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Trace Mineral Salt Blocks and Livestock Salt
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About trace mineral salt blocks and livestock salt

Trace mineral salt blocks, plain white salt blocks, loose stock salt, salt bricks and salt spools for cattle, horses, goats and small animals. Choose 50 lb blocks and bags from Cargill and American Stockman for the pasture, or smaller bricks and spools for the stall and hutch.

Read the full guide

Why Livestock Need Salt

Animals need salt in their diet. Setting salt out free choice lets each animal take what it needs, a little at a time. Whatever form you use, always provide fresh, clean water next to it. Salt and water go together.

Start With the Animals You Keep

The first question is not which brand, but which animals. Cattle, horses, goats, sheep and small animals all have different needs. A product that suits one species may not suit another, so read the label and look for the animals it lists. If you keep mixed species on one pasture, that label check matters even more.

White Salt vs Trace Mineral Salt

Plain white salt is salt only. It is a simple choice when your feed program already covers minerals, or when you keep species that should avoid certain minerals. Cargill Plain White Salt Block is a 50 lb block, and American Stockman Salt Block comes in a Plain White style.

Trace mineral salt adds minerals to the salt. Cargill Trace Mineral Salt, Anise comes as a 50 lb block or 50 lb bag. Cargill Selenium 90 Trace Mineral Salt includes selenium, as the name says, and comes as a block or bag. American Stockman also offers Trace Mineralized, Sulfur and Trace Mineralized with Selenium blocks. Read each label to see exactly what is in it.

Blocks, Loose Salt or Spools?

Salt Blocks

Blocks are easy to set out and hold up between checks. They suit pastures, paddocks and barns. Place them on a dry, level spot or in a block holder so they do not sit in mud or standing water.

Loose Salt

Loose salt goes in a covered feeder or mixes into rations. Cargill Livestock Salt, Cargill Top-Flo Granular Salt and American Stockman Easy Flow Stock Salt each come in 50 lb bags. Loose salt can make it easier for animals to take in salt than licking a hard block.

Bricks, Spools and Licks

For stalls, small herds or small animals, smaller forms are easier to handle. Champion's Choice Salt Brick is a 4 lb brick in plain or trace mineral. Salt Spools for Small Animals come 24 to a pack in white salt or trace mineral, and the Pet Lodge Mineral and Salt Spool includes a hanger. The Himalayan Salt Lick with Rope comes in 4.4 lb and 8.8 lb sizes and hangs in a stall.

Livestock Salt Compared

Product Type Sizes
Cargill Plain White Salt Block White salt block 50 lb block
Cargill Trace Mineral Salt, Anise Trace mineral salt 50 lb block, 50 lb bag
Cargill Selenium 90 Trace Mineral Salt Trace mineral salt with selenium 50 lb block, 50 lb bag
American Stockman Salt Block Salt block 50 lb: Plain White, Trace Mineralized, Sulfur, Trace Mineralized with Selenium
Cargill Livestock Salt Loose salt 50 lb bag
Cargill Top-Flo Granular Salt, Plain Loose granular salt 50 lb bag
American Stockman Easy Flow Stock Salt, 95% Purity Loose stock salt 50 lb bag
Champion's Choice Salt Brick Salt brick 4 lb: Plain Salt Brick, Plain Salt Block, Trace Mineral Brick
Salt Spools for Small Animals, 24 Pack Salt spools White Salt, Trace Mineral
Pet Lodge Mineral and Salt Spool with Hanger Salt spool 3 oz
Himalayan Salt Lick with Rope Salt lick on rope 4.4 lb, 8.8 lb

How to Set Out Salt

  • Choose a dry, level spot or a block holder, away from where water collects.
  • Put fresh water close by and keep it clean.
  • Place salt where every animal can reach it, including those lower in the pecking order.
  • Check blocks and feeders regularly and replace or refill them when they wear down.
  • Keep an eye on how fast salt goes down. A sudden change is worth watching.

How Much to Order

Use depends on herd size, animal type, weather and whether blocks are exposed to rain. A practical approach is to start with one block or bag per group of animals, check it weekly and note how long it lasts. That gives you a real number for the next order. Farms feeding several groups often order 50 lb bags and blocks a few at a time so there is always a spare in the barn.

What to Watch Out For

  • Sheep and copper. Sheep are sensitive to copper, and some mineral mixes with added copper are not for sheep. Read the label before you set out any trace mineral product where sheep can reach it.
  • Water. Always provide fresh water. Salt without enough water is a problem for any animal.
  • Wrong species. Match the product to the animals on its label. When in doubt, ask your vet or local extension office.
  • Weather. Blocks left in heavy rain wear down faster and can leave salt puddles. A holder or cover helps.

Buying by the Pallet

Salt blocks and 50 lb bags are heavy, so farms and stables often buy them by the pallet. Pallets ship by LTL freight from Williamstown, NJ, and only the freight is quoted. The per-bag and per-block price is the same for everyone. Start on the bulk and pallet orders page. If you also manage wildlife on your land, see deer and wildlife salt, and for the house, see water softener salt.

Quick Answers

What is the difference between a white salt block and a trace mineral block?

A plain white block is salt only. A trace mineral block adds minerals to the salt. Read the label on each product to see what it contains and which animals it is made for.

Can sheep have trace mineral salt with copper?

Sheep are sensitive to copper, and some mineral mixes with added copper are not for sheep. Always read the label before you set a trace mineral product out for sheep.

Can goats use a cattle mineral block?

Check the label. Mineral needs differ between species, so choose a product whose label lists the animals you keep, and ask your vet if you are unsure.

How long does a 50 lb salt block last?

It depends on how many animals use it, the weather and whether the block sits in rain. Check it regularly and replace it when it wears down.

Do horses need a salt block?

Horses need salt in their diet, and a block or loose salt lets them take it free choice. Always provide fresh water alongside salt.

Not Sure Which Salt Your Animals Need?

Tell us what animals you keep on the contact page and we will help you narrow it down. See our FAQ for shipping and ordering.