A Holistic Veterinarian
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LET YOUR ANIMALS TEACH YOU NUTRITION
I believe that a ruminant’s tongue is the finest nutritional, analytical
laboratory in the world! Many experiences over the years have taught me to
trust in the natural inclination of animals to seek out the best nutrition they
can find and to know instantly when they have found it. Let me relate a few
examples to help you discover similar occurrences in your own animals.
When I first became interested in holistic animal care, I had a client that
planted a large acreage of corn (maize) in a fertile river bottom area.
Everyone that farmed around him used chemical fertilizer, herbicides and
pesticides. He used only a trace mineral rich, gypsum (Ca Sulfate)
substance that was mined in Colorado. He experienced little damage from
insects or weeds but the native deer would come from miles around to eat his
organic corn, leaving his neighbor’s crops untouched.
I have seen cattle escape from their pens, wander past fields of lush
looking “chemical” corn, and then, right to the row, begin to eat plants that
were being grown according to natural principles.
I have seen swine that were accustomed to eating organic corn, literally quit
eating for 2 or 3 days until hunger finally drove them to begin eating a new
batch of feed containing conventionally grown corn of inferior quality.
In their natural state American bison roamed over thousands of miles of
range and thus had access to naturally occurring minerals from a variety of
soil types. A “buffalo” rancher in the upper Midwest must confine his herd to
a few hundred acres. To duplicate as near as possible their former range of
mineral choices, he provides continuous year-around access to 12 different
free choice minerals. Their consumption varies greatly, sometimes on a day-
to-day basis, depending on the season, the weather and the quality of the
other feeds available. His animals are extremely healthy and productive
Finally, one last example showing that ruminants can instantaneously detect
minute changes in forage quality. Research from England indicates that
grazing cows prefer clover during the day and grasses during the evening,
because sugar levels are highest in grass late in the day. (Research directly
relating to preference of and production from ryegrass or clover in pure
stands or in mixtures is found in the British Society of Animal Science,
Journal of Animal Science 1988, 67:195-202. "The effects of including
white clover in perennial ryegrass swards and the height of mixed swards on
the milk production, sward selection and ingestive behaviour of dairy Cows" by
Phillips and James at University of Wales Bangor.)
Mainstream nutritionists tend to downplay this ability of an animal to balance
its nutritional needs … possibly because they spend more time watching
computer screens than observing the eating habits of the animals. I admit
that this ability does not apply to all situations and to every type of feed.
Some feed items (grain and concentrates) may be so tasty that most animals
would overeat if fed free choice. Other ingredients are so unpalatable that
voluntary consumption may not meet their requirements. Any attempt to
increase the consumption of any one item by adding flavorings only seems to
compound the problem. Nevertheless, this natural trait can be used to
improve animal health and nutrition. And, in fact, there are many successful
commercial suppliers of free choice mineral feeding programs wherein the
major components are fed separately.
No prepared ration can match the exact needs of every animal or group of
animals. In any given group being fed the same ration, some will get about
what they need, some will get too much and some will get too little. This is
especially true of mineral components. For example, to provide trace
minerals, most nutritionists disregard any trace minerals that may already be
present in the feed and add a trace mineral package that provides the total
trace mineral requirements. In theory, this assures that adequate amounts
will be present. However, it does not address the possibility of interference
caused by any excess thus created. (See Mineral Wheel)
A SELF-FED MINERAL PROGRAM
If you really want an education in mineral nutrition, and want to give your
animals a chance to balance their own mineral requirements, try this
program. Partition off your mineral feeder and provide the following in
separate compartments on a continuous, free choice basis.
critical Ca/P ratio.
SOME ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
Supplemental Magnesium and Potassium may not be necessary in all areas,
but it does not hurt to make a feed-grade source available and see what
happens.
Magnesium Oxide and magnesium sulfate are common sources. Both are
relatively unpalatable. They can be mixed with salt to improve palatability so
long as a separate source of plain salt is also available. An alternative is to
provide dolomite limestone that contains Mg carbonate as well as Ca carbonate.
In many areas, potassium is already adequate or excessive. Potassium
chloride or potassium bicarbonate is commonly used in commercial mixes to
supply this mineral.
Sulfur is often deficient. Elemental sulfur can be provided free choice or
mixed with salt.
Baking Soda or Sodium bicarbonate free choice may be beneficial, especially
if a lot of grain is being fed.
If not already present in some of the other mixes, provide a source of
vitamins A, D & E and some B vitamins.
At first, put out only small amounts and watch closely what they eat. More
than likely, your animals will show a preference for one or two items,
indicating a need. If your current ration is well balanced, they probably will
not eat much. Even so, leave it out for them and watch what happens to the
consumption patterns over time when pasture conditions change or when
feeding hay or grain from a new or different source. I have seen daily
changes in mineral preferences for no discernible reason.
