to 4010guy, 07-13-2006 05:01:35

Do a search of "cattle pica", and you can come up with some interesting information, including this tidbit off the Rancher.Net site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ROXANA, Ala. ...Though dirt-eating's demise has been predicted for decades, the practice persists, particularly in rural areas such as the slice of East Alabama from Loachapoka to Camp Hill, from Tallassee to Opelika, where modern distribution has displaced the home-dug supply. Wayne Smith, owner of a Conoco convenience store near Opelika, estimates he sells 50 of the one-pound bags of white dirt every month. "They say they don't eat it. They get it for someone else," Smith said. In Loachapoka, they're more straightforward. "We have white dirt connoisseurs around here," said Ron Burton at the Greenway Grocery. "They'll want to sample it before they buy it. ... I've got a lot of young girls who are pregnant come in for it."... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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IaGary

07-13-2006 05:04:14

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to 4010guy, 07-13-2006 05:01:35

This is sand so it will grind its way out.

Gary

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4010guy

07-13-2006 05:06:32

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 05:04:14

The final outcome sounds kinda harsh.

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4010guy

07-13-2006 04:44:41

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

lol Your gona think this is perty funny but the old timers used to say back when they had coal buckets sitting in the kitchen for heating and cooking that the littel kids would sometimes EAT the coal. Can you just imagen (yuck)

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skipper

07-13-2006 05:31:54

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to 4010guy, 07-13-2006 04:44:41

If you want to watch a pig go crazy happy give them some coal chunks. I don"t know what it is they like so much but they go after it like it was candy.
Skipper

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bill mar

07-13-2006 07:37:05

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to skipper, 07-13-2006 05:31:54

you are right.first time i saw a pig eat coal i thought i was losing it.found out later they love the stuff.dont know why. bill

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RJ-AZ

07-13-2006 04:33:58

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

Probably need a salt lick, but then again I've seen some stupid cows also.

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RustyFarmall

07-13-2006 04:32:47

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to IaGary, 07-13-2006 04:14:07

Calves are curious, and the fresh dirt was something new. They will soon ignore it, but you might want to put out a mineral feeder just to be sure, or start mixing some mineral in with the feed.

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Harley

07-13-2006 12:06:31

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Re: Cattle eating dirt? in reply to RustyFarmall, 07-13-2006 04:32:47

Look at it this way Gary, that Iowa black dirt is pretty deep, and if they just eat a little off the top, it's cheaper than buying hay. Harley

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