Multimin: Looking to inject that extra edge in reproductive performance

Many farmers already have good trace mineral programs but there are times when the requirements for trace elements rapidly increases. Even when herds are well-supplemented, cows can slip into a slight deficiency during periods of high demand. Stressful events such as early lactation and mating lead to high demand, so supplementing trace minerals prior to these events allows levels to be maintained.

Roles of trace minerals in reproduction

The reproductive system uses many trace elements. For example, manganese protects the developing egg within the ovary, zinc aids in the maintenance of a healthy uterine lining, selenium is important to protect the growing embryo and plays an important antioxidant role, whilst copper is an essential component in functioning enzymes to protect cells from damage.

Consequently, any deficiency in copper, selenium, zinc, or manganese can lead to a reduction in fertility.

Economic benefits of MULTIMIN supplementation

Extensive research both in NZ and internationally demonstrate the benefits of supplementing with MULTIMIN 3-4 weeks prior to mating, even when blood or liver testing did not identify a deficiency. Supplementing with MULTIMIN gave small but significant gains and gave good returns on investment.

On average, MULTIMIN treated cows

got in calf 3.4 days earlier
lost less pregnancies
had a 3.3% higher pregnancy rate
gave a 4:1 ROI (@$4 payout)

Interestingly, these studies were conducted in herds that already had good reproductive performance. So if you’re wanting to gain that extra edge, a pre-mating MULTIMIN injection may improve 6-week ICR and overall pregnancy rates.

And don’t forget the bulls. Injecting bulls 12 weeks prior to joining will improve semen quality and quantity.

FAQs

Oral forms of supplementation are effective for the maintenance of normal activities but absorption through the gut can be slow and intakes can be variable. During periods of high demand, animals tend to have a reduced appetite, resulting in less feed intake and thereby reduced trace mineral intake. Injecting MULTIMIN prior to high demand periods minimizes the effects from lowered oral intakes. View MULTIMIN as a ‘top-up’ to oral supplementation, rather than a replacement for it.
For herds monitoring trace elements less frequently (ie. more than 6 month ago), blood testing prior to supplementation is useful to understand if a deficiency exists and to what extent. MULTIMIN is not designed to treat severe trace mineral deficiencies and other products may be more suited to address these deficiencies. MULTIMIN is most suited to animals with reasonable-good trace mineral levels.
The transition from late gestation to early lactation represents one of the biggest challenges for a dairy cow and is associated with high levels of stress and a high demand for trace minerals. With many herds supplementing with a selenium product pre-calving to combat retained foetal membranes, before using MULTIMIN it is worth considering whether the selenium product is likely to be at high levels.
Long-acting selenium products such as Selovin LA are designed to provide a sustained effect without causing a sudden spike in blood selenium levels, so supplementing with MULTIMIN represents minimal toxicity risk. Other shorter-acting products containing selenium such as Selovin 5, Vijec B12 + Se, and MULTIMIN are quickly absorbed and result in a sudden spike in selenium that is short lived.
Using these products closely together (within a few days) is not advisable but considering the time interval between a pre-calving selenium injection and a pre-mating MULTIMIN injection, the spike following the initial selenium injection would be largely worn off, so there is minimal toxicity risk if followed by a MULTIMIN injection. Selenium fertilizer and prills will also cause a spike for about 1-2 months so avoid doubling up with MULTIMIN if fertilizer application has been recent.
Various research studies on MULTIMIN also highlight the low risk associated with using MULTIMIN as many of these studies were conducted on animals already with high selenium levels.
This depends on the current trace mineral status of the individual animal and their level of demand. Animals which have a greater requirement for trace minerals will use them up faster than animals with a lower requirement who will store the trace minerals for later use. I would typically advise up to 6 weeks persistence in animals with good trace mineral levels prior to supplementation.