Mineral deficiency is the most under-diagnosed problem in Indian dairy farming, largely because it never presents as a mineral problem. It presents as a fertility problem, or a growth problem, or simply an animal that is not doing well.
Why the fodder is not enough
Trace mineral content in fodder reflects the soil it grew in, and large parts of India are deficient in zinc, copper, cobalt or selenium. Continuous cropping without replacement has made this worse over decades. An animal eating good green fodder can still be meaningfully short.
The signs, in order of how early they appear
- Pica — licking walls, soil, or other animals. The clearest early warning there is.
- Dull, rough coat — often zinc or copper
- Irregular or silent heat — commonly phosphorus, manganese or cobalt
- Repeat breeding — three or more services without conception
- Retained placenta — frequently selenium and vitamin E
- Milk fever after calving — calcium metabolism under stress
Chelated versus inorganic
This distinction decides whether the supplement works. Inorganic mineral salts — sulphates and oxides — are cheap and poorly absorbed; a large share passes straight through. Chelated minerals are bound to amino acids, absorbed through protein pathways, and reach the tissue that needs them. Cheap mineral mixtures are cheap because they are inorganic.
At 250 g per animal per day, mineral supplementation is among the least expensive interventions on a dairy farm and usually the first one worth making.
Feeding it properly
- Cows and buffaloes: 250 g per animal per day
- Calves and heifers: 50 g per animal per day
- Goats and sheep: 30 g per animal per day
Mix it thoroughly into the concentrate rather than sprinkling it on top, which animals sort around. Feed it continuously — this is not a treatment. Depleted tissue reserves take six to eight weeks to rebuild, so judge the result at two months, not two weeks.