Avoid sudden changes to the ration. If they seem to grossly over-eat any
one item, it may be prudent to partially limit that item for a week or so to
let them catch-up gradually.
If possible, avoid mineral mixes that are flavored to increase palatability.
If you are already feeding a complete ration with minerals added, do not
change the ration. Use this program as an add-on, free choice, monitoring
system to let the animals tell you what they think of your ability as a
nutritionist! This allows us to use our science and computers to at least get
close to a balanced ration and still provide a way for the animals to fine-tune
for their individual needs.
SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS
• If you are growing crops for your animals, farm organically or as close to
it as you possibly can. If you buy your feed, try to find organically grown
feed or feed that has been grown on fertile soil with a minimum of chemical
inputs.
• From time to time, test some of your feed, especially if you buy feed or
if you suspect feed related problems. The lab test may quickly identify
gross excesses or deficiencies in the feed and thus enable you to make
adjustments before problems occur. It does not hurt to have two opinions ...
one from the lab and one from the consumers, your animals. I will leave it to
you to
decide which one is the most reliable.
• Don’t forget that even with the best feeds you can still have malnutrition if
the ration is not balanced and the ingredients are not appropriate to the
species, age and purpose of the animals being fed.
• Excess protein is often more common than a protein deficiency and can be
more damaging. Do not add sources of non-protein nitrogen (NPN’s) like urea
or ammonia compounds to the ration. Test your feeds and water for
nitrates. Nitrates in the feed or water, plus NPN’s in the feed plus excess
protein in the total ration, can all add up to nitrogen intoxication with a
variety of symptoms. One of my clients experienced a devastating storm of
abortions within a week after he began feeding some purchased hay that was
later found to contain over 5000 ppm nitrates.
• Always feed a source of kelp ... free choice if possible. Trace mineral
deficient animals will eat a lot until their needs are met. After that, they
consume very little. If they continue to eat kelp at high levels, it may
indicate a more severe deficiency of one or more individual trace minerals
such as Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Cobalt or others. It is possible to self-
feed individual sources of these vital trace minerals (usually the chloride or
sulfate forms) but greater care must be taken to avoid toxicity from over
consumption.
• Provide a source of probiotics ... lactobacillus, yeast or other direct fed
microorganisms (DFM’s). A healthy gut is the first line of defense against
many bacteria. Probiotics also increase feed efficiency.
I believe that a ruminant’s tongue is the finest nutritional, analytical
laboratory in the world! Many experiences over the years have taught me to
trust in the natural inclination of animals to seek out the best nutrition they
can find and to know instantly when they have found it. Let me relate a few
examples to help you discover similar occurrences in your own animals.
When I first became interested in holistic animal care, I had a client that
planted a large acreage of corn (maize) in a fertile river bottom area.
Everyone that farmed around him used chemical fertilizer, herbicides and
pesticides. He used only a trace mineral rich, gypsum (Ca Sulfate)
substance that was mined in Colorado. He experienced little damage from
insects or weeds but the native deer would come from miles around to eat his
organic corn, leaving his neighbor’s crops untouched.
I have seen cattle escape from their pens, wander past fields of lush
looking “chemical” corn, and then, right to the row, begin to eat plants that
were being grown according to natural principles.
I have seen swine that were accustomed to eating organic corn, literally quit
eating for 2 or 3 days until hunger finally drove them to begin eating a new
batch of feed containing conventionally grown corn of inferior quality.
In their natural state American bison roamed over thousands of miles of
range and thus had access to naturally occurring minerals from a variety of
soil types. A “buffalo” rancher in the upper Midwest must confine his herd to
a few hundred acres. To duplicate as near as possible their former range of
mineral choices, he provides continuous year-around access to 12 different
free choice minerals. Their consumption varies greatly, sometimes on a day-
to-day basis, depending on the season, the weather and the quality of the
other feeds available. His animals are extremely healthy and productive
Finally, one last example showing that ruminants can instantaneously detect
minute changes in forage quality. Research from England indicates that
grazing cows prefer clover during the day and grasses during the evening,
because sugar levels are highest in grass late in the day. (Research directly
relating to preference of and production from ryegrass or clover in pure
stands or in mixtures is found in the British Society of Animal Science,
Journal of Animal Science 1988, 67:195-202. "The effects of including
white clover in perennial ryegrass swards and the height of mixed swards on
the milk production, sward selection and ingestive behaviour of dairy Cows" by
Phillips and James at University of Wales Bangor.)
Mainstream nutritionists tend to downplay this ability of an animal to balance
its nutritional needs … possibly because they spend more time watching
computer screens than observing the eating habits of the animals. I admit
that this ability does not apply to all situations and to every type of feed.
Some feed items (grain and concentrates) may be so tasty that most animals
would overeat if fed free choice. Other ingredients are so unpalatable that
voluntary consumption may not meet their requirements. Any attempt to
increase the consumption of any one item by adding flavorings only seems to
compound the problem. Nevertheless, this natural trait can be used to
improve animal health and nutrition. And, in fact, there are many successful
commercial suppliers of free choice mineral feeding programs wherein the
major components are fed separately.
