Livestock health, growth and productivity depend heavily on a balanced mineral supply. Deficiencies in calcium, phosphorus or magnesium lead to weak bones, lower milk yield or reproductive problems, while excess intake can also be harmful. This guide reviews the most relevant minerals in livestock farming and how they are incorporated into animals' diets.
Key minerals in animal nutrition
- Calcium: essential for bones, teeth and milk production. Dairy cows and laying hens have particularly high requirements.
- Phosphorus: works together with calcium in bone formation and plays a role in the animal's energy production.
- Magnesium: involved in nervous and muscular function; a deficiency can lead to the well-known "grass tetany".
- Sodium and chlorine: regulate water balance and are the basis of traditional salt blocks.
- Trace elements (copper, zinc, manganese, selenium, cobalt): needed in small amounts but essential for immunity and metabolism.
Common ways of supplying minerals
Technical minerals are incorporated into feed in powder form, offered in granulated format to aid digestion in poultry gizzards, or provided as free-access blocks and salt licks for grazing livestock. The choice of format depends on the species, the animal's age and the type of farm.
Dolomite and calcium carbonate: the most widely used
Dolomite and calcium carbonate are two of the most widely used minerals in livestock farming due to their high calcium content (and magnesium, in the case of dolomite) and good digestive tolerance. They are used in both dairy cattle and poultry farming, where particle size directly affects eggshell quality.
Consult a nutritionist or veterinarian before changing your farm's mineral diet, and check out our collection of minerals for livestock to find the right product and format.