Vitamins & Electrolytes Plus

Animals drink less when the weather turns, pick at their feed after a haul or a weaning, and a long trailer ride takes more out of them than the miles suggest. Vitamins and Electrolytes Plus is a soluble powder that goes into the routine you already run. Vitamins A, D, E and K, a full B-complex, vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium chlorides, and dried cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus faecium all come in one pouch. It is made for cattle, swine, horses, poultry and sheep during periods of reduced feed intake.

It fits three setups. Mix it straight into drinking water, run it through an automatic proportioner as a stock solution, or blend it into complete feed. One 4 oz pouch covers 128 gallons of drinking water or 500 pounds of feed, which makes it an easy thing to keep on the shelf for the first hot week or the trip to the sale barn.

Highlights

• Vitamins A, D, E and K, plus a full B-complex and vitamin C
• Magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium chlorides
• Dried cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus faecium
• Mixes into drinking water, a stock solution or complete feed
• One pouch covers 128 gallons of water or 500 pounds of feed

Why a soluble powder earns a place on the shelf

Water is the easiest thing to forget and the first thing an animal needs. A powder that dissolves into the water you already offer makes it simple to get the mix into every animal, from the poultry house to the horse trailer. It's the same water they would drink anyway, so the change in routine is small.

Animals in transition benefit from a steady routine. Weaning, a move to new pasture, a long haul and a summer heat wave all change how much an animal drinks and eats. A pouch in the truck box for hauls and another in the feed room for the hot months means it's on hand when the routine changes.

It suits the first flock or a big herd, the weekend trail string, the show barn and a ranch with a proportioner already set up. The mixing options mean you don't have to change your setup to use it, and the same pouch works whichever way you run your water.

At a glance

Ingredients

Soluble vitamin supplement powder: Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Niacin Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Sulfate, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Iron Sulfate Monohydrate, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Dried Streptococcus Faecium, Dextrose.

How to use it

Pick your route first, because the water and feed rates are different:

• Drinking water: mix the contents of one 4 oz pouch in 128 gallons of water.
• Automatic proportioner: mix the contents of one 4 oz pouch in 1 gallon of water to make a stock solution. Set the proportioner to deliver 1 fluid ounce of stock solution per gallon of drinking water.
• Feed: mix the contents of one 4 oz pouch per 500 pounds of complete feed, and provide it for 3 to 5 days.

Prepare a fresh stock solution every day. The dose can be repeated whenever needed, so it's a good tool for a run of hot days or a tough haul, but it works best alongside fresh, clean water rather than in place of it.

Good to know

• Keep fresh water in front of every animal, and check the trough or bucket twice a day in summer heat. A powder can't help an animal that won't drink.
• On a long haul, add the mix to the water tank before you leave, and offer fresh water at each stop.
• Store the pouch in a cool, dry spot and keep it sealed, so the powder doesn't pick up moisture.
• Electrolytes help during summer heat and long hauls, but they are no replacement for shade, shelter and a call to the vet when an animal stops eating or drinking.

Stock a pouch before the first heat wave, the spring haul or the fall weaning.