REGINA (Staff) – Don’t write them off, but don’t bet the farm on them either.
That’s the message about chelate minerals that Kansas State University beef cattle specialist Larry Corah gave Saskatchewan veterinarians at their annual convention.
“I think some producers tend to make claims for what they’re doing probably beyond what they’re capable of doing,” he said.
A chelate is a form of mineral, usually protected by a protein that enables the mineral to be more effectively absorbed.
Research shows chelates have potential benefits, “but probably not as staggering a response as you see reported in advertisements.”
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Veterinarians and producers could seriously consider using them at specific times, Corah said.
During pre-calving, pre-weaning and pre-breeding cows could be helped by chelates, he said, as could those with severe deficiencies. Making one-third of the animals’ mineral supplements out of chelates could make sense at those times.
But they are probably too expensive for a producer to use on a constant basis, Corah said.
As more information about how chelates work is gathered and a larger amount of data is generated, their usefulness will become better known, he said.
