There are numerous ways we can dose animals with Zinc, but one of the simplest, if you have reticulated water, is to add Zinc to the water system. Adding Zinc to feed when supplementary feeding is another option. However not all Zinc compounds are the same and do not all deliver the same amount of ‘elemental Zinc’:
• Zinc mono is 35% elemental Zinc.
• Zinc hepta is 22-23% elemental Zinc.
• Zinc oxide is 80% elemental Zinc

Our recommendations for a 535 kg cow is:
• Zinc mono 30g per 535 kg cow per day which provides 10.5 g elemental Zinc.
• Zinc hepta 43g per 535 kg cow per day which provides 9.56 g elemental Zinc.

Of course this will depend on the cows actually drinking the water!
• Zinc oxide 14g per 535 kg cow per day which provides 11.2 g of elemental Zinc.

This can be reduced on a weight basis for heifers so:
For weaner calves at around 150kg:
• Zinc mono 9 g per 150 kg calf provides 3.2 g elemental Zinc
• Zinc hepta 12 g per 150k g calf provides 2.8 g elemental Zinc.
• Zinc oxide 4 g per 150 kg calf provides 3.2 g elemental Zinc.

For R2 heifers at around 360kg:
• Zinc mono 20 g per 360 kg heifer provides 7 g elemental Zinc.
• Zinc Hepta 30 g per 360 kg heifer provides 7 g elemental Zinc.
• Zinc oxide 10 g per 360 kg heifer provides 8 g elemental Zinc.

Of course Zinc products change the taste of water so cattle need to be introduced slowly to these products. Remember that at very high spore challenge levels, none of these products may be sufficient. Zinc Bolusing is the only certain way to know all animals are treated and protected correctly.