Cattle salt lick COCCIBLOCK

for horsesfor sheepgoat

Description
On extensive farms the problem is not knowing what to give the animal, but how to give it. On rangeland, on hill pasture or on a game estate there is no TMR wagon and no single drinker to treat the water, and handling each animal individually costs more than it solves. Parasite pressure, however, is there all year round, and it concentrates exactly where the livestock graze and drink.
Cocciblock is AMBiotec's phytobiotic formulated on a mineral lick block, for ruminants, equines and pigs in all categories. It is the only block presentation in the Balance range, and that is precisely its purpose: the animal doses itself by licking, on free access, with no handling, no feeder and no treated drinking water. Where a phytobiotic in feed works indoors, Cocciblock works out in the field.
Its base is a mineral block of sodium chloride, carob powder, seaweed meal, whey permeate and magnesium carbonate, carrying a blend of flavouring compounds — the phytobiotic fraction — and vitamin E of natural origin. Seaweed meal is the ingredient that sets it apart within the range and the one that provides its trace element profile, with 80 mg/kg of zinc. Its action rests on the balance of the digestive microbiota: phytobiotics favour beneficial flora over undesirable flora, help preserve the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and improve the use of nutrients from pasture and from the ration.
What it brings to the farm

• Continuous nutritional support on farms under parasite pressure: coccidia, cryptosporidia, nematodes and cestodes are the usual burden of grazing, and Cocciblock fits into the farm's parasite control programme without replacing it.
• Balance of the digestive microbiota and better use of nutrients, with the corresponding effect on zootechnical results.
• Support against the effects of biotoxins from undesirable bacteria, and support for the animal's natural defences.
• Repellent effect on external parasites, an argument unique to Cocciblock within the range.
• Free-access self-dosing: no handling and no application time, with the same routine indoors, on extensive systems and on game estates.

Target species and production stages

• Cattle: suckler cows, dairy cows, heifer rearing and replacement, suckling calves and store calves.
• Sheep and goats: dairy and meat ewes and does, in all categories.
• Equines: horses and foals.
• Pigs: gestating sows and finishing pigs.
• Game estates: holdings with wild ruminants under extensive management.

Directions for use
Provide on free access. Always hang the block so the animal can lick it comfortably: never on the ground and never in the feed trough. Placing it near drinking points and resting areas is what secures intake. Reference average intake: 10 to 15 g per animal per day.

• Cattle: 1 block per 15 to 20 animals.
• Sheep and goats: 1 block per 60 animals.
• Equines: 1 block per horse.
• Gestating sows: 1 block per 20 to 30 sows.
• Game estates: 1 block per 20 animals; during stress periods, 2 blocks per 20 animals.

Field example: a flock of 180 ewes takes 3 blocks, that is one and a half boxes, spread over three separate points in the enclosure so there is no competition for the block and every animal has access.
Practical points: spread the blocks over several points rather than concentrating intake in one, because dominant animals monopolise access. Check intake over the first two weeks: a block that disappears too quickly means there are not enough licking points, and one that is left untouched is usually badly placed or hung too high. Being a free-access product, it fits into the farm routine without adding any handling of the animal.
Composition and analytical constituents
Composition: sodium chloride, carob powder, seaweed meal, whey permeate and magnesium carbonate.
Additives: technological, blend of flavouring compounds. Nutritional, vitamins, pro-vitamins and chemically well defined substances having a similar effect: RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (3a700).
Analytical constituents: crude ash 96.8 %, sodium 37.7 %, magnesium 0.9 %, calcium 0.6 %, zinc 80 mg/kg and phosphorus 178 mg/kg. Crude protein, crude fibre, crude oils and fats, lysine and methionine, all below 0.1 %.
Physical and chemical properties: green solid with a salty odour and a melting point of 81 ºC.
How the formula works: sodium chloride is not filler, it is what drives the product. A sodium content of 37.7 % creates the appetite that leads the animal to lick of its own accord, and that appetite is what doses the phytobiotic fraction with no one having to intervene. Carob powder and whey permeate adjust palatability and the cohesion of the block; seaweed meal provides the trace element profile, with zinc as the declared reference; magnesium carbonate completes the mineral contribution. The blend of flavouring compounds is what gives the product its character. The melting point of 81 ºC explains why the block holds up in the field and does not deform in summer heat.
Safety and compatibility
Ingredients of natural origin, with no known side effects. They do not generate resistance and show no incompatibility with the other products in the farm's nutritional programme.
As it is given on free access and relies on appetite for salt, the other sources of sodium and mineral correctors in the ration should be taken into account so that intakes are not duplicated.
Cocciblock is a complementary mineral feed and does not replace the judgement of the responsible veterinarian or the treatments they prescribe.
Logistics
Format: 10 kg block, in boxes of 2 blocks. Shelf life: 18 months from the date of manufacture. Storage: in a cool place below 25 ºC and dry, away from heat sources and sunlight, with the packaging tightly closed. Avoid storing the boxes in damp areas.
Regulatory framework
Category: complementary mineral feed. Manufacturer registration number: ESP088300761. Trader registration number: ESP45000371. Manufactured and marketed by Agroalimentaria Manchega de Biotecnologia, S.L. (AMBiotec), Toledo (Spain). Management systems: FAMI-QS, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Formulation developed in AMBiotec's own R and D laboratory, which analyses raw materials, feed, water and faeces as part of its technical service to the farm.