Improve health and performance of your cattle herd with Selko IntelliOpt Cr

Trace minerals are essential, especially for high performing animals enduring challenging conditions. Selko IntelliOpt Cr is a unique sulphate-free nutritional package containing a combination of Selko IntelliBond hydroxy trace mineral sources and Optimin organic trace mineral sources in one convenient blend. Selko IntelliOpt Cr improves palatability of the feed, increases feed stability and optimizes fibre digestion by rumen microbes, while delivering a high level of trace metal availability

Chromium, which is present in the form of chromium propionate, plays a crucial role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins in dairy cattle[1]. Acting as a cofactor for insulin, chromium enhances insulin sensitivity[2], facilitating the uptake of glucose by cells and promoting energy utilization.

The importance of feed efficiency

Feed efficiency is the most important performance indicator for a farm. Increasing feed efficiency will increase income over feed costs while reducing carbon footprint of a farm. Improving feed efficiency should therefore be a high priority on any farm. Improving fibre digestibility can have a huge positive impact on feed efficiency. Sulphate trace minerals are known to have antimicrobial effects. The sulphate salts commonly used in feed are highly soluble in the rumen, resulting in high peak concentrations of free metal ions[3], which can negatively affect rumen microbes, especially those responsible for fiber digestion.

For Selko IntelliOpt Cr, trace mineral sources have been selected that are largely insoluble at a pH of 4 or higher. The rumen pH of dairy cattle is typically between 6 and 6.5, so hydroxy trace mineral crystals in Selko IntelliOpt Cr are essentially insoluble within the rumen. In the abomasum, where the pH is usually below 3, the crystals dissociate layer by layer, resulting in a gradual and sustained release of trace mineral ions into the duodenum. As a result, peak concentrations in the rumen always remain low. This is why Selko IntelliOpt Cr does not have a negative impact on fibre digestibility.

Several studies[3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12] have shown that NDF digestibility improves if the hydroxy trace mineral sources in Selko IntelliOpt are fed to cattle (see figure 1).

Several trials[11,12] have shown that milk production increases in early lactation if cows are being fed Selko IntelliOpt hydroxy trace minerals compared to sulphates. In a more recent trial carried out by the University of Florida, this difference was 1.5 kg of Energy Corrected Milk per day.

UFL trial, materials and methods

One group of 71 dairy cows (31 heifers, 40 multiparous cows) was fed Selko IntelliOpt Cr copper, zinc and manganese sources of hydroxy trace minerals, a second group of dairy cows (30 heifers, 40 multiparous cows) was fed sulphates. Cows were in the trial between 28 days before calving until 105 days in milk.

UFL trial, results

Cows fed Selko IntelliOpt Cr hydroxy trace minerals produced more colostrum with similar levels of immunoglobulin. A difference of 1.5 kg of Energy Corrected Milk per day was found (See Figure 2). Cows fed Selko IntelliOpt Cr hydroxy trace minerals had a lower percentage of retained placenta, a lower incidence of metritis and other diseases and a lower culling rate during the first lactation.

Selko IntelliOpt Cr combines the benefits of Selko IntelliOpt with the benefits of chromium supplementation. By improving glucose metabolism, chromium supplementation can enhance milk yield, reduce the incidence of metabolic disorders such as ketosis, and promote overall herd health. Additionally, chromium has been shown to have positive effects on reproductive performance, immune function, and hoof integrity in dairy cattle. Overall, the responsible use of chromium propionate in dairy nutrition offers many benefits, optimizing productivity and welfare in dairy herds.

MSU trial, material and methods

A total of 36 dairy cows were included in the study[13], half of the animals was fed the chromium source in Selko IntelliOpt Cr, the other half was fed the same mineral source but without chromium included.

MSU trial, results

Treatment with chromium increased milk yield (see Figure 3) and milk protein levels and there was a tendency for an increase in milk fat percentage. This resulted in a difference of 4.4 kg of ECM per day.

An analysis of 35 studies[14,1,5,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29] carried out with chromium showed that the weighted average response in daily milk yield calculated out at 1.56 ltr/head/day.

In feedlot settings, supplementing chromium propionate has shown benefits such as enhanced growth performance, improved feed efficiency, and potentially mitigating the negative effects of stressors like heat and transportation, ultimately contributing to better overall health, fertility and productivity in feedlot cattle[30].

Trial 1, effect of chromium supplementation on growth, feed efficiency and health

Chromium propionate was tested in trial in steers at a dose level of 0.3 mg/kg. Feeding chromium resulted in an increase of growth, average daily gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion, and a reduction of disease treatments (see Figure 4).

Figure 4, effect of supplementation with the chromium source in Selko IntelliOpt Cr on growth, feed conversion and disease treatments of steers.

Trial 2, effect of feeding Selko IntelliOpt hydroxy trace minerals combined with chromium

In a trial carried out by the Colorado State University, one group of steers was fed hydroxy Zn, Cu and Mn sources and the Cr source in Selko IntelliOpt Cr, the control group was fed equivalent amounts of Cu, Zn and Mn sulfate without Cr. Results are presented in Figure 5.

Figure 5, effect of Selko IntelliOpt Cr on growth, dry matter intake feed efficiency of steers.

Feed efficiency is an important driver of farm profitability. Feeding Selko IntelliOpt Cr improves digestibility of fibre in the diet, resulting in an improvement of feed efficiency, health and performance. Moving to Selko IntelliOpt Cr will make your animals more efficient, resulting in an excellent return on investment.