The mineral buffet has been a popular topic lately, which is not a new idea. This idea has
been around for decades and seems to have two opinions. Either it is good, or it is bad. I believe this
is because one side is using the buffet-style, and the other is not. We have been using the mineral
buffet system since March 2023. We have gone through several seasons and scenarios since that
time and genuinely believe this system works.
Some state the mineral buffet is too expensive. I agree it can be, in the beginning, but the
reason is that you must buy all 20 minerals for it to work. It is very unsafe to buy just a few that you
“think” you need. This is an “all or nothing” system for it to work effectively, or you can end up doing
more harm than good. You must give the animals a “level-out” period which gives them time to
correct any deficiencies. This can take a short amount of time or may take a while; it just depends
on the situation. Once leveled out, they will just eat the specific minerals needed. Some minerals
they will frequent, while others they rarely touch. This will fluctuate throughout the year, depending
on available feed and stress. At this point, the cost of this system is the same, if not cheaper, than
the pre-mixed minerals.
Some believe that animals don’t know what they need, and only eat what tastes good. I beg
to differ. I was told my goats were copper deficient, so it was recommended that I give them copper
bolus, which I did. When I started the buffet system, my goats immediately went to sulfur to
decrease the amount of copper in their bodies, and instead showed me they were zinc deficient.
They ingested lots of zinc over an extended period of time before they leveled out. I was a bit
skeptical at first, but trusted the process, and trusted my goats knew what they needed. At some
point, we had to change hay because our normal supplier ran out. The goats immediately started
ingesting the alkaline neutralizer, because the new hay had changed the PH in their rumen, and they
needed to rebalance. A customer of mine, who had been using the buffet a little over a month,
suddenly started to purchase enormous amounts of silicon, because her animals were depleting it.
After researching, the only two reasons I found for an animal to ingest silicon this way was 1) for
building ligaments and such with heavy bred females and 2) if mold were present. After talking with
the customer, we found that her hay had gotten wet, even though she didn’t see or smell the mold,
the goats’ actions proved that they knew it was there. I have so many similar stories and this, to me,
proves that animals know what they are doing.
When we lived in Arizona, we started the mineral buffet system. Our goats were feeding on
many minerals, but mostly copper, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc. Upon moving to Arkansas, April
2024, our goats started consuming boron, cobalt, iodine, molybdenum, and selenium. They didn’t
even touch the zinc. Come to find out, we have an old zinc mine near our property, so that tells me
they are getting enough in their forage. As fall came along, dead leaves, acorns, and other forage
made changes to their environment, and once again they started consuming the alkaline
neutralizer, but also Vitamin C&B and Vitamin V4(AD&E), which they hadn’t touched all year. I will
also say that something else of interest we noticed, was that our goats have never used the acid
neutralizer. This is used when acid builds up in the stomach, typically caused by grains, which can
cause bloat and other problems. Our herd is grain-free, so it makes perfect sense. We still keep it
out and available and refresh every so often, because we never know when something out on forage
may cause acid buildup. We have a customer who has been using the mineral buffet for about a year now. He used to feed tons of grain right before kidding and through lactation. His does looked
so good before kidding, so he didn’t start the grain. He said they never lost weight after giving birth
and he ended up not needing the grain. I talked with him recently and he said he isn’t even buying
any grain this year. Money saved!!
We have kept weight records on all our kids born over the last 7 years. Since starting the
buffet, we have had 1 kidding season, and our next will be March 2025. Our kids this year grew the
best we had ever seen. Some of our dams have been with us for 5-7 years and they grew better kids
as a 9-year-old then they did as a 2- or 3-year-old. The only difference made was the mineral buffet
system. Looking at our records, doing an average of weights on all the kids born over the last 7
years, we saw an average birthweight of 7.07lbs, now at 8.24lbs. This is due to a healthier dam
growing a healthier kid. An average 30-day weight was 17.56lbs, now at 20.73lbs. This is due to not
only a healthier kid and dam but more, quality milk yield. An average 60-day weight of 27.25lbs, now
at 34.83lbs. At weaning, 90-day weights were at 36.24lbs, now at 45.5lbs. We also looked at
Average Daily Gains. Of the last 7 years our kids were averaging an ADG of .32, now at .41. I also
looked at the average daily gains on 30-day increments. From birth to 30 days old was .35lbs, now
at .42lbs. From 30 days to 60 days was .32lbs, now at .47lbs. The 60-90 days always seems to drop
because the kids start foraging and take in less milk. We saw an average ADG of .30lbs, now at
.36lbs. We can’t wait to see 2025 kids and how well they improve, since this year’s kids endured a
move across country a few weeks before weaning. This dropped their growth a bit from the stress
on them and their dams.
One of the greatest things about the mineral buffet is that it can be used for all types of
livestock. I know of many that use it for their goats and sheep and have no issues with their sheep
ingesting too much copper. I have a customer who uses it for her mixed herd of goats, cows, and a
donkey. Another uses it for their cows and horses. I plan to try it with my rabbits, once I finish their
colony, to see how it works for them! This system goes full circle. Animals are ingesting minerals
missing in their diet/environment, in turn replenish the soil, making pastures healthier. Future
forage has more minerals to maintain a healthier animal. This can also work for us as humans when
we use their manure as compost in gardening soil.
We love to share experiences we’ve had. I won’t say this system is 100% fool proof for
everyone, as nothing is, but after seeing what the mineral buffet has done for our herd and how it
fluctuates throughout the year, has changed the way we farm for the better. We believe in this
system so much that we started selling the product back in July 2023 and have been able to help
many farmers change the lives of their herds. Hearing all the amazing stories of others’ successes
with this system is why we are sharing this with you. I even talked with someone who has been
using the system longer than we have and they said you won’t know how great it is until you try it.
You just must give it a chance and give the animals time to allow the changes to occur in their
health. We have been able to get more people started, with smaller, more affordable setups. After
doing a ton of research on the few companies that sell the buffet-style minerals, we chose Free
Choice Enterprises, LTD in Wisconsin. They have been in business for over 60 years and their
products have the least number of additives. Most have just 1-3 ingredients.
If anyone is interested in more information about the buffet system, you can check out our
many videos on YouTube or go to our website at fishorpriceranch.com.
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