Effects of hydroxychloride sources of copper, zinc, and manganese on measures of supplement intake, mineral status, and pre- and postweaning performance of beef calves.

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of Cu, Zn, and Mn source on measures of 1) preferential intake of mineral-concentrated supplements and 2) mineral status and pre- and postweaning performance of beef calves. In Exp. 1, 4 trials were conducted to assess the effect of source of Cu (750 mg/kg; Trial 1), Zn (2,000 mg/kg; Trial 2), Mn (3,000 mg/kg; Trial 3), and all 3 elements (Trial 4) on preferential intake of mineral-concentrated supplements. Supplements differed only by source of Cu, Zn, and Mn, which included hydroxychloride (hydroxy), sulfate, and organic options. In each trial, the 3 supplements were simultaneously offered to 8 pens of early-weaned calves (2 calves/pen; 126 ± 8.0 kg average BW) for a 4-h period and preferential intake was determined. When offered the opportunity to select among 3 supplement options, calves consumed more ( < 0.001) supplement containing hydroxy vs. organic or sulfate sources of Cu (Trial 1), Zn (Trial 2), and Mn (Trial 3). In Trial 4, when all 3 elements were combined within a single supplement, calves almost exclusively selected ( < 0.001) the hydroxy vs. organic or sulfate sources (82.9, 10.4, and 6.7% of total supplement intake, respectively [SEM 3.16]). In Exp. 2, calves were supplemented at a rate of 114 g/calf daily for 84 d before weaning (2 calves/pasture; 10 and 12 pastures in yr 1 and 2, respectively). Supplements were formulated to contain no supplemental minerals (control); hydroxy Cu, Zn, and Mn; or copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, and manganese oxide (sulfate/oxide). Total supplement intake was greater ( = 0.01) for calves consuming the hydroxy vs. the sulfate/oxide sources of Cu, Zn, and Mn (9.0 vs. 7.2 kg [SEM 0.45]). Preweaning calf BW gain did not differ ( ≥ 0.15) among treatments; however, calves provided mineral-fortified supplements had greater ( = 0.003) liver concentrations of Co and Se and tended ( = 0.07) to have greater liver concentrations of Cu at weaning compared with the controls. Calves provided mineral-fortified vs. control supplements had greater ( ≤ 0.05) peak concentrations of ceruloplasmin and haptoglobin and less BW gain during in the 16-d postweaning period. These data demonstrate greater voluntary intake of mineral-concentrated supplements among calves offered hydroxy vs. sulfate or organic sources of Cu, Zn, and Mn. Preweaning mineral-fortified supplementation increased calf mineral status, heightened inflammatory responsiveness, and decreased BW gain during the immediate postweaning period.