No prepared ration can match the exact needs of every animal or group of
animals. In any given group being fed the same ration, some will get about
what they need, some will get too much and some will get too little. This is
especially true of mineral components. For example, to provide trace
minerals, most nutritionists disregard any trace minerals that may already be
present in the feed and add a trace mineral package that provides the total
trace mineral requirements. In theory, this assures that adequate amounts
will be present. However, it does not address the possibility of interference
caused by any excess thus created. (See Mineral Wheel)
A SELF-FED MINERAL PROGRAM
If you really want an education in mineral nutrition, and want to give your
animals a chance to balance their own mineral requirements, try this
program. Partition off your mineral feeder and provide the following in
separate compartments on a continuous, free choice basis.
- 1. A mineral mix that is high in calcium with little or no Phosphorus. You
could use ground limestone (Calcium Carbonate) or oyster shell flour or
combinations.
2. A mineral mix that is high in Phosphorus with little or no Calcium.
3. Loose salt (not block salt), the more unrefined the better.
4. Kelp. This is a rich source of all trace minerals and iodine.
critical Ca/P ratio.
SOME ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
Supplemental Magnesium and Potassium may not be necessary in all areas,
but it does not hurt to make a feed-grade source available and see what
happens.
Magnesium Oxide and magnesium sulfate are common sources. Both are
relatively unpalatable. They can be mixed with salt to improve palatability so
long as a separate source of plain salt is also available. An alternative is to
provide dolomite limestone that contains Mg carbonate as well as Ca carbonate.
In many areas, potassium is already adequate or excessive. Potassium
chloride or potassium bicarbonate is commonly used in commercial mixes to
supply this mineral.
Sulfur is often deficient. Elemental sulfur can be provided free choice or
mixed with salt.
Baking Soda or Sodium bicarbonate free choice may be beneficial, especially
if a lot of grain is being fed.
If not already present in some of the other mixes, provide a source of
vitamins A, D & E and some B vitamins.
At first, put out only small amounts and watch closely what they eat. More
than likely, your animals will show a preference for one or two items,
indicating a need. If your current ration is well balanced, they probably will
not eat much. Even so, leave it out for them and watch what happens to the
consumption patterns over time when pasture conditions change or when
feeding hay or grain from a new or different source. I have seen daily
changes in mineral preferences for no discernible reason.
Avoid sudden changes to the ration. If they seem to grossly over-eat any
one item, it may be prudent to partially limit that item for a week or so to
let them catch-up gradually.
If possible, avoid mineral mixes that are flavored to increase palatability.
If you are already feeding a complete ration with minerals added, do not
change the ration. Use this program as an add-on, free choice, monitoring
system to let the animals tell you what they think of your ability as a
nutritionist! This allows us to use our science and computers to at least get
close to a balanced ration and still provide a way for the animals to fine-tune
for their individual needs.
SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS
• If you are growing crops for your animals, farm organically or as close to
it as you possibly can. If you buy your feed, try to find organically grown
feed or feed that has been grown on fertile soil with a minimum of chemical
inputs.
• From time to time, test some of your feed, especially if you buy feed or
if you suspect feed related problems. The lab test may quickly identify
gross excesses or deficiencies in the feed and thus enable you to make
adjustments before problems occur. It does not hurt to have two opinions ...
one from the lab and one from the consumers, your animals. I will leave it to
you to
decide which one is the most reliable.
• Don’t forget that even with the best feeds you can still have malnutrition if
the ration is not balanced and the ingredients are not appropriate to the
species, age and purpose of the animals being fed.
• Excess protein is often more common than a protein deficiency and can be
more damaging. Do not add sources of non-protein nitrogen (NPN’s) like urea
or ammonia compounds to the ration. Test your feeds and water for
nitrates. Nitrates in the feed or water, plus NPN’s in the feed plus excess
protein in the total ration, can all add up to nitrogen intoxication with a
variety of symptoms. One of my clients experienced a devastating storm of
abortions within a week after he began feeding some purchased hay that was
later found to contain over 5000 ppm nitrates.
• Always feed a source of kelp ... free choice if possible. Trace mineral
deficient animals will eat a lot until their needs are met. After that, they
consume very little. If they continue to eat kelp at high levels, it may
indicate a more severe deficiency of one or more individual trace minerals
such as Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Cobalt or others. It is possible to self-
feed individual sources of these vital trace minerals (usually the chloride or
sulfate forms) but greater care must be taken to avoid toxicity from over
consumption.
• Provide a source of probiotics ... lactobacillus, yeast or other direct fed
microorganisms (DFM’s). A healthy gut is the first line of defense against
many bacteria. Probiotics also increase feed efficiency.
