Choose a Lick Tub That Fits Your Operation

With seemingly endless options on the market, it can be difficult to determine whether you are picking the right lick tub to fit your livestock’s requirements. While there are several viable ways to supplement minerals to livestock, including loose mineral provided free choice or into a total mixed ration, injectable options or mineral fortified pellets, this article will focus on lick tubs specifically.

When evaluating lick tubs available on the market, you should first consider what your herd’s needs are. Are they grazing a lush alfalfa pasture or primarily grass? Are they close to calving or growing heifers? Do you want to supplement more protein into their diet or is your focus only on providing minerals? With questions like these in mind, you can begin to determine what sort of tub would be best for your operation. For example, a cow in late-gestation eating only grass hay may not be meeting her protein requirement depending on the grass species in that hay. Providing a lick tub containing additional protein of around 20 to 30 per cent may help cattle in this situation reach their protein needs. If providing additional protein and calcium to cattle grazing stand corn is your goal, a high-protein and high-calcium tub would be best for you.